Special Focus on Popular Music Education

by Matthew Clauhs , Brian Franco, and Radio Cremata

Mixing It Up
Sound Recording and Music
Production in School Music
Programs
Abstract: Recent advances in music technology include practical tools for sound recording
and production in school music classrooms. Secondary school music production classes allow
students to make meaningful connections between school music and the music in their own
lives. We offer several projects for teaching music production and sound recording; provide
examples of authentic, performance-based assessments; and identify opportunities for col-
laboration through digital means. These projects are particularly well aligned with the United
States’ Core Arts Standards related to creating music and may widen the door for students who
are less interested—or less able to participate—in traditional bands, orchestras, and choirs or
music appreciation electives.
Keywords: Core Arts Standards, music production, popular music, sound recording, technology

Technology can be

M
usic educators and students are wit- the chance to leverage student interest in
nessing tremendous growth in the music production and sound recording into a tool for inclusion
volume and ubiquity of computer classroom activities that foster creativity and in your music
and mobile software applications dedicated collaboration.1
to sound recording and audio production. While access to technology has steadily classroom and
While nonprofessionals may have once
been restricted as “consumers” of the music
increased inside and outside our schools,
music teachers report that they primarily
school.
industry, they can now actively “prosume” use technology for administrative tasks
in online sharing of original music proj- and not for teaching and learning. 2 This
ects through social media and streaming is a missed opportunity for music educa-
platforms. A prosumer is both a producer tors, as sound recording and music pro-
and a consumer and plays an active role duction classes could help students make
in both fields: anyone with a computer or meaningful connections between school
mobile device can record, refine, distribute, music and the music in their own lives or,
and even sell his or her original work in in the words of music education scholar
a global market. This form of “participa- Evan Tobias, “crossfades” between music
tory culture” in music provides educators engagements inside and outside school. 3

Matthew Clauhs is an assistant professor of instrumental music education at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York; he can be
contacted at [email protected]. Brian Franco is a music teacher in the Skaneateles School District in Skaneateles, New York;
he can be contacted at [email protected]. Radio Cremata is an associate professor and chair of music education at
Ithaca College; he can be contacted at [email protected].

NAfME is glad to offer one hour of professional development recognition to you for reading this article.
Copyright © 2019 National Association
Please follow the link below and complete a short quiz to receive your certificate of completion. for Music Education
http://bit.ly/RecordingAndProduction DOI: 10.1177/0027432119856085
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/mej

www.nafme.org 55
 many music teachers have had to rede-
fine their roles in the school community.
By adding courses that allow young
people to study musicianship through a
lens attractive to new student-musicians,
the music department is able to further
expand its role to one of greater inclu-
sivity and relevance.
Recent increased accessibility of
equipment and technological advances
have contributed to the success of
these practices in a classroom setting.
Cloud-based recording software, such
as Soundtrap and BandLab, have turned
almost any electronic device into a port-
able studio. Mixers (e.g., Roland HS-5)
allow multiple student groups to prac-
tice simultaneously in the same room
without disrupting each other. Virtual
instruments compatible with iPad tech-
nology, such as the Korg iKaossilator
and the Alchemy Synthesizer available
for GarageBand for iOS, replicate the
sounds of acoustic and electronic instru-
Photo of Radio Cremata (left), Matthew Clauhs (center), and Brian Franco (right) by Erin O’Rourke
ments for a fraction of the cost. Fur-
thermore, the increased accessibility of
recorded music through services such
The integration of music technology emerging ensembles that hold the prom-
as Spotify and YouTube, as well as the
offerings into traditional school music ise to attract new students to our music
programs.5
countless music learning apps available
programs may also help initiate more to students, have democratized produc-
student-centered, relevant, and engag- tion tool choice and learning experiences
Over the last decade, we have seen
ing learning experiences in school in classrooms, allowing the role of the
an increasing number of cases where
music contexts.4 teacher to shift to more of a facilitator
schools have incorporated such emerg-
Contemporary music ensemble and and/or producer role, guiding students
ing ensemble classes as an additional
production classes can provide oppor- toward resources to help them succeed.8
option to the traditional band, chorus,
tunities for more students to partici-
and orchestra programs that exist in most
pate in school music. In 2016, Michael
Brownell, then president of the New
schools.6 These additional classes lend Sample Classroom Projects
themselves to incorporating recording
York State School Music Association
familiarity and fluency in music produc- Sound recording and music production
(NYSSMA), recognized this potential
tion. By adding recording projects into a classes can take many shapes and forms.
for student engagement and created a
school’s music curriculum, teachers and We have taught these courses in a vari-
committee focused on the study of non-
students have the opportunity to create ety of classroom environments, ranging
traditional genres through collaborative
student-generated products in a digital from fully equipped music technology
and creative projects. In a statement in
medium that fosters creativity and imagi- classrooms to general shared-use com-
NYSSMA’s official publication, School
nation while engaging with the school puter labs with no dedicated music
Music NEWS, he explained,
community in new and exciting ways. equipment. The activities and projects
One of the primary motivating fac- presented in the following section can
This past year has included an important tors for sound recording and music be accomplished in virtually any class-
national dialogue and discussion over the
production classes is a school’s faculty room space with apps that are often
goal of inclusion, diversity, equity, and
access in our music programs. As we look
and administration’s desire to reach free and widely available on multiple
to the future of music education, we must “the other 80 percent” of a high school devices, including phones, tablets, and
seek to remain current with changing population—those students who are not desktop computers. Little to no pre-
student demographics and underserved enrolled in traditional band, orchestra, requisite knowledge is required of the
populations. . . . I posed the question or choral programs. 7 In an era when student to complete many of these
of how to encourage opportunities for school budgets can be unforgiving, activities.

56 Music Educators Journal  September 2019

Project 1: Film Composing forth while not worrying about harmonic multiple times in nine boxes on the
language of the piece. Students quickly screen, creating a fully realized piece by
General information (suggested apps: realize that composition is not an intimi- performing the parts in multiple takes
GarageBand [free on iOS/MacOS]; dating process but, rather, one in which that are presented simultaneously to the
Soundtrap [“freemium,” meaning that they use their ears and intuition to cre- viewer. This style of performance has
the basic software is free, but there is a ate a musical work. Over the course made Internet celebrities of artists such
charge for add-ons, with special pricing of the project, teachers may decide to as Jacob Collier (Figure 1) and Peter
for educational institutions9]) discuss, for example, the importance Hollens.
Film composing projects may foster stu- of synchronization, pacing music with This is another project that has a
dent understanding of music’s role in the visual provided, and how to effec- wonderful amount of flexibility, even
conveying mood and emotion. Without tively arrange and layer instruments. more so than film scoring, with the
music in place, movie scenes fall flat, As students advance through this work, added bonus of having the feel of the
suspense is eliminated, and the audi- teachers (serving as facilitators and/or kind of viral videos students see daily
ence does not fully comprehend the producers) might further explore the on YouTube. While 9-square projects
mood of the situation. Additionally, the function of harmony, rhythm, form, and are often produced to creative covers
flexible nature of film composing makes melody with students as they compose. of popular songs and classwide col-
it an appropriate project for many grade laborative projects, they could be used
levels and in a variety of classes. •• Film composing project: High to support ensemble goals, as well.
school. In this project, students select For example, a high school trombonist
•• Film composing project: Middle a scene from a movie that is about might learn all four parts of a trombone
school. This may be an appropriate 90 seconds long. Just as the previous quartet, or a choral student with a good
first project with a music technology example suggested, scenes with no dia- range could learn and sing all four parts
class (or any class/ensemble mak- logue may be a good place for students of an arrangement being worked on in
ing use of technology), as it serves to start with this project. While watch- rehearsal.
as an introduction to the technical ing the scene with the audio removed, The Acappella app simplifies the
processes associated with creating the student composer should determine editing process by allowing a student to
music. After providing students with what mood or emotion is evoked by create a visual layout for a video. After
a 30-second film clip, the class dis- the filmmaker. In addition, they can ask planning out their filming sequence,
cusses two crucial questions: themselves what music elements (e.g., students can record vocal and/or instru-
tempo, chord structure, melody, tim- ment parts one at a time and hear their
1. What mood and/or emotion is being bre) can help convey this mood most arrangements unfold as they add each
conveyed in this piece? effectively. For two weeks, students take. By engaging students in the pro-
2. How can I musically convey these write their music using a preferred cesses of learning, planning, and exe-
ideas? method of composition (e.g., notated cuting the performance of all parts of
score, sequenced MIDI, synthesizer) a composition, they may gain a deeper
To avoid copyright infringement, teach- before mixing and synchronizing it to appreciation for—and understanding
ers might explore the variety of online the original video source. This work of—the various roles and functions
databases for public domain videos.10 may be done independently or in small of members of an ensemble and ele-
We have found animated films to be par- groups. Here are two examples: ments of music (e.g., melody, harmony,
ticularly useful for this project, although rhythm, form).
Video Example 1. High School Film
any video with clear action sequences
Composition: https://youtu.be/
and limited dialogue will work. Depend-
Xk0V-qfy3V8 Project 3: Full-Length Album
ing on student experience, teachers
may dedicate some time to basic digital Video Example 2. High School Film General information (suggested apps:
audio workstation (DAW) navigation as Composition: https://youtu.be/ MixCraft [Windows] or GarageBand [iOS,
students decide how to use the virtual wEZtyGmJmFg MacOS])
instruments at their disposal. Composi- In this project, each student composes
tion projects such as these often work an original piece that aligns with an
Project 2: “9-Square” Project
well when certain limitations are in place; overarching theme, resulting in a cohe-
for example, students are allowed only General information (suggested apps: sive album. Students are encouraged to
to use an E-minor chord with synthesiz- Acappella [freemium]; Final Cut Pro collaborate with one another, offering
ers and smart instruments. This allows [$299]; Adobe Premiere Pro [$20/ their individual skills on voice, instru-
students to engage in the compositional month]) ments, and/or beat production to their
process and experiment with tempo, A 9-square project is a video in which one classmates. Depending on the class-
range, instrumentation, timbre, and so or many performers record themselves room setup and available technologies,

www.nafme.org 57
 maintain that work created in the school
FIGURE 1 for class purposes belongs to the school.
There is also a great potential for learn-
Jacob Collier Performing “Fascinating Rhythm” ing about business, entrepreneurship,
industry, creative commons, and intel-
lectual property by engaging students in
the promotion, sale, and distribution of
their original content.
Video Example 3. Commercial for
Full-Length Class Album: https://
youtu.be/4D26Wjg7do4

Deterritorialized Collaboration
While music-making and music-sharing
once were limited to physical spaces,
these processes can now nimbly, ele-
gantly, and fluidly be mediated through
deterritorialization. Anthropologist
Brigitte Jordan was among the first to
discuss deterritorialization with regard
to lifestyle wellness and home/life bal-
Source: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K28H04Y2IdE, accessed August 13, 2014). ance.12 The concept is being adapted
here for music collaboration because
it can serve as a means to understand
students may create their songs through the room, moving from station to station e-collaboration. We can understand
a variety of DAWs: (1) computer-based while listening and providing feedback deterritorialization to be the essence
software programs, such as MixCraft to their peers. Sharing protocols such or perception of people being in dif-
(Windows) or GarageBand (MacOS); as the one described here may help ferent locations. For example, a music
(2) cloud computing programs, such as to keep students on task and encour- maker may physically occupy a base-
Soundation; or (3) apps designed for age dialogue about how elements of ment home studio in Hamburg, Ger-
smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks, their songs were created. This fosters a many, but stream her music through an
including GarageBand (iOS), FL Studio sense of collaboration and leads to new online portal capable of collaborating
(MacOS, iOS, Windows, Android), and understanding about composition and with almost anyone who can connect
Soundtrap (Chrome OS, iOS, Android). sound-recording techniques. to her through an online connection.
See Table 1 for a comprehensive list of Because the album consists of origi- At the same time, a 10th-grade music
DAW apps for recording, editing, and nal music, it may be widely shared with- classroom in Miami, Florida, might enlist
producing audio as well as apps for out copyright infringement. The teacher the Hamburg musician as a music men-
video editing. While this type of proj- might consider uploading the album to tor and/or music collaborator on a class
ect allows for a great deal of student a global distribution company, such as project. Leveraging deterritorialization
autonomy and collaboration, facilitators CDBaby. This organization distributes in music education has become more
are challenged to control and/or curate the album to online music sellers and and more normalized due to efforts by
the learning processes, monitor students streaming platforms (e.g., iTunes, Spot- music teacher practitioners and soft-
works, provide suggestions as students ify, and Amazon Music). Booster organi- ware/web developers.13 Some of their
bump into challenges, and restructure zations may be able to help manage the ideas, experiences, and opportunities
guidelines to maximize students’ cre- proceeds from the sale of the album, and will be discussed. We should note here
ativities. 11 This can be accomplished this activity could even serve as a fund- that research in this field is ongoing
through nongraded formative assess- raiser for the music program. Students with notable contributions by music
ments using rubrics and checkpoints for can create a commercial that features education scholars.14 It can be helpful
students to submit and reflect upon the selections of their original compositions to consider deterritorialized collabora-
current state of their work. The facilita- and directions for purchasing the album tions through three different approaches
tor could end classes by having students online. This type of activity does raise that also function and operate in school
loop a portion of their project, open a a question of intellectual property and music settings: projects, ensembles, and
Word document, and circulate around who “owns” the students’ work. We mentoring/lessons. While there may be

58 Music Educators Journal  September 2019

 contribution to the music community
TABLE 1 is Eric Whitacre’s choir (an asynchro-
nous ensemble, meaning its members
Recommended Apps for Sound Recording and Production do not perform at the same time or in
the same physical space). Collaborators
App Name Function Experience Cost Compatibility worldwide were assembled in a virtual
Indaba, GrooveZoo, DAW Beginner/ Free (or Cloud based space under the virtual asynchronous
ClubCreate, JamStudio, intermediate freemium) direction of Whitacre. Students, work-
Riffworld, Kompoz, ing on their own projects, can certainly
Drumbot, Sonat Live, replicate Whitacre’s work using tools
Audiotool, Soundation, such as Logic, Final Cut Pro, YouTube,
Soundtrap, BandLab FaceTime, Skype, or other video confer-
Audacity DAW Beginner Free PC/Mac encing applications. If they wish to push
GarageBand (iOS) DAW Beginner Free iOS beyond the limitations those technolo-
gies impose on the music, they will need
GarageBand (Mac) DAW Beginner/ Free Mac
to explore new portals or combinations
intermediate
of portals. FaceTime, Skype, and other
MixCraft DAW Beginner/ $30 Windows e-communication tools might serve as
intermediate (education) possible options. Since latency (sound
Loopy HD DAW (Looper) Beginner/ $3.99 Mobile delay) can pose a problem through Face
intermediate Time and Skype, musicians might desire
FL Studio DAW Beginner/ Varies by All devices lower-latency options. JamKazam, a free
intermediate platform website, offers users profiles and match-
Logic Pro X DAW Advanced $250 Mac making opportunities to share/connect
with peers in zero-latency online music
ProTools DAW Advanced $249 PC/Mac
spaces. Additionally, there is Jack Trip,
iMovie (iOS) Video Beginner Free iOS a free, zero-latency software program.
Acappella Video Beginner Freemium All devices Since latency affects synchronicity,
iMovie (Mac) Video Beginner/ $14.99 Mac musicians might find zero-latency digital
intermediate environments more useful for collabo-
Final Cut Pro X Video Advanced $299 Mac rative music activities. Course work in
this field is also emerging. For example,
Adobe Premiere Pro Video Advanced $20/month PC/Mac
one can enroll in music professor and
(education)
composer Chris Chafe’s Online Jam-
Note. DAW = digital audio workstation.
ming and Concert Technologies course
for free at kadenze.com.16 This course
explores opportunities for online music-
making/jamming and zero latency. Cen-
overlap among each of these, a variety constructed on a DAW using a combi- tral to understanding and accepting the
of unique circumstances and opportuni- nation of loops, digital instruments, live e-space for ensembles is to understand
ties for each are discussed later. instruments, and vocals. Video is also that it can function to diversify partici-
Deterritorialized, project-based music feasible. Some of the benefits of these pants, open up new music possibilities,
education can occur in many ways. For experiences include increased student and expand notions of instrumentations,
example, teachers and students may flexibility, access, affirmation, and group constitutions, and venues.
enlist collaborators over the phone, autonomy. Likewise, these project-based Musicians might also benefit from
requiring little more than a pen/pencil, experiences serve to decrease teacher deterritorialization in mentoring and
paper, and a telephone. Alternatively, directedness, centeredness, and creative lesson settings. While some digital com-
the teacher may use websites such as control.15 munication tools, such as Skype, Face
Indaba, GrooveZoo, Soundtrap, Club Ensemble-based collaboration is an Time, Adobe Connect, and Zoom,
Create, JamStudio, Riffworld, Kompoz, emerging phenomenon and one that are normalized in informal friend–
Aviary, Soundation, Drumbot, Sonat will likely become more and more fea- friend contexts and institutional-
Live, and Audiotool. Offshoots of these sible as technologies related to latency ized social networks, they are not
are constantly appearing on the Inter- and sound quality catch up to the stand- necessarily the most functional for
net, making project-based collaboration ards to which prosumers are accus- online music mentorship and lessons.
even more feasible. The project can be tomed. To date, a widely referenced There is an emergence of specific

www.nafme.org 59
music-applied online communication, mood and events represented in a growth through statistical analysis. Art
such as www.takelessons.com, www short scene. The music teacher may and creativity do not always fit well into
.thezoen.com, www.lessonface also consider consulting with faculty this model of educational assessment.
.com, and www.livemusictutor.com. in other departments (e.g., English, Instead, the use of rubrics, such as the
These tools afford, for example, private Social Studies, Science, Visual Art) one displayed in Figure 2, is helpful
piano instruction through combined net- for source material that could lead for the development of student learn-
worked video-/audio conferencing with to interdepartmental collaboration. ing in music technology classes. When
MIDI functionality. Music teachers and •• Anchor Standard 2: Organize and designing a rubric, the teacher might ask
mentors might use these tools to expand develop artistic ideas and work. the question, “What should students be
the venues through which they engage Once students have ideas for music able to do?”19 The emphasis is on do,
students and peers alike. The possibili- that best represents the theme, con- not know, because it is through doing
ties exist to teach a variety of musical cept, or visual prompt, they will that students best demonstrate their
instruments, styles, and musicianships organize and develop a larger work. knowledge and understanding. While
through these tools. Additionally, digital This can be achieved through a num- this approach to assessment is standard
communication tools can provide sup- ber of the DAWs and video-editing practice in the United States, it is worth
plemental support, reflection, and shar- apps outlined in Table 1. These activ- noting that some scholars, including
ing beyond the weekly lesson time. ities should be student-centered and Randall Allsup and Gareth Dylan Smith,
facilitated by the teacher in order to have made compelling cases for why
Standards and Assessment allow for the greatest creative free- educators should not focus on learning
dom. If this task is too overwhelming outcomes in this way. These scholars
Sound recording and music production for students, teachers might consider argue that assessment practices have
classes are particularly well aligned with limiting the parameters of the work become too standardized and focused
the National Core Arts Anchor Standards (such as note/rhythm choices, style, on strict outcomes that may not serve
related to the overarching artistic process length). With practice, students may our students’ creative efforts well.20
of creating music. These standards are feel more confident creating music However, there are a number of
as follows: (1) Generate and conceptual- without these limitations. preexisting rubrics and mechanisms
ize artistic ideas and work; (2) Organize •• Anchor Standard 3: Refine and for evaluating creative work that could
and develop artistic ideas and work; and complete artistic work. Student be considered as assessment tools in a
(3) Refine and complete artistic work.17 work can be measured against a music technology class. Music educa-
Next, we look at three Anchor Standards rubric throughout the duration of tion scholar Maud Hickey published
and discuss how a music technology the project. Frequent formative a variety of rubrics for evaluating
class can help students understand the assessments that judge the quality composition as well as guidelines for
process of creating music. of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and assessment. 21 Teresa Amabile, a busi-
lyrical content as well as technical ness professor at Harvard University,
•• Anchor Standard 1: Generate and skills associated with sound record- developed the Consensual Assessment
conceptualize artistic ideas and ing and music production will help Technique (CAT) as a tool for measur-
work. Having generative material is guide the student through revisions ing creativity. 22 The CAT is a reliable
an essential part of the creative pro- along the way. Students can receive form of assessment when evaluating
cess. The authors have used news- feedback from a variety of sources, individual and group music composi-
paper cartoons without captions including the teacher, their peers, and tions. 23 These rubrics and tools are a
as five-minute “Do Now” exercises outside experts (if possible), as well helpful frame of reference and might
requiring students to compose a small as their own personal self-assessment be considered when developing evalu-
amount of material to accompany the and reflection. See Figure 2 for an ation criteria for a project. A negotiated
illustration. Much like a freewrite in example of a rubric used in a music assessment involves that the teacher
English class, this activity allows technology class at Johnson City and students come to a consensus on
students to practice being creative High School in Johnson City, New the criteria and indicators of a rubric or
without the need to produce a pol- York.18 any other mechanism for evaluation.24
ished product. Animations and silent This process allows for more individu-
films are two other great sources of alized assessment by creating different
Authentic Assessment
inspiration for songwriting. Archive plans for each student, or groups of stu-
.org is a nonprofit digital library of Music teachers often struggle to find dents, depending on the assigned roles
media including films and moving ways of assessing student work in an in the class (e.g., performer, songwriter,
images that are now public domain. authentic, meaningful way, especially in recording engineer). Regardless of the
Students may be challenged to com- an age of standardized multiple-choice form of assessment used in the music
pose and arrange music that fits the tests designed to measure student technology classroom or rehearsal

60 Music Educators Journal  September 2019

 FIGURE 2
Sound Recording and Music Production Rubric

Dimensions Intern (Level 1) Assistant (Level 2) Producer (Level 3) Studio Executive (Level 4)
Melodic Content An incomplete or A complete melody but Musically complete and Complete, imaginative,
(MU:Cr1.1.T.IIIa; incoherent melody. lacks imagination. some creative elements. and aesthetically
MU:Cr2.1.T.IIIa) effective.
Rhythmic Content Is erratic and does not Is stable but does not Makes musical sense for Is coherent and makes
(MU:Cr1.1.T.IIIa; make musical sense for have any variety or does the overall form of the musical sense. It
MU:Cr2.1.T.IIIa ) the piece overall. not make musical sense composition. adds to the aesthetic
for the piece as a whole. effectiveness of the
composition.
Form Has no formal structure Has clear themes but not Is in a formal structure In a formal structure with
(MU:Cr3.2.T.IIIa) or clear themes. arranged in any formal but is underdeveloped. multiple sections and
structure. logical sequence.
Aesthetic Appeal Does not present Includes at least one Includes some interesting Makes strong general
(MU:Cr3.2.T.IIIa) an effective general interesting musical idea. musical ideas. The impression and has great
impression. Musical Yet, the overall impression general impression is appeal. Would be enjoyed
ideas do not hold the is not aesthetically pleasant and moderately by many listeners. Keeps
listener’s interest. effective. effective. the listener interested.
Lyrical Content Lacks a clear Lyrics are present, but the Lyrics are written with The lyrics are written
(CCSS.ELA- point of view and main idea is vague. Some a logical progression clearly and consistently
Literacy.L.11-12.1; CCSS. logical sequence of of the lyrics don’t seem to of ideas. The lyrics are with a logical progression
ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.3) information. fit and the progression of meaningful and relevant of ideas. The lyrics give
ideas is unclear. to the topic. the listener a clear sense
of the topic.
Writing Process The lyrics needs The structure is unclear Clear and well written with Clear and well written with
(CCSS.ELA- extensive editing. and there are some minor errors. no errors. Grammar and
Literacy.L.11-12.1; CCSS. Multiple errors in spelling, grammar, and usage are correct with
ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.3) grammar, punctuation, punctuation errors. correct punctuation.
and spelling.
Originality The song is mostly The song contains some Most of the song is The song is entirely
(MU:Cr1.1.T.IIIa; pre-recorded loops, recorded audio and MIDI original, through sequenced and recorded
MU:Cr2.1.T.IIIa; with little or no MIDI or sequencing. sequenced MIDI and by the student.
MU:Cn10.0.T.IIIa) recorded audio. recorded audio.
Collaboration Very little Some communication Consistent Frequent communication
(MU:Cr3.1.T.IIIa; communication with with experts and communication with with experts and
MU:Cr3.2.T.IIIa; experts and classmates. classmates but at a very experts and classmates. classmates. Influence of
MU:Cn10.0.T.IIIa; CCSS. superficial level. Written communication the feedback is clear in
ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1) demonstrates a the project and written
willingness to collaborate communication shows
and grow. growth and critical
thought.

space, the teacher might work to ensure Opportunities Abound! recording and music production classes
that the assessment is naturally and are rooted in four fundamental creative
authentically woven into the design of While previous research suggests music practices identified by the Core Arts
the class itself and implemented at a teachers have long struggled to incor- Standards: imagination, investigation,
variety of stages throughout the crea- porate creative activities into their daily construction, and reflection in multiple
tive process. lessons,25 the very foundations of sound contexts.26 Whether students are scoring

www.nafme.org 61
 TABLE 2
Resources for Professional Development

Resource Location Experience Cost Notes

Technology in Music ti-me.org Beginner through $50 membership TI:ME sponsors workshops and sessions
Education (TI:ME) advanced at a variety of state and national music
education conferences.
Guitar Center Guitar Center stores Beginner/ Free In-person and online workshops offered
workshops (check http://workshops. intermediate through Guitar Center. Largely focused
guitarcenter.com for on learning an instrument and basic
workshops in your area) recording techniques.
Today at Apple Apple Stores (check Beginner/ Free In-person workshops at Apple stores.
www.apple.com/today for intermediate Many are geared specifically toward
workshops in your area) teachers on how to use Apple products
and apps in the classroom.
Bedroom Recording www.bedroom-recording. Beginner/ Free Comprehensive blog detailing everything
com intermediate from setting up your studio to specific
techniques, written by an amateur audio
engineer.
The Pro Audio Files theproaudiofiles.com Beginner through $40/month A collection of online video tutorials
advanced on audio editing by David Glenn and
Matthew Weiss. Comprehensive and
organized by technique/genre.
Coursera www.coursera.com Beginner through $39/month A collection of free online classes offered
advanced through various educational institutions,
such as the University of Rochester and
Berklee College
Berklee Online online.berklee.edu Beginner through $1,229/course 12-week courses and certificate programs
advanced taught by industry experts and Berklee
faculty. Transferrable credits.
Soundtree Institute institute.soundtree.com/ Beginner through $7.99/month Weekly webinars, K–12 lesson plans,
advanced videos.

film music, creating an a cappella video, or list provides a variety of opportunities classroom spaces can be transformed
producing a full-length album for iTunes, through conference training, online into a studio, and our school program
they are tapping into material imagined courses, and workshops at a variety of can become a working record label or
in their own musical minds and applying price points. Many of these resources production company. Physical class-
it in a variety of situations. Beyond the satisfy state-level professional develop- rooms can be expanded into deterri-
Core Arts Standards, these creative expe- ment requirements, and some offer col- torialized communities or hybridized
riences engage students in critical think- lege or graduate credit. spaces. We can see the students inside
ing, problem solving, and collaboration in While training and professional and outside our classrooms as creative
ways not always possible, or practical, in development will be useful, the authors independent artists and singer-songwrit-
other school music activities. also recommend a reconceptualization ers, and recognize that school music can
Because music teacher education of the traditional roles of teachers and be synonymous with student music.
programs rarely offer comprehensive students in the classroom and rehearsal
instruction on music production and space. The teacher may consider limit- Notes
sound recording, readers may find ing the amount direct instruction in the 1. Evan S. Tobias, “Toward Convergence:
Table 2, which displays resources for class and shift more into a facilitator Adapting Music Education to
professional development, useful. This role, acting as a music producer.27 Our Contemporary Society and Participatory

62 Music Educators Journal  September 2019

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www.nafme.org 63