Never has there been such an exciting time to be a music teacher. Band, choir, and orchestra are ubiquitous in schools and have come to be known as the primary mode that students experience music at the secondary level. Similarly, elementary school classrooms feature approaches by Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Music Learning Theory, among a host of others.
But, what is next? In this enlightening guide, author Clint A. Randles provides music educators with the practical tools to turn their classrooms into student production studios. Addressing everything from a new conceptualization of the physical classroom space to the cables and other audio equipment no music educator should be without, Randles puts creativity, technology, recording arts, songwriting, music production, and live performance at the center of music classrooms.
Author(s): Clint Randles
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 284
City: New York
Cover
Music Teacher as Music Producer
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Introduction: A Different Kind of Music Classroom, a Different Kind of Teacher
“Others Like Me”
Buried Musicianship
Wonder Woman
Now Is the Best Time to Innovate in the Music Curriculum
It’s All About Creativity, Or It Should Be Anyway
Troubleshooting
The Start of My Hero’s Journey
License to be Different
Modern Band: A Place to Put All of Our Ideas into Practice
Putting Play and Improvisation at the Center of the Center
Improvisation Occurs in Particular Moments
Playful Conceptions of Music Help
Teacher-Producers: Learning from George Martin and the Beatles
The Process Part of Creativity Rules All
Freewheeling
Making Good in Performance
Small Groups
Open Instrumentation
Project-Based Learning
Learner-Centered Pedagogy
Popular Music or Not
Inspiring Your Students
Pose Questions that Stretch
Hero’s Journey Analogy
You Are Their Wise Old Mentor
Practicing Your Craft
Your Musicianship Matters
Starting Your Journey
Part I: Organizing Your Space
Part II: Living with Live Performance
Part III: Making Tracks and Albums
Resources Worth Exploring
2. The Room(s): Where the Magic Happens
Wired to Create
Embodied Sound: Feeling the Groove
Logging in to Class
Getting Organized
Room Configuration
Instrument Storage
Playing in Headphones
Playing Out Loud
Developing Storage Systems
Labeling
Snakes
Storage Bins
Microphone Cases
Racks
Storage Hooks
Thoughts
Some Considerations
Lighting
Warmth and Comfort
Clutter Will Happen, It’s Okay
Students Need to Be Social
Fill Your Space with Inspiration
Incorporate a Place to Clear Your Mind
Create a Place for Quiet
Create a Space for Writing
Showcase Your Best Student Work
Utilize the Hallway
Further Considerations
Resources Worth Exploring
3. How Technology Can Help You
A Quest for All Things Digital
New to Technology, but Learning
A Digitally Facilitated World
Teacher Station
Selecting Mixers
How Does a Mixer Work?
Headphone Hub
Cables: Connecting Everything
Audio Cables
Power Cables
Rack-Mounted Stations
You Can Input Any Instrument/Voice into the Mixer/Headphone Hub Environment
Microphones
Pickups
Computer for Recording
Sound Amplification
Improvisation: Audio Effects and the Pursuit of Tone
Gain Stages: Overdrive, Distortion, and Fuzz
Compression
Modulation
Delay
Reverb
Looper Pedals
Play Is Important
Anything Can Be an Instrument
Use Classroom Exercises to Introduce Technology
Concluding Thoughts
Resources Worth Exploring
4. Instruments and Effects: Tools for Creative Expression
Pawn Shop Junkie
Roland TR-808
Anything You Can Think Of
Lay of the Land
Electric Guitar
Pickups
Electric Guitar Varieties
Amps
Acoustic Guitar
Pickups
Controls
Guitar Varieties
Amps
Electric Bass
Pickups, Tone, and Volume
Effects for Bass
Keyboard
Synthesizers
MIDI Controllers
Drum Set
Electronic Drum Sets
Acoustic Drum Sets
Tablets
Apps
GarageBand
ThumbJam
You Can Make Your Own Instruments
Tools
Cajon
Electric Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Thoughts on Making Instruments
Resources Worth Exploring
5. Setting the Stage for Success: Literally and Figuratively
Austin City Limits—Lobby
Third Man Records Cass Corridor
1,000 Followers, 10,000 Likes
Qualities of a Teacher Who Thrives Producing Live Student Audio
Practicing Music Lover
Curiosity and a Positive Outlook
Hard-working
Lifelong Learner
Working on Emptying Ego
Has Good People Skills
Excellent Technical Abilities
Roles of the Teacher in This Environment
Stage Manager
Sound Operator
Electrician
Light Board Operator
Wardrobe Manager
Business Manager
Album Sales
Public Relations
Caterer
Driver
Janitor
Basic Acoustic Considerations
Size of the Room
Shape of the Room
Furniture in the Room
Outside or Inside
Evaluating What You Hear
Leading Up to the Performance
Make a List and Take More Gear Than You Will Need
Power Distribution
Understanding Your Mixer
Lighting Concerns
Separate Power for Lighting
Resources Worth Exploring
6. Gear Considerations and Acoustics
Tech-Inclined Consummate Professional
Reluctant but Not Disinterested Gear Head
Shifting the Gear Knowledge Seesaw
Roles of the Trade for Live Performance
Stage Manager
Sound Operator
Electrician
Light Board Operator
Wardrobe Manager
Business Manager
Album Sales
Public Relations
Driver
Live Audio Gear
PA Systems
PA Speakers
Microphones
Stage Gear
Lighting
Other Gear
Basics of Acoustics
Potential Acoustic Gain (PAG)
Checking and Setting Sound Levels
Impulse Responses and Reverberation Time
Resonance and Room Modes
The Precedence Effect
Effects of Temperature
Modifying and Adapting to the Acoustical Space
Resources Worth Exploring
7. Diversifying Performance
BBQ Fest Jam in the Lone Star Capital
Arts, Beats, and Eats in Detroit
Cyber-Festival of Music for Change
The Times They Are A-Changin’
The Good-Enough Performance
The Performance Was Offered as a Gift
The People Involved Had Fun
Many People Were Included in the Process
Some of the People Experienced Peak Performance (Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow)
The Performance Was Unique and Compelling
The Performance Will Likely Lead to More Music Making
The Performance Brought People Together
No One Was Harmed
Possibility Thinking and Doing
Unlocking Our Thinking
Fluency
Flexibility
Originality
Elaboration
Igniting Your Creative Culture
Acknowledge the Universality of Creativity
Think Oppositely
Impose Limits
Take a Break . . . Get Some Exercise!
Listen to Genres of Music You Usually Wouldn’t
Immerse Yourself in Other Art and New Experiences
Learn from Others
Change Medium
Set Up a Creative Routine
Experiment!
Sustaining Your Creative Culture
Teaching Practices
Organizational Motivation
Resources
Resources Worth Exploring
8. Classroom as Recording Studio
Westlake Records
New Territory
Online Creative Space
“I am a sound freak. I could play around with sound forever.”
Idea-Developing Creative Wizard/Genius
Jumping Off Points
Be Open to However Students Respond
Brainstorming with Your Students
Theopneustos
Resident Expert Arranger
Orchestration
Technology
Writing for the Musicians You Have
Who Can You Get Involved?
Practicing Studio Audio Engineer
Listen to All Kinds of Music
Know Your Effects
Know Which Instruments Will Give You What Sounds
Just Keep Learning
Experienced Reader and Writer of Notation
Standard Western Classical
Tablature
Lead Sheets
Other Musical Shorthands
Dabbler in the World of Lyric Writing
Covering Songs
Mapping Existing Songs
Using Conventional Song Maps
Improvisational Musician
Practice with a Looper
Playing with the Melody
Playing with the Rhythm
Timbral Improvisation
Seek Out Opportunities to Jam
Expert Conflict Manager
Inspiration Leads to Effort Leads to Excellence
Resources Worth Exploring
9. Making Technology Work for You
Sonic Lenses
For Recording Almost Anything
A Constant Filter
The Adventure of Recording
Microphones
Basics
Ribbon Microphones
Diaphragm Microphones
Piezoelectric Microphones/Pickups
USB Microphones
Frequency Response
Diaphragm Size
Polar Pattern
Transient Response
Sensitivity to Sound Pressure
Design Qualities
Multiple Microphones
Microphone Technique
Mic’ing Voice
Mic’ing Piano
Mic’ing Acoustic Guitar
Mic’ing Electric Guitar
Mic’ing Winds
Mic’ing Strings
Mic’ing Percussion
Mic’ing Drums
Input Devices
Software
Linear
Non-Linear
Studio Effects
EQ (Equalization)
Compression
Limiter
Software Follows Hardware
Resources Worth Exploring
10. A Whole New World of Musical Products
Experienced Studio Musician
Getting On Board
A Virtual Songcatcher
A Brief History of Recording Arts
Edison Phonograph (1877)
The Wax Cylinder
Gramophone Records
The Birth of an Industry
Electrical Recording
Tape-Recording Technology
Music Producer Role Exemplified
Lessons for Producing Your Students
Sawyer’s Eight Stages of the Creative Process
The Rules
Plan the Chaos
Follow Your Bliss
Break the Ice
Diversity
Reward the Group, Not the Individual
Groups Are Not the Ultimate End Goal, Though
On Brainstorming
Feed Your Students’ Imaginations When You Can
What MTMP Means
Resources Worth Exploring
11. The End Is the Beginning
A Trailblazer for a New Generation
An Unlikely But Effective Change Agent
A Pandemic-Proof Music Teacher
Innovation in the Music Classroom
Creativity as the Core
Troubleshooting
Start Your Hero’s Journey
License to Be Different
Modern Band
Play and Improvisation
New Instruments, New Sounds
Looking Back to Look Forward
Their Future, Our Future, Is Worth the Effort
How Will We Know that Our Work Is Succeeding?
What Do We Do When Things Are Not Looking So Good?
Diversity Is Our Mantra
Resources Worth Exploring
References
Index
