Teaching

Are you interested in music technology? Do you want to take a deeper dive into the tools and methods used in audio technologies? Do you need guided feedback and instruction on your audio project?

I am offering private instruction and tutoring in music technology. Whatever your interest in audio technology, I can help you develop your knowledge and skills through guided instruction and mentoring.

While there are a host of videos online to help you learn anything you want, there is a wide gulf between watching someone talk about something and applying it to your own practice. There is nothing better for learning than to have someone with you, helping you to bridge that gap.

Maybe you’ve got a cool project that you need some help and structure to finish. Maybe you made it through an audio program and realized that there’s a skill or knowledge gap that you’d like to close (coding is a common thing I hear from audio students and recent grads). Maybe you want to get into an audio program and are looking to do some prep.

Whatever your needs or interest, I am here to help.

Areas of Instruction and Interest

Often people are unaware of all the possibilities present within the field. I offer this list as a sampling of the breadth offered under the umbrella of “music technology,” and as some potential starting points for a conversation.

FAQ

1. “Why study with you?”
2. “Music Theory?”
3. “Will you give me feedback on my mix?”
4. “I’m a high school teacher and they never taught me any tech stuff…”
5. “I’m a college professor…”
6. “Can you help me get into an audio program?”
7. “What is your teaching philosophy?”

“Why study with you?”

Great question! Hopefully you’ll forgive a lengthy answer here.

You should study with me because I have experience across the entire audio/visual industry, I have a high level of formal education as well as recognized real-world credentials, and because I’m a professional teacher.

I’ve worked as a recording, mixing, and mastering engineer across a range of styles. I’ve worked in broadcast, radio, and games. I’ve been an A/V supervisor working with the full range of events technology. I’ve done construction and integration, and I currently work as a designer and engineer. My experience in the industry informs my current practice doing research and development. I’ve written audio engines, designed synthesizers, built plugins, and published research papers on audio. I’ve even written standards and white papers (recommendations/best practices) for several organizations. I know my way around the breadth of the industry; but a lot of people offering to teach have a strong industry background…

However, I’m also a teacher, and I’m a trained teacher. I’ve studied things like pedagogy, learning theory, and curricular design. I’ve done mentored teaching at multiple universities, under the supervision of highly experienced full professors who were experts in their field (such as the semester I spent teaching under the mentorship of a former NASA engineer).

So, when I talk about helping my students find the best path for them I have spent time studying and figuring out how to help them find that path, and this is an area that I continue to intentionally refine.

“Music Theory?”

Yes. Theory is a subject than many music majors struggle with. While my professional and academic expertise centers on the intersection of technology and music, my formal doctorate is in theory and I have experience teaching theory at the university level. While many universities offer tutoring for lower-level theory classes to students, not all do, and it may not be available for higher-level classes.

If you are considering a major in music (music tech or any other major in music), it would behoove you to spend some prep time studying theory ahead of your first semester of classes to help ease the learning curve.

“Will you give me feedback on my mix?”

Sure! If you poke around my site, you’ll notice that I’m partial to and more experienced in certain styles more than others; but I have experience in a wide range of styles, and I’m happy to give you feedback on your mix or refer you to someone who is a better match for your style.

“I’m a high school teacher and they never taught me any of the tech stuff. Can you help?”

Absolutely! The demands placed on music educators at the primary and secondary level are crazy!

Let’s talk. I’m happy to help and advise on anything from planning tech for your marching band to helping your figure out DAW software and how to put together festival submissions.

I also do clinics, if your friends want to join in.

“I’m a college professor…”

Yep! Especially with the pandemic college faculty have had to face a wide battery of changes and expectations. I have spent no small amount of time over the past year helping faculty bridge the tech gap, and I would be excited to help you as well.

“Can you help me get into _____ audio program?”

No one can guarantee anything, especially when it comes to college admissions. However, as an academic I know how to read admissions standards, what programs are looking for, and how to be a successful student in a music tech program.

Let’s look at them together and come up with a plan to get you ready.

“What is your teaching philosophy?”

I view learning as a collaborative effort. My teaching style has been influenced by the work of Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher and their “Gradual Release of Responsibility” framework. This includes a focus on learning through discovery and by doing. It also places a strong emphasis on modeling and demonstrating, “showing” rather than “telling.”

As an aside, I wholeheartedly believe every aspiring educator should read Better Learning Through Structured Teaching.