Music Production Classes
Offered by John Hargis
at
Federal
Way School of
Music
and
The Boys and Girls Club of Tacoma/Lakewood
I am a graduate of Sonoma State University and hold a certificate from Berklee College of Music, specializing in Sound Design and Music Production for Film and Television. I am a member of the Vic Firth Private Drum Teachers Program and have taught exclusively for over ten years.
My approach involves finding out what makes a student excited about drumming and encouraging creative practice routines. My experience includes live performances in Rock, Blues and Metal spanning over 30 years.
John teaches in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and at Federal Way School of Music in South King County. He performs regularly with the Classic Rock band Jr. Hill and Blues with The Careless Hunters.
Music Production for Teens
There has never been a more exciting time to learn how to make your own music using today's technology! Digital audio production software has become simple and easy to use, allowing emerging artists to showcase their talent using the Internet. Online resources such as You Tube, Facebook, CD Baby and iTunes have revolutionized the music industry by making distribution as fast and simple as uploading a file.
But one doesn't have to search far before finding an overwhelming abundance of mediocrity as well.
The sooner a young musician learns to develop a sense of aesthetics along with the tools, the better. With that in mind I have begun teaching audio production curriculum to young artists with access to a computer or laptop (Windows or Mac). Students should be at least 13 years of age and show an aptitude for computers and technology in general. Many of the small details of audio production are learned by wandering around the landscape of edit menus and instruction manuals; this coursework is only as helpful as a student's willingness to explore on their own and grapple with the unknown.
For our audio production coursework we are using PreSonus' Studio One Artist. This software has an intuitive, user-friendly interface and includes easy-to-use editing tools, enabling a student to begin producing music immediately. It also supports the use of external gear such as a MIDI keyboard (highly recommended) or a percussion controller. Because Studio One is available for both the Mac and PC platforms and retails at around $100, it is the ideal choice for familiarizing a student with professional-grade software that goes far beyond Garage Band.
Below is a sample screenshot of one of the early assignments from this coursework in which we assemble various audio clips to create a demo song.
The finished assignment sounds like this
I have made arrangements for the purchase of the software locally through Ted Brown Music in Tacoma. Your sales representative is Shawn Douglas and he can be reached by calling (253) 272-3211 or by email at shawn@tedbrownmusic.com. He will have complete information about my digital audio program and can assist you with your purchase.
For the weekly coursework I will be corresponding directly with students via their own email accounts with a Cc to parents. Students who wish to alternate between drum lessons one week and digital audio coursework the next week may do so. Homework assignments and file-transfers will be conducted via email, and sometimes these files can be quite large, up to 10 MB. A high-speed/broadband internet connection is strongly advised. Students will also need a USB jump drive of at least 1 GB to store their project files, for use during their lessons and at home. Daily work and regular communication will be essential so be sure to discuss this with others in your household that share the same computer.
I look forward to discussing this coursework with you and am happy to address specific concerns and questions. Let's make some music!
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