Fall classes begin 9/25/23 | Final listening party 1/18/24
LEVEL 1
MONDAY 5:30-7 PM
TUESDAY 5:30-7 PM
WEDNESDAY 5:30-7 PM
LEVEL 2
THURSDAY 4-5:30 PM
LEVEL 3
THURSDAY 5:30-7 PM
LEVEL 4
THURSDAY 7-8:30 PM
Do you love technology? Are you excited by EDM, hip hop or electronica culture?
If so, our FOUR LEVEL Electronic Music Program is the niche for you!
From the technology to the techniques, our expert instructors will teach you everything you need to know to start or progress on your electronic music journey. You’ll learn how to use a DAW (digital audio workstation software), write songs, design sounds, mix/produce it all and then perform for family and friends.
We offer the knowledge and tools needed to make genres like Hip Hop, Trap, EDM, Pop, House, Dubstep, Bass Music and beyond. With the right tools, you’ll be free to bring your own unique style to these genres or break the mold and invent your own. You bring the passion, interest and excitement and we’ll handle the rest. The only limit is your imagination!
All of our courses are structured around the phases of music production: Songwriting, Sound Design, Arrangement, Mixing, Performance, Musicianship, and Appreciation. To learn more about the different phases of music production and what each one is about, check out the categories below.
Focusing on Ableton Live, we teach the very basics of how to get around the interface along with fundamental concepts, terminology and techniques.
Get hands-on right away and stay engaged while being introduced to each of the 5 phases of music production (Songwriting, Sound Design, Arrangement, Mixing and Performance).
By the end of this course students will be able to create an original piece of music and share it with friends and family at a VIP listening party!
Building on the concepts learned in Level One, students will get hands-on experience with creating their own drum kits, making beats (drum programming), playing with MIDI controllers, using effects to transform sounds, recording audio (like their own voice), creating melodies, and so much more.
On top of this, they will learn the basics of songwriting and how to bring it all together with Mixing skills. Just like Level 1, the course content remains interactive and most of all, fun.
Emphasizing what we believe to be the most important aspect of creating music: Songwriting, students will learn a variety of ways to start and develop a song
This level will then introduce students to the fascinating world of Sound Design, where they will begin to learn the basics of creating their own sounds from scratch using synthesizers and samplers.
Building further on Songwriting skills, students will learn more about the value of chord progressions, how to make song sections like intros, outros and breakdowns, and what makes a great track by using critical listening skills.
From there, students will continue to learn about creating and developing their own sounds using synthesizers, samplers and effects, before heading a layer deeper into mixing.
As an electronic music producer, the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is the primary instrument. It contains many other devices inside it that all add up to make the ultimate tool for making any music the mind can imagine. This knowledge category goes deep into the how’s, what’s and why’s of operating a DAW. Making beats, using effects, recording vocals – it’s all in the DAW. Learn the concepts, tools and techniques to develop finished tracks to share with family, friends and the world.
Songwriting is the very foundation for making music. Music is about telling an emotional story. This skill set is about knowing how to create interesting ideas that will turn into epic, inspiring songs! Learn how to write beats, hooks, melodies, harmonies, bass-lines, and all of the parts that will work together to tell YOUR story and be enjoyable to listen to.
In today’s electronic music world, it’s truly possible to make any sound the mind can imagine – and even ones it can’t. This skill set is about crafting unique sounds with stunning detail that bring a song to life with movement and character – while taking listeners somewhere they never expected.
Arrangement deals with how to organize great musical ideas in a way that tells the story a song wants to tell. Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Intro, Outro – these are all components of most songs you’ve ever heard. This skillset teaches the fundamentals of building tension, climax, and excitement while making the most of your ideas so they can evolve and change over time.
After a song is written, designed and arranged, it’s time to make it all sound as pleasing to the ear as possible. This skill set teaches students the fundamentals of engineering their own music to sound professional and powerful. This is called Mixing, and is an absolutely essential step in making music ready to share, play and perform. Students will learn how to identify what makes a mix sound great and use tools to make their own music standout.
After music has been carefully crafted, it’s time to perform it! Students will learn a variety of approaches to perform, improvise and deliver their compositions in a live music situation. These skills include using hands-on instruments and controllers to reinterpret, layer and manipulate musical ideas, turning them into something that is new, exciting and fresh every time.
The greatest tool a producer can have is an understanding of how music really works. This skill set teaches the fundamentals of music theory throughout the program, allowing students to think, listen and create using them. This integrated approach guides future musicians to have a more comprehensive and empowered creative experience.
Electronic music has been through a fascinating and colorful history to get where it is now. Many advancements in not only the technology but also the culture have brought composers, producers, DJ’s, and sound designers to the incredible era we know today. From the hip-hop foundational MPC drum machine to the latest bass-creating plugins like Serum, this knowledge category sheds light on where electronic music has been and is going.