Dr. Langol and I have a wide-ranging discussion about the music education program at Berklee, the continuing recovery and adjustment of the post-COVID world, and the future of music education and technology.

I first met Meaghan at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference in San Antonio, TX. There I attended a session she presented about the hip-hop curriculum that she created for her students. I was blown away by her fresh and innovative approach to engaging her students with authentic and meaningful music-making experiences with a genre of music that her students were likely more familiar with than her. Listen in to learn how she developed this curriculum and where you can find resources to help implement this in any music classroom.

Tip #1: Camera angle and height

Tip #2: What are you looking at?

Tip #3: Lighting tips and tricks

Tip #4: Microphones

Tip #5: Video editing software

Meet the newly branded and updated MuTech Teacher Talk! The new look and new production schedule will bring regular releases every Monday!

The foundation of everything that we do is based on a term we coined called creative literacy. It’s about kids reading, writing, and reflecting through multiple mediums. We want to make sure that all students, regardless of their abilities, were able to share their knowledge in a medium that worked for them. Our students have developed video games, produced songs, written and staged musicals, produced podcasts, and created a fashion line that was presented as a fashion show. Kids need multiple ways to express themselves and this program provides a stage that these kids can shine on who otherwise may not have that opportunity to shine.

The most important asset to a music producer is their ears and their trust in their ears. Knowing what you like and what you don’t like. Some of the greatest music producers that I have ever met or heard of don’t play anything (musical instrument). But, for me it helps because I can communicate with musicians and we can talk the same language, but it’s not essential.

I just kept applying to places and it hit a point where I was like, “this is ridiculously hard to find an opening in post-production audio. I had always loved games and it had always been a thought in the back of my mind that I could try game audio.” After it became obvious that the job hunt was going to be difficult, I was like why not start looking in the games industry? If it’s going to be this hard in the area where I had my degree in studio and post-production audio, why don’t I just aim toward game audio? Because at the time game audio was just a dream.

This time between reconstruction and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement was a time of segregation and Jim Crow laws for African-Americans as well as a time of economic depression for the southern states following the end of the Civil War. All of the advancements in technology, education, and music must be viewed over the backdrop of the segregated South.

Host: “Where do you think we’re going as the two worlds of classical music and music technology seem to be intersecting more and more?”

MstSgt. Timmons: “For me its an exploration of sound and if we combine an acoustic and an electronic element together that is unique in itself. Rather than being purely acoustic or purely electronic. It opens up a wide array of experiences… I think that these unique sonic experiences are something that people desire and are looking for.

We have never had any time like this before where we are all still working, but we no major concerts coming up. I would say to use this time to reflect or create, revise and revive for yourself and your program. Find fun ways to keep your students singing or playing. This could be a great time to teach composition, improvisation, collaborative songwriting maybe more than you normally would… Stay creative, get after it and have some fun too.