Learning and Live Streaming during Covid-19

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for teaching and learning this semester, but thanks to a lot of careful planning and a willingness to adapt, we have been successfully moving forward through the school year. Many of the audio production classes are taught in a "HyFlex" format, meaning that it is a hybrid between online and in-person classes. We utilize spaces like the music hall in order to give us extra space to conduct demonstrations.

 
As a part of our Live Sound class, we have been observing the assembly of a new live streaming rig. We decided to pursue this setup in order to present concerts to audience who may not be able to attend in-person due to the Covid situation. Our department tech supervisor, AJ Rahm, did a marvelous job choosing components and designing the system. 

Now, we are able to use this setup as a great learning tool, which includes a remote controlled camera, digital mixer, and a computer recording system. Students will be responsible for streaming and recording future ensembles and recitals, and now we will have all of the tools to make it happen. Even though teaching and learning during Covid is tough at times, we are all making the best of it!

Last two photos by Chris Jewson

Students Present an Online Music Showcase

It was disappointing to learn that our fourth annual recording concert was canceled due to covid-19, but we still wanted to make the best of the situation. Therefore, with the help of the university marketing department, we created an online showcase of student work!

Each student submission includes a description of the song and the process that they went through to create it. It is our hope that the descriptions help listeners to better understand the effort and process that went into the creation of these songs. The music represents a wide variety of genres and really shows off the skills and hard work of these students. You can click on of the images, or here, to go to the showcase page and check it out!

As an example, here is a gorgeous song by student Tho Lee featuring Rachel Ryan, James Kies, and Evan Balistrieri. The students wrote, produced, and recorded every element of the song. 

Group Recording Sessions class project video posted

We are in a challenging semester for the university due to the Coronavirus. The campus has been shut down for the latter half of the semester and all teaching is being done online. Although it is disappointing that we cannot access the recording studio and audio lab, many students have still been working on projects and staying as musically and creatively active as they can!

The video posted below is from a Group Recording Sessions class several years ago. In the class, student groups are tasked with doing all of the technical setup, making microphone and placement decisions, and ultimately producing the audio mix for the project. This is an excellent final result from the excellent band, "The Oxleys". They were so great to visit us and perform and I am very glad to share it with you below:

Students Take a Theater Tour for Shrek the Musical

As a part of our emerging Music Industry Club, students had a fantastic opportunity to visit Perry Hall, a theater at the Fox Cities Campus in Menasha, where they are producing Shrek the Musical. During the tour, student and theater sound engineer AJ Rahm walked us through the facility and the full tech setup ahead of the performance that evening.

Some of the range of topics covered included organizing the dozens of wireless microphones that were used for the show, as well as mic technique for stage actors and the pit orchestra. We also learned how all of these elements were mixed for the live production. It was great to show a larger scale setup so that students could see all of the work that goes into such a multi-faceted production.

It was interesting to learn the intricacies of wireless technology and the digital tools that are used to streamline the process. Even so, a great production still comes down to the skill and care of the individuals involved, and they all did a wonderful job of bringing Shrek the Musical to life!