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!

Wrapping up the Fall 2019 Semester

Instructor Chris Kuborn does a recording demo with students in the Recording Studio Procedures class

The semester went lightning quick, and was fun and busy as usual. Some highlights included bringing instructor Chris Kuborn onboard to teach in the program, a lot of project work in our updated recording studio, successful studio improvements in our Care & Repair class, dozens of performances, the Battle of the Bands, and a guest visit from music organization director, Olivia Hill.

Alina and Tho work on some cables in our Care & Repair class

A goal of the program is to always keep a creative and positive environment, and students kept extremely busy both on the production and performance side of music. We also welcomed over 80 prospective students for our annual Music Preview Day, and so we are hopeful that many more will be joining us in the coming years. The overall atmosphere this semester was one of focus and determination, resulting in many student successes and positive improvements to our classroom and studio environment.

The tech crew at the mixer for the Battle of the Bands

In the spring, please keep an eye on our main website for the many performance dates, including our next upcoming recording concert scheduled for April, 2020. We at UWO wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

Live Sound Class is Offered for the First Time

We are excited to have created a Live Sound Production course that has been offered for the first time this semester, Fall 2019. The course builds on fundamental audio concepts and incorporates skills and techniques that are more specific to various live production scenarios from smaller venues to large stadiums.

Kelsey Blakey, Lead A/V Tech at Reeve Union, shows the live PA setup in Titan Underground

Some of the observations that we did throughout the semester have included seeing a P setup and both digital and analog mix consoles in the Reeve Union and Titan Underground music venue on campus, doing a live setup demo in our music hall, and also checking out an event setup for a talent show in the main union ballroom.

Student and Reeve Union A/V Tech Zach Miller gives a demonstration of the Behringer X32 digital mixer

Given how diverse the music industry has become, it is important to cover a broad range of topics both within the studio production world and beyond. We are excited to continually build on the learning experiences that students have as a part of our department and program.

Students Produce Amazing Spring Concerts

It was an amazing and busy spring 2019 semester! In addition to the recording concert and the many great student recitals and projects, the organization, Students for Music, welcomed several phenomenal guest performers. Pictured above, their final guests of the semester were Mariachi Herencia de Mexico. The students and faculty leaders worked extremely hard to help the concert to be a success. The students were responsible for many aspects of the preparations, including marketing and sound setup. It was a true pleasure to welcome them to the university.

In addition to the mariachi band, they also welcomed several other acts including Mads Tolling and the Mads Men (pictured above), and a jazz quartet called Mr. Chair. These were also fantastic concerts and really surprised audiences with the quality of music that we bring to the university. The students should be proud of their efforts throughout the year.

Each year, we do many projects, recitals, and concerts. Students are always challenged to be involved and learn. Whether it be our Students for Music organization, Songwriting Club, or our recording and business classes, the Music Industry program covers all facets of this exciting world. Our #1 goal is to have students prepared for a successful career following their time at UWO. We are looking forward to more amazing experiences in the 2019-2020 school year!

Students Present at the Third Annual Recording Concert

The Music Industry program hosted another successful recording concert in the spring of 2019. Students presented over a dozen fantastic songs in many genres from electronic to pop, country, and experimental. Some of the projects included videos of live performances, and others had visuals or music videos to go along with the music. The event was hosted in the Reeve Union Theatre in order to take advantage of the great visuals.

Students did an excellent job presenting about their works, and the concert also served as an opportunity to share updates with the studio upgrade, as well as the upcoming curriculum changes. Following the concert, we had pizza and socialized. Each year, the event gets better and we also get ideas for how to even further improve for the next year. Congrats to all of the students involved and thanks to everyone who came out to the event!

The audience getting geared up for the concert!

The Recording Studios get Major Upgrades

One of the major tasks for the Spring 2019 semester was to upgrade the recording studios. Thanks to the support of the Music Department, we were able to completely reconfigure and put our C24 digital console into a beautiful Argosy mix desk in the main studio. This allowed us to both streamline the recording process and also free up valuable space in the control room. We are putting the final touches on the new setup and are excited for students to get to work on projects using the updated workflow.

The main control room wasn't the only space that we upgraded. We also made changes to our "B" studio by adding a new interface and PreSonus digital controller. The studio was made complete by adding an Arturia keyboard controller. This will be an excellent space for students to use as an excellent project mixing workstation or vocal booth. It only takes a flip of a couple of switches and you're up and running!

Hunter getting setup at the updated hall recording station.

Lastly, we rearranged the hall recording station to make for a simplified and comfortable recording area. This station is used by the recording crew to capture all of the ensemble concerts and recitals throughout the semester. The new arrangements are designed to represent the kinds of experiences that they will have in internships and careers at media production companies and recording studios. We are so glad to have had the opportunity to improve our recording spaces, and it will be a fantastic benefit to students for many years to come.

Students hard at work setting up the Argosy mix desk.

Recording "Happy to Be Here" for class in Spring 2019

In our Group Recording Sessions class, we had the exciting opportunity to record the excellent band comprised of some of our students, Happy to Be Here. They presented us with beautiful vocal harmonies and insightful songwriting.

During the session, students decided on microphones and proper placement in order to capture the best possible live performance and audio mix. The musicians also needed a monitor mix in order to hear themselves perform. The unique instrumentation of piano, amplified guitar, and synthesizer, along with three vocal mics, also provided a unique challenge.

The performance was also captured on video and will be edited into a live performance for presentation on YouTube. This has been a fun series for practicing production techniques in a real-world environment. Things don't always go perfectly as planned, but that's what the experience is all about: Learning and developing a better understanding of the process. A huge thanks goes out to the band for performing for us!

An overhead view from the studio during the setup process

Looking Back on a Productive Fall 2018

The Practicum Crew (from left): Jon, Hannah, Will, Tho, Sam, Alina, Tevin, Maya, and Shannon

Another busy and fun Fall semester wrapped up as students turned in their projects and finished their exams. On our last day of Practicum class, we listened to the projects that students completed over the course of the semester (pictured above). There was a great mix of genres from chamber music to hip-hop and soundtrack music. One of our students even did interactive sound effects for a video game. It is always enlightening to discuss the challenges and success that were encountered throughout the semester.

Jon accompanying Brody singing a song from the musical "The Last Five Years"

As a part of our Recording Studio Procedures class, we recorded various student singers in a number of different styles including musical theatre, country, and traditional Americana. Not only do students get to experience the challenge of capturing the audio, but they also get to perform for one another and hear their mixed and mastered audio afterward.

Additionally, one of our awesome alumni, David Lamb, visited us and brought his drum kit to do a drumming demonstration during the last week of class. Looking back on the semester, it is hard to believe how many projects were completed and how many different musicians were recorded. Although I think that everyone is in need of a holiday break, we are also looking forward to kicking things back into gear this Spring!

Instruments Are Put to the Test in Recording Class

Over the course of our Recording Studio Procedures class, students perform using a variety of instruments and then we learn the proper microphone techniques for ideal capture. Recently, the Titan String Quartet graced us with their beautiful sounds and played both a classical selection, and a more pop-oriented song by Coldplay. It was fun to hear how the various mic positions affected the overall tone of the captured recording.

In addition to string recording, we captured brass and woodwind instruments. Student Dan Wallner played both baritone and tenor saxophone so that we could record and discuss the various challenges presented when capturing such a complex and wide-ranging instrument.

Other students helped by performing on piano, guitar, trumpet, and trombone (Cooper, shown above). They all helped us to helped us to further understand instrumental capture and room acoustics. It is such a benefit to be able to maximize the musical skills of students in order to analyze sound recording on a deeper level. It has been a fun and enlightening experience!

Students get back to work in Fall 2018

We welcomed an enthusiastic group of new Freshmen as students got back to work this Fall. It didn't take long for classes to launch into projects and new learning experiences. One such class is "Care & Repair", which tasks students with upkeep of the university recording studio. Some of our more recent projects have included soldering and repairing microphone cables and organizing important areas of the studio to have a better workflow.

Kristan and Maya hard at work on cable repairs

In another course, Recording Studio Procedures, we started with demonstrating stereo microphone techniques. What better way to show this than with a beautiful Steinway Grand Piano? Several of our students performed for the class so that we could capture the nuances between different microphone positions.

Molly plays us both a classical and "pop" style selection

To take things back to the very beginning, we had a fantastic opening meeting as the semester kicked off. Students used the opportunity to discuss organization opportunities including Students for Music and Songwriting Club. It is great that there are so many ways for students to be involved and continue to learn outside of the classroom. The year is off to a great start in the Music department at UWO!

Music Business professor, Dr. Sharon Tenhundfeld, asks club leader Doug to discuss Songwriting Club to students.

Many projects and visitors during the Spring 2018 Semester

There were so many exciting classes, guests, and projects from this past semester. Here are a few of the highlights: Above, we welcomed a special guest, Ryan from Rode Microphones, to bring in mics and discuss techniques using a drum kit. Student Ryan Thomas helped by performing for us. It was a fun and educational session that provide a lot of new insight!

We also continued work in our Group Recording Sessions class, recording many great bands throughout the semester. In addition to David Paul Martin, we recorded The Oxleys (top), Cold Soda Club (bottom), Wilhelm, The Present Age, and Christopher Gold. More live videos from the sessions will be posted soon!

Another special guest that visited us during the semester was the Chief Operating Officer of the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. She talked with students about important business skills and practices, and gave valuable insight into the current and future state of the music industry.

Some other important events from the semester included hosting the State Solo & Ensemble competition (organized by Dr. Ken Liske), a Saxophone Summit featuring guest musician Jeff Coffin (organized by Dr. Drew Whiting), and guest composer Chad Rehmann. There is so much that we have done, but even more to come!

Students Present for the Second Annual Recording Concert

We had to contend with a massive mid-April snowstorm, but that didn't keep us from hosting our second ever Recording Concert at the Reeve Union Theatre. The concert featured introductions from Music Industry students and alumni, followed by a presentation of their recorded work. The audio was accompanied by video footage or a graphics visualizer.

The students did a phenomenal job, and we also enjoyed sharing some snacks and socializing following the concert. It is great to give students an opportunity to show their work in a concert format, just as student performers and ensembles do throughout each semester.

In addition to the individual student projects, videos from several of the Group Recording Sessions class video productions were also shown. Our final edit of David Paul Martin's "Come and Go" (including the class having some fun in the recording process) is shown above, and there will be much more to come!

Group Recording Sessions Class Produces Live Performances

The Group Recording Sessions class is an upper-level course that takes place in the recording studio and other recording spaces in the Music department. This course is designed to give students hands-on experience with producing music for a variety of musicians. Throughout the semester, we are hosting guest musicians and recording them with both audio and video in order to create a live performance production. During our first week, student Jon Glowcheski played a Debussy piece, giving us the opportunity to test our setup for audio and video capture.

Following our session with Jon, our most recent guest was singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Paul Martin. During his visit, we had a fantastic session recording four of his recent original songs. In addition to our work in the studio, David had the idea to record a song at the end of the night in an art gallery that has a particularly unique and reverberant sound to it. This idea turned into the beautiful performance that you see below. We are continuing to work on David's other song recordings and also look forward to recording more bands in the coming weeks!