Sep-Dec 2023
In the fall semester of 2023 at The Birch School, students were taught how to use FL Studio, a digital music production program used by artists like Toby Fox, Skrillex, and many more worldwide. FL is a program known for its simplicity and ease of use, "an entry-level program that won the pros over anyway." The basic idea was to avoid the standard rigid formula of pre-college music classes, which often focus on classical music and training on an instrument. There is value to this approach, but it is difficult to engage with and relate to for young creatives looking for an outlet. Contrast this with historical examples of music pioneered and created by young people; think of punk rock as pioneered by those who got Stratocasters for Christmas 1964, hip-hop coming from found materials and DIY instruments in New York, the worldwide dance/techno explosion as digital music techniques became more refined and widespread. Instead of teaching classical performance, this class's goal was to further that long tradition of music as personal expression, outsider art, pure emotion.
Students were taught how to use the FL Studio drum sequencing tools, the Piano Roll, the playlist, how to use and recontextualize samples, and how to record audio using Audacity. They were also given an introduction to digital music distribution platform Bandcamp, which provides a low barrier-of-entry point for anyone to upload any music they wish. This page contains a list of the students' Bandcamp pages, which feature music they created entirely on their own.
