​I hold a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My studies focused on improvisations with invented instruments; field recordings and object; and the composition of musique concrete style works as a means of learning how to use audio production technologies. I teach a range of audio technology related curriculum.
Course and Workshop Topics:
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Audio Recording Techniques
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Digital Audio Production (Pro Tools, Logic)
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Audio Post-production for Film
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Audio and sound design for animation and film
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Basic synthesis methods (Subtractive, FM, Granular)
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Fundamentals of Electronic Music
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Physics of Sound
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Acoustics
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Field Recording
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Phonography Performance (Collective improvisation with Field Recordings)
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Construction of, and improvisation with, Invented Instruments
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Alternative Transducers (Contact mics, Hydrophones, Induction Coil Pickups)
Students in my Sound Design class (Art Institute of Seattle) record Foley for Howl's Moving Castle
Students map signal paths in a console using block signal diagrams in my First Year Audio Recording Class (Shoreline Community College)
My passion for teaching comes from a desire to empower people to contribute to their definition of culture through developing their artistic voice as well as gaining the practical skills needed for gainful employment..
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My approach to teaching technology involves three steps.
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Teach the objective physical parameters of technology
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Allow for hands on experimentation with the technology to become familiar with results
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Use knowledge gained to make informed decisions in the completion of projects.
Whether I am teaching conventional approaches to audio production, or more experimental methods, my aim is to have students understand the consequences of the technology. They learn that the qualities of the results are objective but the decision to use or not use a process or specific technology is subjective and dependent on the needs of the situation.
Students in Pathways to Electronic Music (The Art Institute of Seattle) perform a score inspired by Stockhausen’s Studie I, using function generators and a ¼” analog tape machine.
Students in my Fundamentals of Electronic Music class (Cornish College of the Arts) perform Steve Reich's Pendulum Music