Teaching: Teaching Philosophy
1) Teaching Philosophy
Recording is fairly new in higher education; being taught formally within the last thirty years. In audio engineering, there are two schools of training: one based in science and creating audio engineering tools (bachelor of science), and the other concentrating on training in the creative use of audio as a sound engineer (bachelor of arts, or music). The latter is my primary focus and area of teaching.
Since the majority of the students I work with, who are first and foremost musicians, often aspire to work in professional recording studios, or own their own studio where they can record and mix artists and bands, the training I provide in my courses gives them an advantage upon graduation to be successful in working within music industry. For the most part, a degree in audio engineering is a hands-on learning experience where students learn how to work in multiple audio environments such as live sound, game audio, studio recording sessions, and sound for picture, which is usually referred to as post production. What this means for professors in this field is a teacher’s first qualification should be mastery of a skill-set within the areas they teach. I personally do this by keeping up with the latest releases of software and hardware in this extremely competitive industry, which is essential to stay contemporary. It is also vital to practice what I teach, field-testing concepts and workflows. It is important as a “Professor” to possess both theoretical knowledge and a hands-on understanding, which is why I consistently seek opportunities outside my regular work schedule to engage in multiple audio events.
I seek to help students recognize the importance of professionalism in their own work as they move into their professional careers. I do this by carefully planning at the micro, or class level, as well as on the macro level, or program/professional level; keeping in mind what critical information my class plays in the students’ overall knowledge and experience in their degree. It is important not to fill class time with fluff information such as features in software, theory about audio, or start philosophical conversations that would engage students, yet, not serve them in practice. If the information is not relevant on a more macro level, then in most cases it is time not well spent. As a teacher, it is my duty to sift through the minutia and find common threads and disseminate information that is useful on a larger scale.
There are times though, that I must teach application or hardware-specific information in order to complete a project, proficiency, or task. In those cases it is helpful, where possible, to point out how you might perform similar actions on entirely different consoles, hardware or software. However, if a course is designed to teach a particular hardware or software in the curriculum, then this precedence holds less weight.
Though students are important “customers”, they are not our sole customer, and teaching should not be capricious, based only on the changing demands of student requests. In this changing field of technology, it is important to learn what audio employers need and are seeking. It is my role as an instructor to be aware of and keep to a more overarching teaching structure. To help accomplish this, I must regularly receive feedback from the places where our students intern and are employed. I feel Steven Dutch from the University of Wisconsin sums up my feelings rather well on this matter:
“Students are customers, and they have every right to complain about poor service, unprofessional behavior, and out-of-date material. They also have a right to complain about low standards that water down their credentials.
Students are also products, and employers outside the University are also our customers. These customers have a right to complain if our graduates are lacking in skills, knowledge, and motivation. They have a right to complain if we certify someone as being a potentially good employee and that person turns out to be unqualified.” [1]
It is important to be a positive role model for students, both intellectually and personally, demonstrating integrity, morality, and honest work ethic. This assists students to recognize the core of what will give the most fulfillment in life, and not be short-sighted in search of fame, temporary pleasure and monetary gain. My actions do directly impact them and can give them the courage they need to stand up for what truly promotes individual growth and long-lasting progress and well-being in society. I ultimately believe this will benefit students personally, professionally, and in society as a whole.
There is a standard or level of excellence that must be met in education and the workforce, regardless of hours dedicated to practice. For the most part the world is concerned with “product,” not your growth in getting there. Grading based on a standard, rather than how far you have come, gives students a reality check before graduation. This either pushes them to other career paths or, for those who have the drive, to higher heights in the field of audio and music. This teaching philosophy applies to my approach in higher education, but by no means to all aspects of my life as a teacher.
I do believe music, as well as almost any subject, requires a good level of personal satisfaction and fulfillment. If what students are learning in their area of focus continually becomes a chore, it is time to reevaluate the teaching approach. Out of respect for the students and their time at the very least, I want them to feel they can always ask, “Why should I take the time to learn what you are teaching me?” Many things taught are not the exciting vistas that brought people into both music and audio engineering. Some examples include dealing with file formats, system saving structures, backup and restoration procedures, etc. It is my obligation to convey how putting these workflows into practice, or gaining this understanding, can give them more time to create, rather than wasting time recovering, restoring, or losing media, as just one example.
With my background as a musician and engineer, I feel that I am in alignment with our program mission statement "Educate and inspire passion in music through technology," teaching musicians that are audio engineering students. I continue to work with many professionals in the industry, regularly studying what is new in the ever-changing world of audio recording software and hardware. It is imperative for me to be passionate about what I teach and to bring my commitment for quality work into my teaching. I strive daily to put this philosophy into practice, giving my teaching direction and purpose, and offering the music/audio engineering student my very best.
[1] http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/nosymp.htm
Since the majority of the students I work with, who are first and foremost musicians, often aspire to work in professional recording studios, or own their own studio where they can record and mix artists and bands, the training I provide in my courses gives them an advantage upon graduation to be successful in working within music industry. For the most part, a degree in audio engineering is a hands-on learning experience where students learn how to work in multiple audio environments such as live sound, game audio, studio recording sessions, and sound for picture, which is usually referred to as post production. What this means for professors in this field is a teacher’s first qualification should be mastery of a skill-set within the areas they teach. I personally do this by keeping up with the latest releases of software and hardware in this extremely competitive industry, which is essential to stay contemporary. It is also vital to practice what I teach, field-testing concepts and workflows. It is important as a “Professor” to possess both theoretical knowledge and a hands-on understanding, which is why I consistently seek opportunities outside my regular work schedule to engage in multiple audio events.
I seek to help students recognize the importance of professionalism in their own work as they move into their professional careers. I do this by carefully planning at the micro, or class level, as well as on the macro level, or program/professional level; keeping in mind what critical information my class plays in the students’ overall knowledge and experience in their degree. It is important not to fill class time with fluff information such as features in software, theory about audio, or start philosophical conversations that would engage students, yet, not serve them in practice. If the information is not relevant on a more macro level, then in most cases it is time not well spent. As a teacher, it is my duty to sift through the minutia and find common threads and disseminate information that is useful on a larger scale.
There are times though, that I must teach application or hardware-specific information in order to complete a project, proficiency, or task. In those cases it is helpful, where possible, to point out how you might perform similar actions on entirely different consoles, hardware or software. However, if a course is designed to teach a particular hardware or software in the curriculum, then this precedence holds less weight.
Though students are important “customers”, they are not our sole customer, and teaching should not be capricious, based only on the changing demands of student requests. In this changing field of technology, it is important to learn what audio employers need and are seeking. It is my role as an instructor to be aware of and keep to a more overarching teaching structure. To help accomplish this, I must regularly receive feedback from the places where our students intern and are employed. I feel Steven Dutch from the University of Wisconsin sums up my feelings rather well on this matter:
“Students are customers, and they have every right to complain about poor service, unprofessional behavior, and out-of-date material. They also have a right to complain about low standards that water down their credentials.
Students are also products, and employers outside the University are also our customers. These customers have a right to complain if our graduates are lacking in skills, knowledge, and motivation. They have a right to complain if we certify someone as being a potentially good employee and that person turns out to be unqualified.” [1]
It is important to be a positive role model for students, both intellectually and personally, demonstrating integrity, morality, and honest work ethic. This assists students to recognize the core of what will give the most fulfillment in life, and not be short-sighted in search of fame, temporary pleasure and monetary gain. My actions do directly impact them and can give them the courage they need to stand up for what truly promotes individual growth and long-lasting progress and well-being in society. I ultimately believe this will benefit students personally, professionally, and in society as a whole.
There is a standard or level of excellence that must be met in education and the workforce, regardless of hours dedicated to practice. For the most part the world is concerned with “product,” not your growth in getting there. Grading based on a standard, rather than how far you have come, gives students a reality check before graduation. This either pushes them to other career paths or, for those who have the drive, to higher heights in the field of audio and music. This teaching philosophy applies to my approach in higher education, but by no means to all aspects of my life as a teacher.
I do believe music, as well as almost any subject, requires a good level of personal satisfaction and fulfillment. If what students are learning in their area of focus continually becomes a chore, it is time to reevaluate the teaching approach. Out of respect for the students and their time at the very least, I want them to feel they can always ask, “Why should I take the time to learn what you are teaching me?” Many things taught are not the exciting vistas that brought people into both music and audio engineering. Some examples include dealing with file formats, system saving structures, backup and restoration procedures, etc. It is my obligation to convey how putting these workflows into practice, or gaining this understanding, can give them more time to create, rather than wasting time recovering, restoring, or losing media, as just one example.
With my background as a musician and engineer, I feel that I am in alignment with our program mission statement "Educate and inspire passion in music through technology," teaching musicians that are audio engineering students. I continue to work with many professionals in the industry, regularly studying what is new in the ever-changing world of audio recording software and hardware. It is imperative for me to be passionate about what I teach and to bring my commitment for quality work into my teaching. I strive daily to put this philosophy into practice, giving my teaching direction and purpose, and offering the music/audio engineering student my very best.
[1] http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/nosymp.htm