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CFPA Music Technology Handbook 2023-2024

This handbook contains everything you need to know about the CFPA Music Tech program and its courses.

This is a live website and a work-in-progress that will evolve as the year progresses and we have more details to share.

If you have any questions or suggestions about any of the content in this handbook, please email me at levysm@pwcs.edu.

About Me, Ms. Levy

  • I'm excited to be the new Music Tech instructor, building on the foundation that Mr. Mills started.
  • I have a wide variety of industry and teaching experience that I can draw on to help the students on their music journey.
  • This is my first time teaching in any public school system. 😁
  • You can learn more about my story from the presentation I gave for the first day of school.

My Vision for This Program

Project-Based Courses

We will learn about music technology by focusing on projects centered around creating and sharing music. We're not going to have tests on music theory, but students will have to demonstrate they understand and can apply the concepts. We will do check-ins along the way to make sure they're making progress and staying on track.

Positive Feedback Loops

Getting feedback on your music is an important stage of music making. Getting feedback may include constructive criticism, but we also understand music is highly subjective and there are no right or wrong answers. Our goal is to create a safe class environment where students feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback.

Well-Rounded Musicians

CFPA Music Technology consists of 4 practice areas: Composition, Performance, Engineering, and Production. Everyone will get a taste of all four areas. But they can dig deeper into the areas they are most interested in.

Two-Way Teaching and Learning

Learning music is an endless road. It's a collaborative effort all around. I'm an educator but I'm also a learner. Students will learn from me and I will learn from them. The beginner students will learn from the more experienced students, and vice versa.

Open-Source Education

Music is meant to be shared, and by making our Music Tech courses open and available to everyone, we can have a greater impact. Instead of keeping material confined to complicated systems and PDF documents, my goal is to make as much as I can available on public websites like this one. (Students always have the choice of whether or not to publish their own music.)