b'Students Mix Music and FunColumbia High Schools tech lab gets an upgradeBY REBA AUSLANDER-STEVENS AND ELLEN DREYERPHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOREY K. DUBOSEJunior Sofia Lopez in the newly-renovated recording studio at Columbia High School.S tep inside the music technology labto be done. I expressed my vision to SOMSD Schoolcomposing music is her creative outlet. Freshman at Columbia High and you will beBusiness Administrator Paul Roth and he was veryRyan Baum concurs. Ever since he produced a song greeted not by the sounds of instru- supportive of the initiative. for a friend in eighth grade, he has wanted to learn ments tuning up or voices harmoniz- The course is taught by CHS band director Pe- more about making and editing music. ing, but by the sight of several rowster Bauer, who jokes that the new lab is like goingBut Music Tech also provides students with a solid of headphone-wearing students seat- from eating at a Wendys to eating at a five-star res-ed at computer stations, engaged intaurant. With all the functionality of a professional creating music using sophisticated software.music production studio, Bauer says the lab offers While this class is not newit has been taughtstudents the experience of working on dependable at CHS in some form for 15 yearsthe lab is newlyequipment that lets them focus on their creativity. state-of-the-art,followingafullupgradeovertheThe course was first introduced as a class called Mu-summer in 2019. James Manno, Fine Arts Supervi- sicians Workshop, which, according to Bauer, in-sor of the South Orange Maplewood School Districtvolved little to any tech at all. The curriculum has (SOMSD), made it his mission to modernize thegrown along with the availability of new technology, outdated lab equipment and pushed for the fundinghardware, and software.to get it done. Says Manno, I noticed how anti- According to junior Sofia Lopez, choosing Music quated the lab was, and since I have built other mu- Tech was a no-brainer. She has been interested in mu-sic tech labs and have seen their positive impact onsic composition for several years, producing original students, as well as the relevance of music produc- music using Garage Band. I took the course becauseCHS band director Peter Bauer confers with Sabrination in the 21st century, I decided something neededI wanted to learn new things, she says, adding thatMcCrear in the Music Technology class.20/ matters magazine / winter 2020'