Creative Musicianship with Dr. Jason Belcher, PhD (Grades 6–12)

June 13, 20, 27 & July 11, 18, 25
2:00–3:30 PM
6 sessions | 90 minutes each
Wexford
$325 (or $60 per session à la carte)

This innovative class explores audio production, beatmaking, and modern composition using digital tools. Students will create original music, experiment with sound design, and even produce a short podcast episode—all while learning how music works from the inside out.

Perfect for curious, creative students—no prior experience required.

Session Breakdown:

• Session 1: DAW basics—recording, editing, and building a soundscape with samples.

• Session 2: Create a lo-fi track while learning rhythm, meter, and beat-making.

• Session 3: Mix and polish tracks using volume, panning, and audio effects.

• Session 4: Score silent video gameplay with layered music and sound design.

• Session 5: Analyze songs to understand structure, style, and musical elements.

• Session 6: Produce a short podcast or audio project using music and voice.

Noteworthy Music Summer Session:

Creative Musicianship: Audio Technology, Beatmaking, and Talking About Music

Instructor: Jason Belcher, Ph. D

Noteworthy Wexford - 2 to 3:30pm

Session Dates: 

Saturday June 13, 20, 27

Saturday July 11, 18,25

Tuition: $325/student for the entire sequence. Or $60 for session drop-ins

This sequence of classes is designed for students of any age or experience level, though it may be especially useful to any grade school students enrolled in a school music program. These classes cover a wide breadth of material offered as an undergraduate arts elective at the University of Pittsburgh.    

Registered students will be sent a link to sign up for edu.bandlab and join our “classroom” before the first meeting. 

A laptop capable of running Google Chrome is highly recommended for in-class participation. 

Course Overview 

Through the use of the free cloud-based audio workstation https://edu.bandlab.com/ students will learn audio recording/production techniques, basic principles of music composition and arranging, and how to compose music with digital tools. Knowledge of traditional notation is not required or assumed. Though each class meeting builds upon the concepts of previous weeks, it is not essential that students attend every meeting to gain substantial knowledge.

Through this course, students will learn basic musical vocabulary, theoretical concepts (rhythm, pitch, range, harmony etc), and formal conventions in service of building their own creative works:   

• a micropodcast episode on song/musical style of their choice - breaking down its structure, production, and musical layers. 

• A short song using MIDI tracks/instruments. 

• A second song that will incorporate MIDI, sampling technology, and recorded sound (such as speaking or singing).

In addition to individual projects, participants will collaborate on a number of projects to foster experimentation and hands-on experience. These may include:

• The creation of soundscapes or collages

• An ambient lofi EP

• Creating videogame soundtracks from silent gameplay 

Preliminary Class Details, Projects, and “take-home” work

Class 1:

Introduction to the digital audio workstation (DAW). 

How to start a session, record, import,  and edit audio.

Instructor preview to recording with midi and samples

Class project: Picking audio from freesound.org to build a soundscape

After the session: Recording/editing your own speaking - read a poem, a paragraph, or tell a story. Edit out long pauses, and experiment with adding audio effects (“Fx”) to enhance your speaking! 

Class 2: 

Making an ambient lofi track. 

Exploring the principles of rhythm, meter, and making a drumbeat. 

Class Project: Using our own recorded voices and picking short samples, we will compose a short piece over a basic drum pattern.

After the session: Make your own drumbeat, and pick samples from freesound.org to create your own lofi track!  

Class 3:

Principles of music production

Introduction to mixing volume levels, panning, and automation of these parameters. Plus a detailed exploration of Audio effects (“Fx”) to bring our work to life! 

Class Project: Revisiting our class soundscape and lofi tracks to mix, add Fx, and polish. 

After the session: Mix your own lofi track, and compose another at your will! 

Class 4:

Video Game Music Crash Course 

Exploring the layering of musical sound to create a soundtrack to silent gameplay.  What’s the flow of the game, the atmosphere? Modeled after the creations and analysis of YouTubers Emily Hopkins and Cadence Hira 

Class Project: Picking a game/level to watch play silently. Then determining tempo, musical direction, layers, and finally recording our own accompaniment. 

We can record our own layers, &/or choose audio/loops from freesound.org to score gameplay! 

After the session: Pick gameplay that you haven’t heard before. Watch it several times before constructing your own soundtrack like we did in class! 

Class 5:

Critical Listening and talking about Music

This session closely resembles an old-school “general music” class. Now that we’re all composers, how do we hear the music we like differently? How do our recent experiences impact our understanding of melodies, basslines, and accompaniment in general? 

Class Project: Let’s pick a few songs to analyze and graph out using traditional terms (verse, chorus, bridge, refrain etc…).  

After the session: Make a track that uses a song form. Include samples, a beat, and a simple bassline or melody!

Class 6:

Final session 

We’ll listen to your selections from last week and discuss points of interest that you could address in a short podcast episode. We’ll also discuss how to use audio excerpts from the song to illustrate your points, and make something that can be fun to listen to.

Wrap up activity: We will create a micro podcast, an additional soundscape, lofi track, or video game soundtrack.