New Music Class Production

Recently the music department has come out with an announcement about an upcoming music studio class coming to Estancia. Many students have heard about this class but how was the music department able to start this class, and how will it change Estancia’s future?

The J Dilla Music Technology grant awarded Estanica with 80,000$ through the Save The Music Foundation. This allowed for Mr. Monaghan, head of the music department, to then buy new music technology equipment like mini keyboards, new instruments, dj equipment, podcasting equipment, new class set of ipads, and other up to date technology as well. This new class is meant to take the music program and put it more into the 21st century where it exposes students to real world skills that will allow themselves to be able to market themselves instead of just knowing how to play an instrument, all in hopes that students can make a full on career. Each student is provided with a microphone, a mini keyboard, an ipad, and other materials that essentially allow them to create their own music studio wherever. This class is for all students, but it brings a new side of music to students who are interested in the recording side of music, it reaches out to students who want to do the traditional setting, but want to do something a little bit different apart from other music classes.

Mr. Monaghan did share some of his visions that he wants to incorporate into this new class and he revealed, “The really cool thing is that the grand vision is that if we create three or four levels of this class, you know level one can start with students who've never taken a music class before and give those students the skills to work up the ranks to when they graduate Estancia, they can market themselves as a professional.”  Estancia being granted with the opportunity to offer a new class allowed Mr. Monaghan to disclose, “If you go to Estancia we offer these very unique things and being that we are a smaller school, we have smaller class sizes who you can have more one-on-one professional relationship.”

A music student called Christopher Nay Wallace was interviewed for his insight on what his thoughts were on the new upcoming studio class by stating, “This brings a lot more opportunities to like probably DVMA and neighboring art classes. It's easier to make a fair of arts and music and stuff like that. It's just more variety of stuff like that and I'm all for it, I mean it's a really good opportunity and it’s a cool class idea, and it kind of just gives more purpose to his other classes.”