Mr. Ferraro, Instrumental Music and Music Technology and Production.
About Me: My name is John Ferraro, I primarily teach the music technology and production courses along with beginner band. This is my third year at English High School and my 16th year teaching. In addition to teaching at English, I am the principal clarinetist of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra in Portsmouth, NH. I earned my bachelors and masters degrees in music education and clarinet performance from UMass Amherst.
What is Music Technology and Production? Music technology is the application of technology, such as computers and software, to the creation and performance of music. Whether it is the use of sequencer and editing software, or electronic musical devices, musical technology and its definition expands as technology expands. Music technology encompasses the composition, recording, and playback of music. Today, 2nd graders are learning how to use GarageBand to record, create, edit, and share music, while high school students are learning skills for what may be their future career. In today’s 21st century economy, music education is also career technical education. As technology advances, music education expands.
At English HIgh School, we offer two levels of music technology. Introduction to music technology and hip-hop production and advanced music technology and hip-hop production. In the introduction class, students learn the basic of a digital audio workstation by creating short compositions that display many different compositional skills like composing using loops to composing original rhythmic lines, melodic, and harmonic lines using MIDI keyboards. In addition, you learn the business side of music with basic DJ training and marketing strategies. Lastly, you will study the development of hip-hop music and how it changed the direction of popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The advanced class focuses more on the hands on production side of music. Students will learn about microphones, troubleshooting problems, sound engineering, creating music in studios, etc. After completion of both half year courses, you will have a good foundation to continue in the field in college as a music engineering or music technology major. In addition, you will have enough knowledge to work in the field after graduating as a DJ, or sound apprentice.
To join my Google Classroom go to this address: www.classroom.google.com
To join my PIE Advocacy group (My Monday PIE) enter code s3i3tpz
To join Beginner Band (1st period) enter code aufv64k
To join Introduction to Music Technology (3, 4b, 5) enter code rrmbke4
To join Advanced Music Technology (3, 4b) enter code 2dijvxa
My office hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:00-5:00pm
