Free music production classes open to public at Remington College in Nashville

Remington College is offering a free monthly workshop at its campus studio in Nashville. The workshops are part of the school’s effort to expand music production access for the community and are open to the public.

In an article from News Channel Five Nashville, Remington College’s Bears Production and Recording Arts Technology program chair Matt Zotti talked about the idea behind the workshops, saying, "A lot of music education, in my experience, I never received too much hands-on instruction. And a lot of the stuff that I'm teaching about has been learning through trial and error and through my peers and not through a formal school setting. So if I can give that to newcomers, and inspire them to start creating... then it's all worth it."

Zotti plans to teach the basics of music theory and music production software to participants so that they can make their own music.

He talked about how long the process tends to take, saying, "Usually [it] happens within a couple hours. Because that's when they're finally expressing themselves, right? And they're not just doing what I'm telling them and I'm not teaching them about quarter notes and eighth notes like, 'OK, I've given you the instructions. Now, you use your tastes and make your beat.' And I think that's when the creativity starts."

Kayden Waddy, who is a participant in the Remington Production Workshop, talked about his experience with music before participating in the workshop: "I love music. I grew up on music. I grew up in church. I used to play the drums for my church. I go to NSA high school for music, and I play piano there. So always found the love of music, but I wanted to convert, in my opinion, like my art into producing,” said Waddy.

Other participants have no experience with music at all.

Waddy talked more about picking up the music production program, saying, "I felt like a newbie. I felt like I didn't know anything at all. Like I had this big old computer in front of our faces. I didn't know how to adjust anything. I learned a lot in one day. Yes, I did. It was so helpful too. I learned a lot and I went back home. I even downloaded the software. Ever since I've downloaded the software, I've just been in my room or somewhere like when I'm not busy. Put all my time into it. I'll just make something."

While some might see music production as an activity for one specific type of music, Zotti made it clear that anyone interested in any type of music will be able to benefit from the four-hour workshop, saying, "There's a lot of diversity in Nashville, aside from just country music, there's a lot of people that are interested and want to know more about how to make hip hop music, how to make electronic music. These workshops are a way to kind of give them an insight and let them know, 'Hey, this stuff is possible and here's how you can do it.' And just a very quick, simple way."

Zotti also expressed his goal: that no matter the skill level of a participant, they will be able to go home with a finished song that they produced at the end of the workshop. "I just want to leave people with a desire to create more and to get more out of it. These workshops are just a taste of what you can accomplish,” he said.

Waddy echoed the importance of that accomplishment, saying, "It's always a good feeling that you can play something of your own."

People interested in participating in the workshop can inquire by emailing nashvillebeats@remingtoncollege.edu.

More information about Remington College at Nashville can be found at the school’s website.