To open up the world of music to students who are not necessarily “performers,” Mount de Sales Academy Band Director Trevor Goody, envisioned a class that allowed students a chance to learn, dissect, and produce their own music. The Songwriting & Music Production course was born. This semester, 14 students are taking this new, hands-on music tech class. With the help of Mr. Goody and the app BandLab, a digital audio workstation (or DAW), 
students will walk through six different genres of music: rap, jazz, rock, country and bluegrass, pop, and R&B. Mr. Goody covers rhythm, lyrics, beats, and flow, while students use the app to upload sounds, record their own tunes, cut and mix the music. Students may not be interested in all genres of music, but the benefit, says Goody, is that this course forces them to keep an open mind, look at other types of music, and opens them up to consider the beauty and technique that goes into songwriting, no matter the genre. Course highlights may include virtual visits from famous Grammy winners, composers (think: Star Wars!), and TikTok stars. The semester will culminate with students creating and submitting their own complete album. But it does not stop there. One student’s music production has already made it to television – background music for the opening credits on the WMDS news station! Due to the class’s popularity, Mr. Goody plans to offer an intermediate and advanced songwriting class for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Other exciting courses for the 2020-2021 school year include Puppetry, Pottery, and PIE (Problem Solving. Innovation. Exploring.) for 6th grade students. Looking ahead to 2021-2022, unique opportunities include Sewing for Service, Art Appreciation & History for 6th graders, Religion in Literature, African American Studies, Introduction to Java Script, and AP Seminar and Research as part of the AP Capstone Diploma program. MDS is the only independent school in the region to be approved to implement this new program by the College Board. To read more about this exciting opportunity for our Cavaliers, click here.
Click here for more MDS Musings Blog posts.
Mount de Sales Academy is a private Catholic school located in Macon, GA, and serves students in Bibb, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach and other surrounding counties. MDS is sponsored and inspired by the Sisters of Mercy. Since 1876, MDS has served a diverse college-preparatory community of learners—students and teachers alike—who are poised to discover, challenged to innovate, and motivated to serve.