By Petet Leggett, Walker West Music Academy

In February, Walker West Music Academy will be offering two new programs intended to help support the development of emerging artists.

The Young Artist Professional Development Training Program (YAPTP) will provide students the opportunity to compose, record and promote their own original music by forming a small ensemble in the jazz/improvisation idiom.  Students will have the opportunity to utilize Finale software to support the composition of their own original music.  As students develop a repertoire of original compositions,  they will learn to record use Pro Tools recording software.  After recording their original music and shaping it into an album, students will develop a promotional plan culminating in booking a release show for the album they’ve created.

Supported through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation  and Traveler’s Arts & Diversity Committee, the YAPTP program will be held over a period of four months per offering.  The curriculum was developed through the collaboration of Walker West teaching artist faculty members David Billingsley, Felix James and Solomon Parham with each faculty member focusing one of the three core areas.

The Digital Music Production Program (DMP) gives students the opportunity to further expand and develop contemporary contexts for music making by focusing on production and recording. Utilizing the Propellerhead Reason 6 software,  students learn about digital music making and its relation to acoustic music.  Students expand their music theory and recording knowledge while programming patterns and exploring digital music editing techniques.  Students also learn about sound design through shaping sound waves and contours with keyboard controllers and internal computer synthesizers.

For Walker West Music Academy these programs represent a new step in expanding the Academy’s artistic programs. For nearly twenty years, the Academy has welcomed students of all ages and backgrounds to share in personal growth through music.  With the Young Artist Professional Training Program and the Digital Music Production program, Walker West Music Academy strives to support the development of talented emerging artists by giving them a broad array of contemporary resources.

Go to www.WalkerWestMusicAcademy.org for more information or call 651-224-2929.