Winter 2024 29 ADOBE STOCK: 126882931 M U S I C nation’s top 10 online education providers — first established itself as an online education trailblazer. Today, Reason is the coordinator of the new Contemporary Music Industry bachelor’s program, delivered only online. It’s one of the first programs of its kind in the United States, with a focus on helping students build entrepreneurial skills in the commercial music and entertainment industries. Reason, an acclaimed composer and pianist, said offerings such as this one — with an emphasis on providing the quality and careerfocused skills students are looking for — are driving OSU’s progress on the music education front online. “We’re no longer trying to replicate the traditional classroom through a lecture-based approach,” she said. “We’re geared towards a diverse collection of online learners and recognize that people learn from games, videos, peer-to-peer discussions, as well as hands-on projects.” This is achieved in a variety of courses that emphasize practical learning. Some students might learn to use music production software to create a soundtrack for a film or video game, while others build applied guitar skills and learn to compose through weekly practices and group participation. Pathways to Jobs Students who gain those multifaceted skills will be the professionals best prepared for how the music industry operates now and is likely to operate in the future, according to Peter Swendsen, the Patricia Valian Reser chair and director of the School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts. It’s now standard practice for musicians — from at-home artists to big-name professionals — to collaborate, produce, rehearse and even perform concerts online. Oregon State’s music courses and programs help students acclimate to and succeed in that environment. He also sees long-term value in how OSU’s online music courses teach not only music history or how to become a better musician, but also about the interactive, everyday experiences people have with sound — from the “beeps and bloops our phones make” to the movies we watch. “Every bit of music and audio we hear needs a creative force behind it. The whole notion of what it means to be a composer and sound designer has exploded over the last few years,” said Swendsen, also an accomplished musician and composer. “Our courses and the contemporary music industry program will help students go right into that world professionally.” Swendsen credits Reason and the School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts faculty with designing an online program that is reflective of music that is in the minds and ears of today’s students. “Dana has done a great job figuring out how to help students learn to treat sound and audio in a conceptual way and how to be comfortable learning new tools on their own,” Swendsen said. “It fills an important gap in higher ed music offerings, and doing it online allows us to reach students around the world that we couldn’t otherwise.” A Creative Haven For Balakin in Ukraine, enrolling in Reason’s Music Cultures of the World class both met a degree requirement and offered an escape. He expects to graduate next year, and as he learns online, the destruction caused by the Russian invasion is all around him. On the night he completed his sopilka, the power in his building shut off. It’s a common occurrence, a result of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. His reaction was subdued. He let out a heavy sigh, retrieved a backup generator and then continued making the instrument. In his war-torn country, Balakin finds refuge online with OSU. “It’s hard to focus on anything besides reading the news again and again,” he said. “Music helps me with that.” ۄ To watch a time-lapse video of Mykola Balakin making his Ukrainian sopilka, scan this QR code or visit beav.es/ T7X. IT FILLS AN IMPORTANT GAP IN HIGHER ED MUSIC OFFERINGS, AND DOING IT ONLINE ALLOWS US TO REACH STUDENTS AROUND THE WORLD.
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