New music institute creates video library to support students working at home

A soon-to-open music institute in the West Midlands is developing a library of online videos designed to support further education and 6th form students who are missing out on face-to-face classes because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Resonance, which will be accepting its first cohort of undergraduate students this September, is creating the study support videos following discussions with FE college music teachers.

“We’ve built up a good relationship with level 3 course leaders at colleges around the country over the last few months and are keen to support them as they continue to deliver their course material to students online,” said Rick Benton, Resonance Director for Industry and Partnerships.

“Music is such a ‘hands-on’ subject that teaching it online presents real challenges. We know we can’t replace the experience of classroom study, but our videos address some of the most common technical and production issues students will face when they’re working in the music business, as well as exploring what it’s like to work in the industry.

“We’re continuing to talk to course leaders on an ongoing basis to get their input and ensure that the material we produce is based on what their students will find most helpful.”

The videos are presented by the Resonance Team of course leaders and industry partners. They include practical demonstrations and explanations of key music production techniques and technologies, along with examples of how to use them in real world applications and ground-up explanations of the terminology and theory behind the techniques. 

The tutorials will be universally accessible to BTEC and A level students at any stage of their course and the lessons learned can be unilaterally applied, whatever studio environment or software they have access to.

Current subjects include noise gates, understanding phase, compression and a guide to UK Music’s ‘Music by Numbers’ report. New videos are being uploaded every week.

The study support videos can be found on the Resonance website at https://www.resonance-edu.org/video_categories/study-resource/ and on the Resonance TV YouTube channel’s ‘Study Support’ playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLekCLQdI2UfEgeUrFNU2vEAIgeC2PqFz3)  

Resonance is opening in September 2020 at The Waterfront near Dudley, West Midlands. Run on a not-for-profit basis by music industry professionals with the support of some of the industry’s most significant businesses, the institute is initially offering six undergraduate degrees validated by Solent University. It is currently running online open days and interviews and is accepting students up until the end of August 2020. 

For more information visit www.resonance-edu.org.