This month we had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Adam Maggs to talk about his amazing program Liveschool.
Adam has an impressive amount of experience in the music field, having taught many now-famous artists, and his experience and track record as a trainer, as well as his own electronic music production courses, have led to him providing music education materials to a wide range of audiences. suitable for creating. Range of experience levels. As an artist, Adam uses his Ableton Live for his DJ work and live production at clubs and festivals such as Big Day Out, Field Day, Mad Racket, Parklife, and internationally at clubs and festivals such as Moonbootique, FutureClassic, and Ministry. We release music through recognized labels. of sound.
What is Liveschool’s mission statement and what do you hope people will gain from using Liveschool?
Our mission is to help people who are passionate about music create the music they envision while learning directly from working artists, specifically artists who have a real impact and proven track record in the music industry. .
Even if you’re a complete beginner, within a year of starting, you’ll have enough skill and fluency to self-produce your own tracks and produce them for others. And all of our graduates have completed industry-level music that is ready for release, and the majority are trained. Join us part time.
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For those aiming to build a career in music, we have two graduate programs: Release Music and Perform Live.
We believe the pricing is more in line with the price range of accredited education from providers such as RMIT, but what does this mean for this level of education, especially given my experience teaching in such environments at SAE and the University of Technology Sydney? Do you draw parallels?
That’s a very interesting question. Fees are comparable to certificate-level courses, but program outcomes more closely align with diplomas and some degrees.
Since our programs serve different purposes, further direct comparisons are difficult. Having consulted on music education at all levels in Australia, I truly value the strength of institutional learning and the government-accredited National Education Standards baseline skills benchmark. However, we decided not to go down that path as it is not relevant to our sector. Instead, doors are opened by the music you create, the events you run, or the artists you represent.
As a result, our programs are streamlined to fit students’ exact goals, and they benefit from our ability to instantly update curriculum as the market changes.
Can you tell me more about how Liveschool’s curriculum is structured?
The curriculum is constantly updated by our roster of trainers, integrating their own learning with each new release and tour cycle, and consists of five different modules.
- Covers the basics, core skills in creating, remixing, recording, drum production, sound design, music theory, and mixing.
- Foundations is followed by four focus modules (the “Focus Series”) that delve into sound design, music theory for composition, arrangement, mixing, and mastering.
The part-time and full-time versions of the course contain the same content but are structured differently, primarily to accommodate different learning styles.
- Part-time format (12 months): Structured to alternate blocks of class weeks and mentorship weeks. This method allows you to develop your music while gradually learning new skills, and is perfect for people who work full-time or have tight schedules.
- Full-time format (9 months): In this version, all class weeks are paid upfront (6-8 weeks) and completed, followed by 7 months of instruction. This format is suitable for people who can devote a chunk of 8 weeks just to music, or for learning-oriented people who want to understand the big picture first before focusing on implementation. It’s also perfect for those who live outside of Sydney and prefer face-to-face learning over live online class options.
Which do you recommend, “Produce Music” or “Focus Series”? And why?
Produce Music is a complete training program for music production. Depending on your needs, you can do just the first section (Foundation Module) or just the second section (Focus Series).
- Produce Music is a complete program for complete training that will result in self-produced music that is ready to be released by your graduation day. It is designed to suit both absolute beginners and experienced producers. Almost all students take the complete program because everything they need is covered.
- The Foundations module is the first module in Produce Music. It covers all of Ableton Live’s major music production workflows, making it useful as an introduction to music production, or as a standalone module for experienced producers switching to music production. He already has what he needs to take advantage of Ableton Live from his other DAWs (like Logic and ProTools) and create release-ready productions from there.
- The Focus series omits the Foundations module. If you are an experienced producer with a comprehensive skillset and your primary focus is on improving your composition, sound design and mixing skills, Ableton Live is ideal as a standalone program. is.
What prior knowledge, if any, is required?
Everyone has a unique musical journey, so it’s important to customize it to suit your current level, preferred music genres, and where you’re headed.
You can enroll even if you have no musical experience or are already an advanced student. Our flexible structure, small class sizes, and large amounts of individual instruction allow us to adapt to your level.
Some beginners may benefit from getting used to soloing and gaining confidence in the music before starting group lessons. Also, some experienced producers want help as soon as possible with the music they’re already working on. That’s why we offer an optional pre-course mentorship module at no additional cost.
How are classes taught and how are they evaluated?
Students attend studio (Sydney) or live online classes, or choose their preferred format. And you have the flexibility to switch at any time.
Weekly structure:
- Preclass (30 minutes): An optional session where you can ask questions, play what you’re working on, and listen to what others have created.
- Class time (3 hours): Small groups (10 students), hands-on learning of new skills, concepts, and creative techniques. It’s important to do these elements in real time so you can get answers to your questions and help with your music right away.
- At-Home Exercises (3 hours): Consolidation of knowledge is best done in a structured way, but at your own pace so you can pause, rewind, and try out ideas. I can. The home study materials are artist-guided and show you new ways to combine the skills you’ve learned so far. These can be done in two blocks of 90 minutes, or in smaller chunks throughout the week.
- Music production time (3 hours): Time allotted solely to producing music, developing your own creative voice, and furthering your project.
Support and guidance:
- 1:1 Mentorship: At regular intervals throughout the year, you stop being a student and focus on becoming a producer for a few weeks, with regular feedback and guidance from a personal mentor.
- Technical Support: Our artist support team is available to students and alumni 45 hours a week via email, phone, or Zoom.
Evaluation approach:
Instead of traditional evaluation, we take a completely different approach. We start by helping you define and set your musical goals. As you work toward these goals, you’ll encounter unique challenges, but if any are insurmountable, your personal mentor will guide you on how to resolve them. This continuous progress and assessment by instructors means that each student’s progress is uniquely calibrated, and by the time of the graduation celebration, where students perform what they have created, musical and creative , ensure that you are technically confident in your abilities.
Your playlist 2023 Big Releases is full of truly impressive tracks and popular Australian artists. What influence do you think Australian music has had on the Liveschool program, and conversely, how has Liveschool influenced the Australian program?Music scene?
The contribution of the Australian music scene has had a huge impact on what we do. Since our founding in 2005, our aim has been to foster internationally viable music with a uniquely Australian identity, and this has informed who we hire to teach and how we develop our curriculum. We have decided what to develop and who to connect our students and alumni with.
Over the last 20 years, Australian independent music has grown from being virtually ignored at home to becoming an export industry, celebrated on the world stage, influencing international tastes and becoming popular with Australian audiences. It was amazing to see what became.
Our successful graduates become industry stalwarts and their support of us means we continue to develop, support and promote local activity and this success is passed on to the next generation of innovators.
Could you also touch on graduate programs such as the released music and live performance sections?
After completing the Produce Music course, you’ll have produced your own music that’s high enough to release immediately.
As with any creative pursuit, creating a “product” to a standard that is ready to be “shipped” provides ample satisfaction.
For those who want to take things a step further, we offer two post-course modules.
- At Release Music, we create and execute your business, audience, and release strategy.
- “Perform Live” develops scalable live shows tailored to your music and audience, all ready to tour.
What makes you different, what makes creative people unique in coming to Liveschool?
We do one thing perfectly. With a focus on developing creativity and technical skills, his class size is 10 students, supported by one-on-one instruction.
The people we teach and teach are truly great artists, and our facility is a legendary (formerly known as BJB Studio) filled with best-in-class modern and classic synthesizers, drum machines, and outboard effects. ) Also known as Big Jesus Burger.
What does the future hold for live schools?
The current evolution is already amazing, and I myself would like to know the answer.
Looking ahead, we see a strong trend for women to increasingly participate in their own music production. Liveschool’s female ratio is 42%, which is clearly an outlier. This is probably because we have been active for almost 20 years. But statistics across the industry are rising and it’s a future we’re all looking forward to.
In mid-2024, we will celebrate our first graduates in our Indigenous Scholarship Program. The talent is amazing and we look forward to continuing to work with Spotify Australia to watch this program grow.
Even sooner, a new version of Ableton Live is on the horizon, with amazing new features that will have an immediate positive impact on the way we teach and the way our students create.
And this week, we actually get to celebrate new releases from our alumni and community members every Friday and share them with the world. So you don’t have to think too far ahead to find something to look forward to.
If you are looking for more information about Liveschool, please visit this website.