Photo By: Shelby Clemons
MUSIC: Poly has a new music class to add to its curriculum.
By Tyler Demshki, Staff Writer
Music is a wonderful tool of expression for many. The act of creating or even playing music can be liberating and enjoyable. Next year, Poly will give its students another chance to engage in this expression.
Poly’s newest music class is music technology, which has been considered for the curriculum for some time now. After the long wait, the class will make its first run next year. This first run will be spearheaded by Robert Habereder, the orchestra teacher at Poly who has been the main advocate for this class for some time.
Habereder majored in music at UCR, and took several recording classes during his time there. In his last two years, he even had several one-on-one classes with some professors. Couple this with the fact that Habereder has a built-in studio in his home, and his passions for music is clear to see.
The class, as its name implies, heavily features computers and music programs. The course will also require little to no prior experience playing an actual instrument, since computer programs will handle that job for the most part. Instead, the main focus of the class will be on composition, although Habereder does plan to include some instruction on music theory at the beginning of the year in order to provide students with the needed background information.
The class will feature the music composition programs of Garageband, Ableton Live, Virtual DJ and Finale, with the addition of the professional grade program Protools, purchased with the help of a Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation grant. With the help of these programs, students will eventually leave the course with a CD filled with their original compositions.
The class period in which the course will be available is still unknown, although Habereder did bring up the idea that there may be enough interest for the class to be available during multiple periods, a boon to any busy student. Additionally, the course will fulfill the fine arts requirement for high school graduation, an important consideration for those who have not completed it.
For whatever reason you take the class, expect an enjoyable course that will open your mind to one of the oldest forms of art, created with some of the newest forms of technology.