New audio production minor takes a fresh approach to teaching students about music

Have you ever wanted to produce your own music? In the fall of 2022, NKU’s School of the Arts introduced their new audio production minor. Inside the state-of-the-art studio, students can learn skills like audio engineering, sound production, music performance and much more. 

The minor is being offered to all students regardless of their major, with the hopes that it could be a good pairing for those majoring in other fields outside of the arts. 

The talks about introducing an audio production minor came after faculty within the music program agreed that students should have access to learn more about music production, without the need to major in a bunch of classes. 

William Brian Hogg, area coordinator and director of jazz studies, hopes more non-music students can be reached with this minor, but also those in integrative studies as well.

“I’ve developed the minor to serve students who don’t want a full professional degree in music, but they want technical aptitude in audio production, and all of the things that go with an audio production. I also created a pathway for Integrative Studies, where students can minor in audio production, public relations and business if they want to run a studio or work in the music business field,” Hogg said. 

Hogg also mentioned how adding audio production within SOTA has been a long project, but new staff within the music program have been very supportive and interested in this new minor. 

“The new faculty that have come in and supported it, they saw the need for it and the importance of it in the future of our program and in NKU, so they’ve supported us and it has been huge for the success of the program,” the coordinator said. 

The minor has set out to not only give students skills in commercial music, but also welcome a new approach to contemporary music, as some of the majors in the music program focus more on classical music.

“We have to start teaching in the 21st century. You know what I mean? We can’t keep approaching music from the perspective of the 1700s and 1800s. So, we have to bring technology into the fold…We have to bring an acknowledgement of other forms of music,” Hogg added. 

Adam Pleiman, professor of audio production classes, hopes the new minor can give students the chance to create outstanding work and improve music and technical skills.

“I want them to be good. First off, I want their work to sound outstanding, and I want them to have the fundamentals musically and technically, to be able to work in all different ways,” Pleiman said. 

Pleiman also hopes that these skills can help students reach bigger goals, like getting a record label. 

“I’d love to see a record label. I’d love to see some successes come from works that were created or recorded by students here. I like to see students write pieces and have them published,” Pleiman said. 

When asked if there was anything else he wanted students to know, he encouraged them to not be afraid of looking at the program if they’re interested in music. 

“Please don’t be afraid. If you’re a producer or musician do not be afraid of the program,” Pleiman said. 

For Hogg, he hopes that students won’t miss out on this program, as he feels that program has gotten more organized and ready to set students up for success.

“Get it in as soon as possible, because it’s growing very, very quickly,” Hogg said. “There are pathways that will cater to a variety of students who are interested in going into music, but they don’t want to be performers.”

For more information about the new audio production minor, you can visit https://www.nku.edu/academics/sota/music/prospective/audio-production-minor.html.