The Midwest Clinic - Audio Technology PreConference Intensive

Audio Technology for Music Educators

This four-hour program provides an introduction to music production and how to set up a sound system for live performance, what quality audio is, and the value of mixing the audio for the best results. The final session is a hands-on experience led by professionals in the music industry.

This Pre-conference event will take place at McCormick Place West in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, December 16 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for music educators at all levels, from small classroom instruction to music production programs or touring music ensembles. The benefits of knowing what comprises quality audio, how to maximize the quality of the sound systems you use, and how to utilize music production in your music program are universal for all music educators. The hands-on opportunity provides the experience to learn about audio and how to use music/audio technology in your classrooms.

Attendees will be able to add registration for this event at the end of their Midwest Clinic Conference Registration. Due to limited seating, only Professional and College Student registrants are eligible to attend. Conference registration opens August 1st.

Registration Fees:

Directors $100
College Students $50

Tentative Schedule

1:00 - 2:00 PM: Session 1 - Deconstructing Steely Dan: Recording Fundamentals for Your Students

Presented by Mike Lawson
A compelling examination of Roger Nichols’ revolutionary recording techniques, using original Steely Dan multitracks from Gaucho, Aja, and Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly. Mike Lawson (TI:ME’s executive director, who compiled Nichol’s posthumous work, The Roger Nichols Recording Method) demonstrates the meticulous work behind these legendary albums, unpacking engineering principles and sonic benchmarks that shaped their sound. This session provides educators and students with takeaway techniques and mindsets to pursue musical and sonic excellence, bridging iconic professional standards with classroom-ready concepts.

2:00 - 3:00 PM: Session 2 - Live Sound & Recording: More Than Just Plugs and Faders

Presented by Mark Lochstampfor
Music educators are often asked to operate the live sound equipment and record school events, but frequently lack the necessary training to do so. After all, they are music educators, not audio engineers. This session will demonstrate how to set a sound system in a performance space, with demonstrations of gain-staging, “pinking” the room, how to use compression, what the difference is between reverb and delay, what a gate is, etc. The session will also include explanations and audio examples of the recording sample rates and bit depth.

3:00 - 4:00 PM: Session 3 - Beatmaking 101: Using Music Production Techniques in Live Performance

Presented by Will Kuhn
Don’t know your boom baps from your beep boops? This is the session for you. An Ableton Certified Trainer will lead you through the world of beatmaking using the latest hardware and software for live performance. Attendees will get to jam on drum machines, synths, and laptops as we explore how music production techniques can enhance live performances in all kinds of settings, from the club to the stage and even the concert hall.

4:00 - 5:00 PM: Session 4 -Technology Petting Zoo

Clinicians

Mike Lawson is a veteran musician, publisher, and audio engineer with over 40 years of experience in the music industry. He began as a self-taught guitarist and evolved into a respected songwriter, performer, engineer/producer, and proponent of music education. He has published over 200 book and video educational titles on audio and music production, by the bestselling authors in the field. Lawson is executive director of TI:ME (Technology in Music Education), a former Grammy Trustee, and the publisher of SBO+ (School Band & Orchestra+) and Musical Merchandise Review (MMR). As a musician, he has recorded and/or performed with artists including Merl Saunders, members of Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane's Jorma Kaukonen/Jack Casady, Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac). Mike has released nine albums as "Mike Lawson & Friends" and in 2024, the Pearl River company launched a line of signature guitars in partnership with him.

Mark Lochstampfor holds a Ph.D in Music Theory from Ohio State University and is Professor Emeritus of music at Capital University, where he taught composition, music technology, Rock History, Acoustics, and founded one of the first collegiate Rock ensembles for academic credit. He has publications with McGraw-Hill, Augsburg Press, Indiana University Press, and Lochlyn Media. He is the Executive Director of the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda (the College Music Honor Society), and serves on the board of the Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) as the VP and Conference Chair.

Will Kuhn is a Cincinnati-based music technology teacher, producer and author focused on revitalizing the field of music education using the latest creative tools. Will serves as instructor of music technology at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, OH. In 2006, he designed an innovative high school music tech curriculum focused on amateur music production, which involves over 300 students annually. His lab-based courses and student projects are regularly featured at regional music education events. He was named TI:ME (Technology in Music Education) Teacher of the Year in 2015, and currently serves as the organization’s national president. His books, Electronic Music School (with Ethan Hein) and Interactive Composition (with VJ Manzo) are widely used by producers and instructors teaching electronic music production. Nationally, he gives clinics and workshops on revitalizing school music programs for the 21st century.

Audio Technology PreConference Intensive