 Dr.
Phillips High School was built 17 years ago, but with the future
in mind. This beautiful facility, located on 80 acres in southwest
Orlando, Florida, sits directly across the street from Universal
Studios Florida. The school is blessed with a state-of-the-art
media center featuring 101 computers, a television studio, two
dance studios, two piano labs, a beautiful auditorium, and three
computer labs.One look at the school's lobby tells visitors that the district and the students take a great deal of pride in DPHS. After all, the school is quite special. Students from the Orange County Public Schools who excel in the arts must audition during their freshman or sophomore year in order to get into DPHS. Many of the Performing Arts students who attend DPHS were invited to apply for admission after auditioning for the magnet program. DPHS is the home of the district's Visual and Performing Arts magnet program, one of five special programs at the school. The VPA program consists of art, dance, music, theater, and television-production departments. The curriculum for each department is comprehensive and resembles the curriculum of a university rather than of a high school. Of the 420 students in the VPA program, 107 students are currently enrolled in the music department. MEET THE TEACHER Visual and Performing Arts director Keith Galasso has taught at the school for the past 15 years. A former session musician at Studio West in San Diego, Galasso began seeking funds to create a music-technology lab and digital recording studio at his new school as soon as he arrived. In 1993, he wrote a modest grant proposal to purchase some recording equipment, but when he discovered how much money was being offered per student through the Florida Technology Incentive Fund, he raised the amount of his grant request — and got it all. With that original grant money, he purchased a five-station music-technology lab and purchased a multitrack hard-disk recorder and editing software.  FIG.
1: In the studio control room, Melissa McNerney lays down a piano
track while Stephen Galasso records it in Steinberg’s Cubase
SX digital audio sequencing software. Teacher Keith Galasso is
working separately on the Alesis BRC, a remote controller for
the ADAT digital tape deck. Fifteen years later, with the help of an extremely supportive administration and with persistent fund-raising, the music-technology program at DPHS has grown tremendously. The 5-station music-technology lab now has 20 stations. The original recording equipment has been expanded into a fully operational recording studio, complete with a control room and an isolation booth (see Fig. 1). All of the students in the music department are required to take a keyboard class and an electronic-music class. With the adoption of national and state standards in music education, music-technology labs afford opportunities — sometimes the only opportunity — for students to fulfill the standard for composing and arranging music. (For more on this subject, see the two-part feature “Music Technology and the National Standards” in the Spring and Summer 2004 issues of MET.) Galasso believes that this reason is one of the most important ones for continuing to pursue funding for technology. “Our students are outstanding musicians,” he enthuses. “With technology, they are given a chance to explore their creative side, something not easily achieved without it.” START SMALL How did the DPHS program get to this point? It didn't happen overnight. “Start small and then build,” Galasso advises. “Get one or two stations and teach with them. Show the administration the benefits of teaching with technology.” In his experience, once the administration recognizes the inherent benefits that a music-technology lab offers, it will support the expansion of the program.  FIG.
2: The school’s original recording studio was based around
these two early-model Alesis ADAT 8-track digital tape recorders
(bottom). Although ADATs of this type are no longer manufactured,
these units are still up and running and can record CD-quality
sound on affordable S-VHS videotape. Indeed, Galasso started nearly from scratch. When he arrived at DPHS in 1989, the school had no music technology, and the two piano labs were used solely to teach piano. Initially, he served as associate choral director and taught music history, music theory, and a section of the keyboard class. Over the next few years, though, Galasso's friends got him interested in music technology, and he began to realize its potential as a teaching tool. He started formulating a plan to incorporate technology into his program, and in 1991 he purchased his first MIDI workstation for $4,600. It consisted of an Atari computer, a Korg M1 keyboard synthesizer, a Yamaha line mixer, and an E-mu Proteus synth module. With this workstation, Galasso incorporated technology into his keyboard class. His advanced students used the workstation to create music of their own, and he noticed that the students came alive when they used it. He realized he needed to offer the technology to a larger group of students. In 1993, Galasso wrote a grant proposal requesting $8,000 to obtain recording equipment. Soon after writing the proposal, he did some investigative work and realized that much more money was available. The state of Florida had a Technology Incentive Program to purchase technology for schools that they deemed “tech-poor,” meaning schools where students were not being given equal access to technology. In response, Galasso spoke with his assistant principal about increasing the amount of his grant request. When the assistant principal discovered that such a grant would establish the first music-technology program in the school district, he told Galasso to run with it. Galasso revamped the proposal to include a five-station music-technology lab on top of the recording equipment that was in the original request. The total request was for a little more than $46,000, and as noted earlier, DPHS was awarded the full amount. Looking back on the experience, Galasso recalls, “I was just in the right place at the right time.” Indeed he was — but he also had the dedication and work ethic to take advantage of it. THE FIRST GENERATION  FIG.
3: In the classroom section of the electronic-music lab, Johannah
Giron (foreground) receives assistance from Dr. Galasso regarding
the proper global settings for interfacing the Korg N-364 keyboard
synth with Steinberg’s Cubasis 3.0 sequencer. In the background,
Kallina Chin edits MIDI tracks in Cubasis. Galasso quickly claimed room in the school's media center for his music-technology lab and recording studio. His first music-technology lab consisted of five Korg X3 synthesizers and five Windows-based Dell computers loaded with PG Music's Band-in-a-Box auto-accompaniment software, Steinberg's Cubasis entry-level digital audio sequencer, and MakeMusic's Finale professional notation software. Unlike many teachers, Galasso was able to put the lab together himself, drawing from his prior experience with studio technology. The original recording studio consisted of two Alesis ADAT 8-track digital tape recorders (see Fig. 2); a Mackie 32-channel, 8-bus mixing console; Steinberg's Cubase (a professional-level digital audio sequencing program); and Digidesign's Session 8 digital audio workstation. It was a solid beginning, especially at a time when most schools had little or no music technology. From there, the EM Lab expanded because of what the students accomplished with it. THE BUILDUP Getting the original grant was one thing; expanding the program, however, presented an entirely different set of challenges. Soon after Galasso set up his first music-technology lab, Orange County fortuitously decided to build a professional recording studio at DPHS, incorporating the equipment that had just been purchased. Galasso drew up plans and submitted them to the county. The county hired an architect, who modified the plans to make best use of the space that was earmarked for the studio. The Electronic Music Lab was split in half to accommodate the new studio, which included a control room and an isolation booth, along with studio space. Fortunately for Galasso, the construction took place at the beginning of the school year so that he was able to supervise the building of the studio. Although it displaced the EM Lab for a few months, it was exciting for Galasso and his students to see the daily progress of what would become the jewel of the lab. LET IT GROW As anyone who has taught in a music-technology lab can tell you, having more than two students per station can be problematic. A teacher must do some very creative planning to put students into cooperative learning groups so that some students can work at a station while others do something else. It is a classroom-management challenge that often discourages teachers from using a lab more often. After a few years of teaching in a five-station lab, Galasso realized that it was time to expand. His students were doing some great things but were being held back by the lack of equipment. In 1996, to address this problem, he approached his principal about expanding the lab. Having seen what the students could do with technology and a creative teacher, the principal offered $7,500 in matching funds if Galasso could raise that amount. Using money from a VH-1 interview that he did about former student Joey Fatone (of 'N Sync fame), as well as money that he raised by recording the annual Florida Vocal Association Choral Festival that is held at DPHS, this visionary teacher came up with the required funds, and the principal followed through on his promise. With help from SoundTree, Galasso used the $15,000 to create a powerful yet convenient network featuring 15 Korg N-364 synthesizers, a Korg GEC3 Group Education Controller, and student-interface boxes with headphones (see Fig. 3). Dr. Phillips High School is split into separate North and South campuses. Each campus has a piano lab: one lab with 21 keyboards, and the other with 17 keyboards. In 1999, it was time to replace the two piano labs, so Galasso purchased 38 Korg SP-500 digital pianos and another GEC3 network controller. Representatives from SoundTree came to the school to install the lab and train the teachers to use it. Along with the digital pianos, Galasso also purchased a Korg Triton keyboard-synthesizer workstation, which has become the favorite piece of equipment in the EM Lab. CURRICULAR CONSIDERATIONS It is one thing to get music-tech equipment; it is something else to teach with it. Like most teachers, Galasso has learned about technology through trial and error. Aside from the training he received from SoundTree on how to teach in the piano lab and the two courses that he took with noted educator and music-technology pioneer (and MET columnist) Don Muro at the University of Florida, Galasso has created his own syllabus for his electronic-music courses. During the years that he had one workstation and, later, the five-station lab, he experimented with different project ideas for his students. The students seemingly enjoyed each of the projects, but their teacher, as one would expect, noted the projects that made the most pedagogical sense. Galasso also came up with a logical sequence of course offerings to ensure the best possible experience with technology. All music students in the magnet program are required to take a keyboard class (Piano I) in their freshman year, unless they are able to pass out of the course through examination. Students can further develop their skills by taking Piano II and Piano III. The courses, which are performance based, use the Alfred Adult Piano Method to teach fundamentals. During their sophomore year, music-magnet students are required to take music theory. It is in this course that students are first introduced to the technology in the EM Lab, although they do not use it extensively. During their junior year, the students are exposed to the full capabilities of the EM Lab. Galasso uses MakeMusic's Finale to create worksheets for the students, and he creates listening examples for the class using Finale and Cubase SX. Galasso created two new electronic-music courses. Electronic Music I and the department's comprehensive music-history course are offered in tandem and are required for all music students in the magnet program. The students switch between the two courses every couple of weeks. That allows Galasso to use the technology in the EM Lab to reinforce concepts learned in the music-history course. Electronic Music II is a senior elective, and among other things, it offers students the opportunity to mix and master musical projects. The electronic-music course is a great example of Jerome Bruner's “spiral curriculum.” Building on the skills that the students learned in Piano I and Music Theory courses, Electronic Music I uses those skills in the required student projects. Electronic Music I, which Galasso describes as “product based,” is divided into four nine-week sections. During the first nine weeks, students are introduced to the history of electronic music and the physics of sound through Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. Once they have some background knowledge of electronic music, the students learn about the equipment in the EM Lab. First they learn how to navigate around the synthesizers by layering program sounds over each other to create new timbres. Then they are introduced to Finale and Cubasis. You might think that the product-based aspects of the course would take a great deal of time to complete, but the students are quick learners. The synthesizers and the software are intuitive, and the students have no problem mastering them within a few class sessions. Once the students have eliminated their gear fear, Galasso introduces the first project the students: a composition in the style of Gregorian chant, which they study in the comprehensive music-history class. The students write their melodies in harmonic minor, and then select a passage from Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham to serve as the text of their chant. Next, they create a drone MIDI accompaniment using Cubasis and, ultimately, sing their chants live for the class. During the second nine-week section, students create an arrangement of a Christmas carol of their own choosing. These student arrangements are recorded to CD, and each student in the class receives a copy before the holidays. Every three or four years, a “best of” CD is created, and all students strive to be included. CONSTRUCTIVISM IN ACTION Over the years that Galasso has taught with technology, he has noticed a profound change in the way he teaches. When he began his teaching career, he modeled the way that he had been taught: the curriculum was teacher-centric, and students completed assignments and projects that had strict guidelines. A student's job was to listen to what the teacher said, and later spit that back out on the test. The student-centered curriculum commonly known as the “constructivist model” was a far-off notion. Once Galasso began teaching in the EM Lab, however, he saw the potential of the constructivist model. When students were given the opportunity to design and create their own projects, they took more ownership of their work and subsequently strove to learn more. Letting students take control of their learning was not easy at first, but once he tried it, Galasso's program took a new direction. During the third nine-week section, the curriculum becomes less restrictive and more student centered. Students design their own projects, and once their concepts have been approved, they spend the semester realizing them. The process continues in the fourth nine-week section of the course, in which students are required to create a ballad or jazz composition. Aside from those restrictions, the students can compose whatever they wish. Once the student projects are complete, Galasso and the students in the Electronic Music II class mix and master them in the recording studio and burn them to CD. The projects are varied, ranging from a work for pipe organ and brass choir to a sonic representation of a chicken's life (see the sidebar “Playing Chicken”). “You never know what you are going to get from year to year,” observes Galasso, “but the students always put a great deal of effort into their projects. When I see the look on their faces when they hear the final result of their compositions, it makes it all worth it. This is something that they will never forget.” PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Galasso realizes how fortunate he is. Few educators have the opportunity to teach in the type of facility provided at Dr. Phillips High School. Two years ago, he became the director of the Visual and Performing Arts magnet program, and although he is no longer the associate choral director, he still teaches the music-theory and electronic-music classes. When not busy with his supervisory duties, you will usually find him working with students in the EM Lab. In the summer of 2000, Galasso offered an intensive course for area music educators, entitled “Music Technology for Music Teachers.” This week-long course was well attended, and as a result, other schools in the Orange County Public Schools have added technology labs. Carolyn Minear, the supervisor of fine- and performing arts for the Orange County Public Schools, recently secured Title I state- and federal funding to put a music workstation and a digital video camera in every district music classroom. Galasso has become somewhat of a Pied Piper for technology in the district and plans to retain that role. Galasso hopes to see the program expand even further. “It is very important to have a one-student-per-computer situation. More students are taking the class, and the lab has to grow also.” Space is often an issue with music technology, and Galasso would like a bigger room. “I have rearranged my room a half-dozen times over the years,” he notes. “It is the same space that housed the 5-station lab, but now we have 20 stations.” That is a problem that many wish they had, as Galasso is well aware. “I know how fortunate I am,” he proclaims. “This is an ideal teaching situation, and I love it.” Plans for an Electronic Music department Web site are nearly complete, and the site should be online in September of this year. It will contain student work from the electronic-music courses, as well as pictures and other relevant information about the EM Lab. Check out www.dphs.ocps.net to learn more about this amazing school and the wonderful teachers and students who call it home. James Frankel is an instrumental- and general-music teacher at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Teachers College at Columbia University and Montclair State University. Playing Chicken
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