Schools Dr. Larrie Reynolds has made a commitment to technology in education. In a very big way.
Music, while being an art form, is also steeped in science, Reynolds believes emphatically. And the sound engineer plays a crucial role in any performance. As a superintendent, his goal is to prepare young minds. He doesn’t expect that most of the students in the new Rock and Roll Academy will go on to be superstar performers, but he has no doubts that his students will be behind the scenes on Broadway, in Hollywood and in music-making studios around the world some day. His job, he feels, is to prepare a young mind for whatever comes their way. The background in music and recording, he says, will serve them well whether they are an engineer, a lawyer or a social worker. The method is what matters.
Yes, Mount Olive High in 2016 is a far cry from Rensselaer Central back in 1977-81. But then again, teenagers entering high school in 2016 are light-years more advanced technologically than I was back in the day. You can make beats on an iPhone or pick up a synth for a hundred bucks. It’s part of the everyday world. And now, for those at Mount Olive, you can even put your stamp on a recording during lunch hour.
What a world we live in.