At the Audio Guys Institute, The Advanced Production Music Class batch recently engaged in an intensive-in-class Project recap session as part of the Production Mentorship Module. The session was conducted by Jayakrishnan Nalinkumar, co-founder and faculty member at TAG, along with, Steve Thomas Kottoor, Music Production faculty. During the session, the students had to work on a few tasks which was reviewed during the session by the faculty members and feedback was given so that students could improvise. It helped them to understand their strengths and also know the areas that they lack and need more work on. Through this, they also got valuable insights about music production.
A Comprehensive Evaluation Approach:
The final project presentations were assessed the following criteria designed to reflect industry’s best practices:
- Scratch Presentation: The initial idea and how well it was explained and presented.
- Relevance to genre: A basic concept that guides how well a song is structured, recorded and mixed. The track should be aligned according to the intended music style.
- Compositional Ideas: Foundational Creative Elements includes the motifs, chords, melodies and rhythms, it defines a song structure before a song is mixed.
- Musical Structure: Arrangement and organization of musical ideas.
- Basic Production: Includes the sound selection, layering and overall music production, creation of the song from the initial idea, including songwriting, recording and editing.
- Lyrical Ideas: The main concept, theme or idea of the song.
- Structure clarity and completion: The track should be complete and well-defined.
The above criteria ensure that students are not only evaluated on technical aspects but also covers the creativity part, keeping in mind industry’s standards.
Mentorship by Faculty:
The session was led by Jayakrishnan Nalinkumar and Steve Thomas Kottoor, whose combined experience brought considerable value guiding students through both the creative and technical aspects of music production
Through their guidance students were able to develop many skills and learn a lot about music production. Moreover, they mainly focused on how to polish musical pieces, understanding genres, building strong foundational production skills and on how to structure the song correctly.
The faculty members didn’t focus just on technical aspects but also on how to think creatively. Students received constructive and detailed feedback that can help them to refine their sound and think creatively. Also, students were encouraged to approach music production with a professional mindset. It was a collaborative learning environment, where students could learn from each other, gain insights and explore different musical styles.
To conclude, each student’s project reflected their individual journey the skills they developed during the course. With expert guidance from industry leaders, students are equipped with the knowledge to help them create their own music and continue exploring the journey even further.