Old Library Studio Podcast

Last Spring I was asked to provide some biographical information for a middle school class. The goal was to give the kids an idea of my background, and how my early experiences had an impact on what my job is. It took a while to explain this in a reasonably straightforward way. But it got me thinking some about what role my own story has to play in building understanding of Old Library Studio’s mission and programs for potential students, community members, and other folks who are interested in Old Library Studio.

It’s clear to me that many aspects of how I grew up as a musician and composer, how I encountered music technology, and what opportunities and stumbling blocks I encountered had direct influence on what Old Library Studio became. It’s been really interesting to see teens of today struggling with many of the same issues.

A little about myself:

Well, I’m 29 1/2  years old as I edit this, and I’ve spent well over 5 years of my life helping teens compose and record their own music.

My earliest musical experiences were singing at religious school and camp. Hebrew songs and camp songs.

The first time I ever set foot in a recording studio was 20 years ago, at age 8, when the religious school choir I was in made a professional recording. Not long after that I started learning to play a musical instrument, the double bass, through a school music program, when I was 9 years old. I’ve always enjoyed improvising on my instrument, and I started trying to pick out tunes from day one.

I started writing my own instrumental music when I was in High School, first through a band I started with my friends, and then later I started writing music at home, with a computer and a synthesizer. I had to teach myself how all of the pieces fit together; how the computer connected to the synthesizer, and how the keyboard would connect with the computer, etc.

I also started making simple recordings at around this time. So I discovered that these were two creative areas that really resonated for me: making music recordings & composing music.

There weren’t really any opportunities through my high school to learn about writing music or making music recordings… the only programs they had were basically music performance classes, like most high schools.

So, like many teens, I got involved in Jazz Band, in part because it was the only music performance class available which actually allowed the students to explore a little of the “how music works” aspect, and it’s the only class where you sometimes get to improvise and try out new things.

I tried to piece together as much as I could on my own. This was before the Internet was very widespread, and I didn’t have access at home, so it was a bit difficult to find the information I was after at that time. The library in the town I lived in wasn’t well stocked… nothing like the library we have here in Portland. So that made  finding good music information (music theory, or information about exotic music, or the secret to what makes a recording sound so good, etc.) a very costly endevour; I had to buy books, or make xeroxes at the local university, and it took a long time.

Making music at home was rather costly in those days. Synthesizers, instruments, and recording gear were really too expensive. What I could afford didn’t do half of what I needed it to, or even half of what the box said it would do !

In college I decided I wanted to learn about music, but I wasn’t interested in becoming a performing musician. What I wanted, was to learn about how music worked, and learn how to make my own tools; my own music programs. A professor encouraged me to design my own independent major: as blend between the music major, computer science, and the electronic music curriculum. So that’s what I did.

I studied music theory, and musicianship. I studied engineering math, artificial intelligence, & computer programming. I studied electronic music, music technology, and recording. I found myself helping other students out in the studio.

I graduated in 2002 and moved to Portland, because some friends told me it was nice place to live after Santa Cruz (good vegetarian food,etc.).

This is what my semi-official bio says about what happened after college:

Noah has served as Executive Director of Old Library Studio since the nonprofit organization was founded (under the name “NW Digital Art Kids”), in 2003, in that time he has proven to be a charismatic and effective leader, an inspiring teacher, a masterful sound engineer, and a playful composer. A very resourceful and creative person, “Mr. Noah” is a person who can do a lot with very little.In recognition of his work at Old Library Studio the publishers of Willamette Week awarded Noah the 2006 Skidmore Prize for the Arts. Noah holds a B.A. in Computer Music from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

It doesn’t really capture why. Does it ?

Old Library Studio is the way it is, because I thought about what I wanted when I was a musician growing up, and I tried to focus on creating opportunities in the area of music education which weren’t being offered to creative teens.

So that’s one “why”- Q: Why is Old Library Studio designed the way it is ? A: Creative teens need opportunities, support, and resources.

Trouble I got into as a kid, that lead to something (this was one of the questions I was asked by the middle school):

I wasn’t much of a trouble maker, at least not in the sense of rule-breaking. Though I used to get in trouble for “noodling” or improvising on my instrument during orchestra rehearsals.

I also used to get in trouble for not practicing my orchestra music, and my orchestra conductor, Mr. O’Donnell, blew up at me at one point because I convinced a private Bass teacher (that the school might have been subsidizing ?) to teach me to improvise as a Jazz Bass player. (later the orchestra voted me “most likely to become Mr. O’Donell”… and also “nicest eyes”, go figure.)

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that improvising on my instrument during class, or having a falling out with my orchestra conductor, lead to my creating a music education program that focuses on individual creativity.

Is “noodling” on your instrument misbehavior ?

What I would say is this: My “noodling” was an expression of the frustration I was feeling, as a creative kid, with the lack of a creativity focused music program, and I realized this at the time. I wanted to understand how music works… and I was in a situation that was at odds with that impulse: I was in a high school orchestra !

Later on it frustrated me that, even though a friend and I were writing our own music outside of school, there was no simple way to share that with our peers in the music program. Also I found the competitive nature of instrumental music programs to be wrong-headed.  The jockeying for chair position, etc. I remember thinking at the time; there is a reason I’m not involved with athletics… why is it that the music program thrives on physical competition between performers ? … To me it should be about understanding how music works & about creativity.

So to sum this up. I finished High School with a sense that there was something antiquated and broken about music education. When I got to college I found that things were only a little better; students in college do write music as part of their learning experience, but the focus is still all about instrumental music performance. The whole time I thought: “someone should be giving young musicians the tools, encouragement, and peer group they need to create their own music “.
When an opportunity to do that presented itself, I recognized it…….. and now it turns out, I’m that someone.

Why I love doing this job (:

The second “Why” is - Q: Why does Noah do this work ? A: Many reasons; but they all come down to; I like it !

It’s very rewarding. I get to be creative all the time, not just when I’m doing music, but designing posters & forms, or writing grants, etc.
The people I work with are generally very supportive of my ideas and the appreciate the work I do, that’s really important. I also get to learn new things all the time.
The responsibility involved is satisfiying too..

Above and beyond “inspiring creative youth with music technology”….I like to do the things I do best:

1. Making really great sounding recordings: not just because it makes me feel like an audio ninja, but also because it’s like holding a mirror up to the musician and saying “look how good you sound. That’s right, you sound famous. ” When that musician is a teen, who doesn’t realize that they have talent, then it’s like a magic mirror. (because it actually changes them forever)

2. Providing musical advice to a student, to help them improve the overall impact of a piece of instrumental music, or a song. - What can I say, I get to share my gifts as a composer and make new music sound better. Love it.

3. As a teacher; making good use of a “teachable moment”. It’s very satisfying to know I found a really effective way to help a student understand something. It’s why teachers teach. So it’s part of why I do this.

4. In my role as Executive Director: Sharing my excitement about Old Library Studio. Enlisting the help of others. Seeing just how far the ripples in the pond go.

5. Solving problems in an elegant way. In fact “being clever”, ranks pretty high on my list in general.