Scenes From Fatherhood

The theatrical premiere of The Ballad of Phineas McBoof happened when the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre commissioned me to write a musical based on my first two Doctor Noize albums and books. I received the commission for my first stage work for kids right as my own daughters were starting to get cast as leads in youth musical theatre. So I was really involved in that community when I got the commission, on both sides of it: as a composer and a parent.

The secret to student engagement was connecting works to their creator’s story and purpose. Learning this informed everything I’ve done as a teacher and Doctor Noize, whose albums are character-based musicals challenging kids with sophisticated fare. Students of any age will explore challenging musical puzzles when we remember: We’re all moved by people, story and purpose.

It’s been my honor to work with these creative young recording artists for the debut Regis Recording Arts album. An ensemble of students with little to no experience in the studio coming in, from Music to Nursing Majors, this recording reflects the vibrant souls I now know. We hope you enjoy Made In The Stu as much as we loved making it!

This group of students was fairly inexperienced in recording arts, which makes it all the more remarkable just how much each one of them summoned up — in honesty, artistry and work ethic — to bring these polished songs that mean so much to them into the world in a single semester.

The most distinctive thing about this particular group of students is the way they truly support, challenge, and help each other on their songs.  I’m not sure they realize how remarkable that is, nor how much they have made the Regis Studio a welcoming community space for all musicians here because of the inclusive big-hearted group they are.  PS. Can anyone tell me if Kaz actually has a residence or just lives in the studio now?

What a first class bunch this class was! I’ve never had an intro recording arts ensemble record a more experimental, poetic or universally-well-recorded work of art than this. Truly interesting music.

Logic… You know, I actually don’t remember when I started. But what I can tell you is I was one of the first people who ever used Opcode Vision, which was a sequencer way back in the 1890s when I first started doing this. I actually bought it from the guy who wrote it, a guy named Dave Oppenheim, who went on to become one of Digidesign’s main programmers. And we’re still friends.

I find that, as I get older, I am less and less interested in all the doo-dads in technology. I am more interested in: How can I flexibly make music?

This is my first incredible group of students who’ve gone through the whole 3 course Recording Arts sequence. Each has their own section of our compilation album below, closing with an old-school throwback song they produced together for fun. Visit all five artists’ individual websites for more on them and their upcoming albums!

Kids can handle sophisticated music more than adults can. And you can use kids to reopen minds of adults.