A 16-week music-production programme for middle- and high-school students in Los Angeles County. Students learn production, music theory and the physics of sound on professional equipment — and learn to create and own their own intellectual property.
Organisational status. Dynamic Learning Communities is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, incorporated in California and organised for charitable and educational purposes. Its federal tax-exempt recognition under section 501(c)(3) is pending — formation is not exemption, and no contribution should be treated as deductible unless and until recognition is granted.
DLC gives middle- and high-school students — primarily from underserved communities where young people face gang and substance pressure — access to professional creative technology and the people who use it for a living.
Students learn to produce, record and finish music on the same equipment the industry uses. They also learn something most programmes leave out: that what they make belongs to them, and how to keep it that way.
Music as a safe space, not just a skill. The wellbeing strand, woven through all sixteen weeks
Every week draws on more than one. The last strand is the differentiator — it is why students leave with work they own rather than work they made.
Pro Tools and Ableton as working tools: sessions, tracking, editing, arrangement — from a blank session to a finished record.
Rhythm, melody and harmony; chords, scales and song structure — taught as the unit the industry actually licenses, not as abstraction.
What sound physically is before any gear touches it: waves, frequency, amplitude, phase. The mental model everything else hangs on.
Microphones, preamps, conversion and gain staging — a student should be able to narrate the whole path from a voice to a file.
Copyright basics, sample clearance, split sheets, credits and metadata. Students sign a real split sheet and leave with a catalogue in their own name.
Groups of up to five, so every student gets studio time in every session. The individual track is an add-on, not a separate programme — it deepens the same sixteen weeks.
| Track | Time | Monthly | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly group lessons Base | 4 hrs / week | $200 | Group lecture on production and recording fundamentals, interactive critique, hands-on in-studio sessions, collaborative recording. |
| Weekly individual lessons Add-on | 1 hr / week | +$100 | One-to-one mentorship: recording, songwriting, theory, the physics of sound, circuit theory and AI-assisted creation. |
Fees are the programme's published rates. DLC is seeking grant and donor funding so that fees are not a barrier for the students it exists to serve.
The programme serves minors. Safeguarding is a precondition of the first cohort, not a policy written afterwards.
Experienced producers and engineers who work in the field, teaching the tools they use professionally.
Professional musicians, audio engineers and educators, matched to what a student is trying to build.
All staff are background-checked under the programme's youth-protection policy.
Parental consent and liability cover are in place before a cohort begins, alongside the child-protection policy.
~497,000
students enrolled in Los Angeles Unified, 2025–26 — more than 80% qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
DLC serves the East Valley, Hollywood and Northeast Los Angeles from a professional studio in Burbank. The programme is deliberately small: groups of five, because studio time that is shared eight ways is not studio time.
Enrolment and meal-eligibility figures are from public district reporting as of June 2026.
No local alternative combines production technology, broadcast training, an IP-ownership curriculum and professional mentorship in a working studio.Why the programme is shaped this way
Every week runs the same three-part shape, so students always know where they are: a lecture that introduces the idea, a group activity that makes it social, and an in-studio session that puts hands on the equipment. 50 teaching points across 16 weeks.
Overview of the course; introduction to music production as an artistic and emotional outlet
Icebreakers and team-building activities to build trust
Introduction to Pro Tools and Ableton; familiarization with the studio environment
Name the whole signal path on day one at a high level: "sound → mic → interface → computer → speakers." Set the mental model everything hangs on.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §1 FUNDAMENTALS (orientation) — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: audio-production-workflow — The Production Lifecycle overview — name the five stages on day one so students always know where they are
Introduction to sound waves, pitch, and frequency; basic music theory
Collaborative rhythm exercises
Setting up a session in Pro Tools
What sound physically IS before gear: waves, pitch = frequency, loudness = amplitude, phase. The physics-of-sound strand starts here.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §1 FUNDAMENTALS (frequency / amplitude / phase) — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: recording-signal-chain — Source section: what sound IS before any gear touches it; waves/pitch/frequency vocabulary
Overview of Pro Tools interface and its core functions
DAW scavenger hunt
Recording a vocal track
DAW literacy: track / clip / region / timeline / I/O routing. A student should narrate where a recorded sound "sits" in the session.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §1 FUNDAMENTALS (DAW basics) — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: recording-signal-chain — Signal Chain — Conceptual Overview: track/clip/region terminology sits at the END of a chain students should be able to narrate
Introduction to Ableton and MIDI for beat-making
Create a simple beat together
MIDI setup in Ableton
MIDI is performance data, audio is captured sound — two capture types. Beat-making is still "tracking." Drum-rack, quantize lightly.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §2 MUSIC PRODUCTION (tracking; MIDI vs audio) — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: audio-production-workflow — Tracking: MIDI vs audio as two capture types; why beat-making is still "tracking"
Introduction to scales, chords, and song structure
Collaborative chord-building exercise
Laying down chords in Ableton
Verse/chorus/bridge as the unit the industry licenses; simple diatonic chords + progression. Theory feeds the future catalog, not abstraction.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 260 §6 SONGWRITING/COMPOSING — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: music-industry-frameworks — Song structure as the unit the industry licenses and markets — theory feeds the catalog
Microphone types, placement, and recording techniques
Microphone setup challenge
Recording group vocals
Condenser vs dynamic, polar pattern basics, placement, gain staging (set level before the mix). Week-6 exit ticket: narrate source → mic → preamp → A/D → DAW.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §1–2 (signal flow → source capture) — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: recording-signal-chain — Microphone + Preamplifier sections: condenser vs dynamic, placement, gain staging — the week 6 lecture IS this doc
Introduction to mixing: volume, panning, and equalization (EQ)
Listening exercise – analyze popular songs for mix clarity
Basic mix of a vocal track
Balance first (levels/pan), then EQ as corrective vs creative — carve before you boost. Reference-track listening habit starts here (MTEC 220 reference tracks).
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §3 EQUALIZATION + MTEC 220 MP RESOURCES — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: mixing-and-post-production — Mixing vs. Music Production Mixing: volume/pan/EQ as decisions, not defaults
Introduction to common effects: reverb, delay, and compression
Experiment with effects in pairs
Applying effects to recorded tracks
Two different jobs: space (reverb/delay = time-based) vs dynamics (compression = level control). Teach compression by ear (threshold/ratio → "it evens out").
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §4 DYNAMICS + §5 EFFECTS PROCESSING — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: mixing-and-post-production — Effects as space (reverb/delay) vs dynamics (compression) — two different jobs
Advanced MIDI techniques: layering, quantization, and automation
Collaboratively create a more advanced beat
Creating a complete beat in Ableton
Layering, quantization, automation as editing that survives into the mix; livestream = real-time post — one shot, no undo. Broadcast-mix discipline.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §2 (arrangement) + MTEC 220 POST RESOURCES — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: audio-production-workflow — Editing: quantization and automation as editing decisions that survive into the mix
Introduction to sampling: finding, editing, and using samples
Sample scavenger hunt
Creating a track using samples
A sample touches two copyrights (musical work + sound recording). "Find → clear → credit." Ties to the engine's `sampleclearance` doctype.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 160 §2 COPYRIGHT + §3 PUBLISHING — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: music-rights-and-royalty-flows — The Six Rights + sample clearance: a sample touches TWO copyrights (musical work §102(a)(2) + sound recording §102(a)(7)). The engine's `sampleclearance` doctype is the professional artifact of this week's lesson
Techniques for recording instruments (guitar, piano, etc.)
Collaborative instrumental recording
Record and layer multiple instrument tracks
DI vs mic'd amp; comping multiple takes; layering for a fuller arrangement. Co-players are co-creators — split-sheet habit foreshadowed.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §2 (overdubs/arrangement) + MTEC 220 — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: recording-signal-chain — Full-chain capture for instruments; DI vs mic'd amp; session ops for multi-take layering
More advanced mixing: compression, multiband EQ, and side-chaining
Analyze an advanced mix
Refine a previous mix using advanced techniques
Multiband EQ, side-chain compression, mix-bus discipline — make the vocal sit. Mix-pass templates from MTEC 220.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §3 EQ + §4 DYNAMICS + MTEC 220 MP RESOURCES — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: mixing-and-post-production — Compression, multiband EQ, side-chaining — craft-level treatment
Introduction to mastering: what it is and why it's important
Mastering critique
Mastering a group track
Mastering = the QC gate: limiting, final EQ, loudness to a target (LUFS) — not magic. Metadata/credits/ISRC + PRO registration = getting paid (rights strand).
Coursework grounding: MTEC 211 §6 MIX & MASTERING (LUFS) + MTEC 160 §3–4 — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: audio-post-quality-control — Loudness Verification + Perceptual QC: mastering as the QC gate, not magic — limiting/EQ/final checks
The role of music in emotional expression and mental health
Emotional sound creation
Record individual emotion-based pieces
Artistic identity as developable craft; your name/image/voice are rights you control (right of publicity, AB 2602 / AI-replica consent). The wellbeing mission in doctrine form.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 260 §1 CAREERS + right-of-publicity — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: artist-development-frameworks — Artistic identity and expression as developable craft — the program's wellbeing mission in doctrine form
Introduction to songwriting: structure, lyrics, and theme
Collaborative songwriting
Record the group-written song
Co-writing creates co-ownership; sign a split sheet for real this week (engine `splitsheet`). Publisher-split framework, kept simple.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 260 §6 SONGWRITING + MTEC 160 §3 PUBLISHING — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: music-rights-and-royalty-flows — Co-writing creates co-ownership: the split-sheet habit starts HERE (the engine's `splitsheet` doctype is the artifact)
Review of concepts covered; preparing for the final project
Final critique session
Group recording showcase
Ship like a professional: delivery-verified track, a basic EPK/credits sheet, a "My Catalog" summary. Deliver to spec; the showcase is a real release.
Coursework grounding: MTEC 260 §7 SUBMISSIONS/EPK + §10 GOALS + MTEC 220 POST — the founder’s own attended MiraCosta music-technology study, cited at course level and synthesised in original words.
Doctrine: audio-post-quality-control — Technical Delivery Verification: a showcase track must PASS delivery checks — students ship like professionals