For PHS DevTech sophomores, this year is all about building websites and games. A major part of that work involves exploring how music and sound design can shape the feel of a project. To help students dig into that question, PEF helped fund a field trip to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
Students toured the full museum, experiencing both historical and interactive exhibits. The interactive exhibits created a great opener to get the DevTech thinking about the importance of sound in their work. Some of the interactive exhibits included physical instruments for students to play, sound booths to simulate a real recording experience, and experiment with sound mixing equipment that’s similar to what they would find in a professional environment. The highlight of the day came after the tour, with the workshop Screen Scoring led by a sound engineer whose credits include The Wild Robot and the upcoming film GOAT. In the workshop, students got a behind-the-scenes look at the sound design process, studying how layering tracks from woodwinds and brass can build texture and depth. They were shown a single scene paired with five different music tracks, each one pulling the emotional tone of the scene in a completely different direction. For students building their own games and websites, seeing sound design in action deepened the way they listen to and think about their own creative choices.
New creative skills in their toolkit, DevTech sophomores are bringing a sharper eye, and ear, to their sound and music choices for future projects.
