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Inside a downtown Syracuse recording studio, Central New York students with disabilities collaborate in harmony, as they learn to create their own musical masterpiece. The budding music artists are taking part in “SUmmer at SUbCat,” a new and unique course developed by the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and the Setnor School of Music.
“This is exactly the type of inclusive arts and educational program that importantly engages BBI, the School of Music, and the university with the Syracuse community,” says Peter Blanck, University Professor and BBI chairman. “We hope this one-of-a-kind program will inspire high school students with and without disabilities to pursue careers in music engineering and sound production.”
During the two-week course, which began Aug. 1, SU graduate students are teaching Syracuse high school students with disabilities about the art of music production and recording engineering in the new SubCat Studios, an accessible, appropriately adapted, state-of-the-art facility.
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The participants are recording a song for an album that is set for release at the end of the program, and they will perform the song during a gala concert at the Red House Arts Center Aug. 12. The concert, featuring Syracuse-based Latin-American band Grupo Pagan, will close out the program.
“This course is completely unique, and the amalgam of music, recording technology, and disability studies is cutting edge,” says BBI Fellow James Abbott, music technology administrator and instructor in the Setnor School who co-teaches the course.
In anticipation of the two-week experience, the SU students made modifications to the studio, such as the adaptation of audio workstation software for voice activation and modifying studio hardware for accessibility.
“SUmmer at SUbCat” is part of the Music Technology Access Project, a collaborative effort to bring music education technology and instruction to students with disabilities.
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