Need to prepare a class, please help!

[Oroz]

I have to prepare a class for a job interview at a Recording School and any tips would be greatly apreciated!!!! Anything, topics, tips, I really need to nail this job oportunity so please help me out.

The main topic are Microphones, types, applications, polar patterns, etc.

The class needs to take an hour and a half long jejeje and I have no experience teaching what so ever jejeje.

Thanks in advance

[homershines]

Since I've done a number of these kinds of things and had already taught at a number of locations, I feel for you, but not so much as to really care too much. If you can teach, you can teach. If you can't, take a course yourself or try something at a lower level to get your feet wet as a teacher. The difference between having information and knowing how to engage participants/students with the pursuit of that info is another thing.

Unfortunately, what I have found in teaching is that relationships have far more to do with who gets what, than with what skills one may have.

So, good luck and I hope you have some friends in high places.

Peace.

[Empire 21 Music]

Originally Posted by homershines

Since I've done a number of these kinds of things and had already taught at a number of locations, I feel for you, but not so much as to really care too much. If you can teach, you can teach. If you can't, take a course yourself or try something at a lower level to get your feet wet as a teacher. The difference between having information and knowing how to engage participants/students with the pursuit of that info is another thing.

Unfortunately, what I have found in teaching is that relationships have far more to do with who gets what, than with what skills one may have.

So, good luck and I hope you have some friends in high places.

Peace.

Yet you care enough to comment like that? He was looking for ideas, and not your blatant lack of respect. Apparently - YOU didn't accel as a teacher either.

[kenm]

When I give presentations, I always try to engage the audience. So I ask them questions. Give out some information, ask them a question about it to review, and constantly open the floor for questions. Just try not to get side tracked. Make an outline. Revise it as needed.

Ken

[Jules]

There is always the Fletcher teaching method.

"who is the best engineer here?"

(one student puts hand up)

"OK, go get me a cup of coffee and a doughnut"!



But seriously - good luck.

[Recording David]

Oroz - I teach music and music tech/recording as well as my engineering work.

Give us some more detail and maybe I can help you out. What do you specifically want to bone up on? I assume you actually know your stuff but are looking at interesting ways of delivering it?

thumbsup

fuuck @

I feel for you, but not so much as to really care too much.

[Oroz]

Originally Posted by Recording David

Give us some more detail and maybe I can help you out. What do you specifically want to bone up on? I assume you actually know your stuff but are looking at interesting ways of delivering it?

thumbsup

fuuck @

Thanks for all the replies! You're right on David, I know my stuff but I don`t have experience on how to deliver it, I mean, what worries me the most is the time factor, how to get everything organized for the class to take an hour and a half long. Some friends had started to help me out with things like: make an introduction, include your presentation, and make that last 15 mminutes, stuff like that.

I think that with the right guideness I can pull it off jejeje, Thanks for everything!

[kenm]

Start with the basics and get more specific. Find a logical progression for everything you want to teach so that it makes sense overall. If you can fit in an amusing story about recording that would be good too.

Ken

[max cooper]

I think that if I were in attendance, nothing would make as much of an impression as an example.

Here's this and here's that. Here's what this sounds like, here's what that sounds like.

Rinse, repeat...

[Curtis Franklin]

if you have left over time (even though your shouldnt) you should field questions.
if the class doesnt ask questions then you should ask them questions to get them thinking...

what is your favorite album? who produced that? what do you like about that? how do YOU think they did that? here are some tricks to get the sound that you like.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by kenm

Start with the basics and get more specific. Find a logical progression for everything you want to teach so that it makes sense overall. If you can fit in an amusing story about recording that would be good too.

that's it in a nutshell!

if I might add:

An hour and a half is a long class for today's students. You need either give a short break in the middle, or better, divide the time up into some kind of clearly defined "sections" that are different not so much in content, as in media.

90 mins of lecture = Split up the lecture parts with a demo of the mics, or some sound clips, or a video.

Pass the mics around the room. Let people hold them. Well the cheap mics anyway. Make everyone plug and unplug an XLR cable.

[modulation]

hmmm i have had to teach a few of these microphone classes, and although the outline was already layed out for me, it was pretty simple, started with how mics operate , a better understanding of this may require that the students already know the basic physics of sound and some electronics theory and principles. but anyway moving on to types of mics, then patterns, application etc etc. it is alot to cram into an hour and a half but i think it can be done.

[Recording David]

The best approach for interesting and dynamic lessons is to ensure you have a good balance between what you yourself teach, what you get the students to do and making use of students's evaluation. Here is what I would do, for example, for a basic class on mic application and technique:

1. Give facts about polar patterns, etc. From this you can get students to work out which polar pattern is best for specific acoustic space.

2. Next, get the students to perform a task applying the knowledge you have just given them. For example, you've talked about polar patterns, so have a guitar amp ready and a selection of mics. Get a students to select the correct mic and place it in front of the amp. Vary this for if you want to get more room sound etc. etc.

3. Get other students to evaluate how this guy performed with the task.

4. Have CD examples demonstrating different mic applications.

5. Move to your next topic.

This way you are balancing the work load and dynamic of the lesson and ensuring that the class is varied and interesting. 90 minutes is a long time, so you will need to plan activities to keep up interest - the last thing you want to do is talk at them for ages. They will be bored to tears.

Good luck with it.

[M. Hartlieb]

Originally Posted by joeq

An hour and a half is a long class for today's students.

It might be a long time for the students... but not for you! I gave lessons at university last year and I can tell you one thing: time will go by really fast when you are teaching. So keep cool and focus on your material - the important thing is not the lesson itself, but the preparation.

Good luck!

Michael

P.S: Funny first post... hope you don´t mind
P.P.S: Hello to everyone!

[joeq]

here's a specific idea you could try:

set up a mic with multiple patterns - a 414 is good - and speak into it and spin it around so they can hear the different patterns and nulls. Better yet for some reason, is to have a student read from a book while you do the spinning. Maybe its an 'identification' thing, but they seem to pay better attention when a fellow student is part of the demonstration.

[Oroz]

Sincerely, thanks a lot for all the replies! You all are giving me good vibes and cofidence in myself, it's great to be part of this forum!