Mix Major - Music Technology School For Kids & Teens

All students may begin with a Free Trial Class at Mix Major.  In this 55 minute class, students create an original song.  Parents are encouraged to stay for the duration of the Free Trial Class so can observe and ask questions. 

At the end of this class, students record screen capture video of their song played back in the Digital Audio Workstation software (Ableton Live 10). 

The screen capture video immediately goes up on the public Mix Major Student Music Youtube page, which the student and parents are welcome to view and share.

Students also create an MP3 of their song, which is emailed ot them after the class.

If the student and parent are excited to continue, then they register for the year-round Music Production Learning Path program, which meets weekly for about an hour each week.  In this program, students learn and create at their own pace through their personalized Learning Path, which is developed by Mix Major based on the student's goals and interests. 

I've toured all over the world and worked with some of the music industry’s biggest names...Madonna, Shakira, and Linkin Park (to name a few).  I've created concert music for the Cirque Du Soleil "Michael Jackson One" Las Vegas show and licensed an official remix of the iconic Peanuts theme for the 20th Century FOX 2015 Peanuts Movie.  As a producer, I've released music on major record labels including Sony, Universal, and Interscope.

I began my music career as a mobile DJ while attending Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (’93) and continued through my years at the University of VA (B.S. in Commerce/Marketing ’97) and beyond, becoming a staple in the Washington DC nightlife scene as a club DJ.  Shortly after winning the nation’s most prestigious DJ competition (the DMC USA 2003), I left my career as a network engineer at MCI/Worldcom to pursue music full-time.  Since then I've performed for over 3 million people, in 35 countries, on 4 continents. 

In 2015, I founded Mix Major to teach kids how to create their own music, regardless of their musical training or ability to play an instrument. With Mix Major, I'm modernizing music education while positively affecting the trajectory of kids’ lives. 

Mix Major started as after-school enrichment programs and summer camps.  In 2018, I opened my own school of the same name located in Herndon, VA.

The Music Production Learning Path Program is a monthly subscription program that meets once per week for 55 minutes.  The monthly tuition is only $109.99/month. 

Students may register for additional class time for a discounted rate of $89.99/month per additional class.

I've been a professional DJ since 1991, a musician since 1982.  I began composing my own music in 1992 using hardware sequencers.  Since then I've performed for over 3 million people in 35 countries including a world-tour with Madonna in 2008.  

While touring heavily (solo) between 2009 and 2017, I was contracted by pro-audio companies (i.e. companies that make DJ and music production equipment) to represent their brand.  For example, I was a brand ambassador for Casio and Rane for which I presented at conferences like SXSW and NAMM.  This was my introduction to teaching.

During my time touring, I was contracted by Bates College to perform at their quad party.  In addition, they wanted me to teach a workshop.  In this 2-hour workshop, I led a group of about 25 college students in creating a full-length song.  The students helped write, arrange, and produce their song, which I played later that night for everyone to hear at the quad party.  It was a big hit with the students, and I loved the experience of teaching those students.

I had a similar experience after that, but this time with my 5-year old daughter and her 8-year old friend.  I would always invite them to make a song with me in my home studio, and eventually, they knocked on my door, and we made a song.  In the process, I was teaching them about the art and science of music production.  They were learning so much but didn't even realize it because they were having so much fun creating.  This was the moment I fell in love with teaching kids.

A few months after that, I started teaching after-school programs in local elementary & middle schools.  I then went on to running summer camps and performing interactive music technology school assemblies for up to 400 kids at a time.  I opened my own school, Mix Major, in Herndon, VA in 2018. 

In addition, I create free educational content on Youtube designed to help traditional music teachers learn music technology so that they can pass the knowledge on to the hundreds of students they teach every week.

At Mix Major,  I work with kids and teens grades 3 through 12. 

Your teacher needs to be in tune with you.  Your teacher needs to understand your goals as a music producer.  Then, your teacher needs to design a learning path for you, based on your goals and musical interests.   

Your teacher is there to help you make the music that you want to make.

It goes without saying that your teacher needs to be an expert.  But just as importantly, your teacher needs to make you feel comfortable while keeping you engaged in the learning process.  In other words, your teacher needs to make it fun to learn.

1) What are some of my favorite songs (artist and song titles)?

2) If I could create my own songs, what would they sound like?  (list 3 songs: artist and song titles)