Electronic Music is one of several classroom music classes taught at Lewis S. Mills. Through the use of the "Reason" software package, students will learn the basics of sound synthesis, sequencing, sampling, looping and MIDI. and will apply that knowledge to the creation of original electronic music compositions.

This course is designed in several units, each which explores a particular way in which electronic technology has affected the process of music creation. The first unit, "Beats and Bass," looks at simple pattern-based sequencing, similar to what was used in original Moog synthesizers, and applies the techniques to the creation of drum beats and bass patterns. The second unit, "Sound and Synthesis," examines the fundamentals of sound, and how sound can be created and manipulated in the electronic environment to either mimic existing sounds, or to create wholly original ones. The third unit, " Sampling and looping," deals with the current cutting edge of electronic music technology as the students learn how to manipulate digital recordings to create their own samples, and assemble those samples and loops into original work.

Throughout the course, a great deal of emphasis is placed on practical application of the skills learned. Students will be continuously involved in creating original compositions, and will be responsible for the completion of several projects over the course of the 18 weeks. Most of the work will completed in the school's music lab, which is also available to students during study halls and other free time. Links to students recordings will be posted at the top of this page as they become available