Students and Faculty Participate in GEL Trip to NYC to Experience AES Convention

The Music Production and Recording Technology (MPRT) program sponsored a Global Experiential Learning (GEL) trip to New York City in October. The group participated in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention. Students from several Shenandoah Conservatory programs were among the 25 students who participated. Director and Professor of Music Production & Recording Technology Golder O’Neill ’92, M.M.E., led the group, assisted by Director of Collaborative Audio Arts and Associate Professor of Music Production & Recording Technology Graham Spice, M.S.

The convention consisted of three days of audio workshops, presentations and exhibits, and the group spent an evening in the city visiting Studio G in Brooklyn. At the convention, students were able to see the latest trends in audio software and equipment and they connected and networked with industry professionals. Participants caught up with several alumni who were also at the convention, including Dan Ballas ’13 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology; B&H Photo, Video, Pro-Audio), Danielle Hurvich ’23 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology, apprenticing at Nightbird Recording Studios), Mike Brown ’09 (Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music, Meyer Sound) and Brian Smith ’09 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology, Meyer Sound).

Daniel-Jericho Johnson ’25 (Bachelor of Arts in Collaborative Audio Arts) presented at the convention. Johnson’s presentation, “How Audio Engineering Can Assist in Neurodivergent Hearing Loss Prevention,” was well received. All Shenandoah Conservatory students and faculty on the trip attended Johnson’s presentation, along with the president of the AES, Leslie Gaston-Bird.

“The convention was exciting and informative,” said O’Neill. “We have taken many MPRT students to the convention over the years, and having students from other conservatory programs participate was a first. All of the students left the convention with a new view of how the audio industry affects the music industry. The audio industry provides the technology to capture and support the music that we listen to and it’s great to see a student connect the dots between technology and art.”