Reimagining Music Education: How Techworks at LACHSA is Setting a New Standard
If you think school music performances are all choir robes and concert bands playing outdated repertoire, think again. From original music written in digital audio workstations to live performances with professional sound, lighting, and a full-on dance floor, Techworks is more than just a school show. It's one of the coolest shows happening in LA that night — it just happens to be at a school.
Techworks 2025
Stepping into the black box theater at LACHSA, you’re immediately swept up in the energy. The lights dim and the space morphs into a full-blown rave as students flood the dance floor. The music covers countless genres and styles with students showcasing original songs that began as DAW projects earlier in the semester. Students are given the autonomy and creative freedom to make the music that speaks to them, and their peers, families and teachers spend the entire show dancing and moshing in front of the stage to show support. With professional sound, lights, and original visuals crafted by the students, it’s unlike any school performance you’ve ever seen.
YPG’s Digital Content Manager and Instructor Ian Ellison writes: “Techworks is special because it highlights how open-ended music production can be. Every student started with a blank session back in January, and by April, we ended up with a beautiful mix of different styles. Magic happens when we center the experience on students and give them the chance to create and perform the music they want to make!”
Young Producers Group & the LACHSA Commercial Music Program
Techworks was born out of the collaboration between Young Producers Group and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) through the creation of its Commercial Music Program. As co-founders, YPG set out with a simple but powerful goal: bring real-world music technology tools and techniques into the classroom, and let students lead the way. In this program, students are equipped with the professional tools and curricula that mirror the workflows of today’s music industry and given creative freedom to make original music.
A student-driven, tech-forward music program is possible anywhere, and at any school. With the right curriculum and a willingness to move beyond tradition, any school can implement a program like this. You don’t need a black box theater, professional sound and lighting to showcase student creativity, but a dancefloor is a must!
Project-Based Learning at Its Best
Techworks is the embodiment of project-based learning. Students don’t just learn the theory, they apply it. They write, produce, mix, and perform original music, work in teams & bands, and learn how to give and receive feedback.
Most music education programs are stuck in a model that hasn’t changed in decades. While there’s value in tradition, the world our students are entering is digital, collaborative and constantly evolving. If music education doesn’t evolve with it, teachers and administrators are doing students a disservice. We need to meet students where they are: on laptops, in headphones, on social media, and in their own creative communities. That’s what Techworks is all about.
The Future is Student-Led
Techworks proves what’s possible when students are given the tools, trust, and space to create. Whether you're an administrator or a teacher, implementing a program like this in your district simply takes the right tools and the courage to let students lead.
