Music Production 2
Professional-level music production software made accessible and fun!
CTE Concentrator Course
Grades: 7-12
Software: Ableton Live (Mac, PC) free for K-12 schools and students!
Cost: $2,000/year, Music Production 1 and 2 Bundle: $3,000/year
Get FREE access to exercises from each unit and connected teacher resources from this innovative, standards-aligned music technology curriculum.
Curriculum Overview
The Music Production 2 curriculum builds on foundational concepts by introducing students to intermediate and advanced music production techniques using Ableton Live. Each unit begins with a focused concept video that introduces core production ideas, followed by short, targeted exercises that allow students to immediately apply what they’ve learned.
Students work directly within the same Ableton Live sessions as their instructors, creating a shared, hands-on learning environment that reinforces professional workflows. As the course progresses, students complete larger, project-based assignments that synthesize skills such as sampling, synthesis, recording, and arrangement, culminating in a final project that showcases their technical and creative growth.
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Ableton Live navigation and workflow.
Project: A/B Project
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Creating with MIDI.
Project: Collaboration Project
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Understanding and manipulating audio.
Project: Mixing Project
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Structuring music with intention.
Project: Midterm Project
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Building music from samples.
Project: Sampling Project
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Designing sounds with synthesizers.
Project: Synthesizer Project
Professional On-Screen Instructors
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Ricky Tinez
Instructor
Enrique Martinez, better known as Ricky Tinez, is a Los Angeles-based electronic music producer, educator, and content creator renowned for his deep house productions and expertise in music technology. With a background as a product specialist at Novation and currently serving as the Content & Community Lead at Elektron Music Machines, Tinez combines technical knowledge with creative artistry. His popular YouTube channel offers in-depth tutorials, gear reviews, and live jam sessions, attracting a substantial following of music enthusiasts . Tinez's work is characterized by a passion for modular synthesis and a commitment to sharing his insights on music production with a global audience.
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L.Dre
Instructor
L.Dre is a Los Angeles-based music producer and content creator known for his lo-fi beats and educational content on music production. He gained prominence through viral remixes on TikTok and has since built a substantial following across platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Beyond streaming success, L.Dre monetizes his craft through brand partnerships, sample pack sales, and sync licensing, making him a leading figure in the independent beat-making community.
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Sanaya Ardeshir
Instructor
Sanaya Ardeshir, known professionally as Sandunes, is a Mumbai-born, Los Angeles-based producer, composer, and sound artist whose work fuses electronic music with classical and jazz influences. A trained pianist and Ableton Certified Trainer, she’s known for blending experimental textures with field recordings and global rhythms. Her performances have graced festivals like Lollapalooza and Womad, and she’s collaborated with artists including Bonobo and Anoushka Shankar. Through her project Ears to the Ground, she explores the intersection of music, ecology, and community.
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Lawrence Grey
Executive Director & Curriculum Director
Lawrence Grey is a lifelong musician, a dedicated educator, and a tireless proponent of music education in schools. Lawrence is the founder of YPG and serves as the head of curriculum development by designing innovative, engaging curricula that reflect the interests and lived experiences of students. With a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition from New York University (NYU), a Masters Degree in Education from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and as an Ableton Certified Trainer, Lawrence’s unique position singularly qualifies him to create curricula and lead a team of forward-thinking educators.
Key Concept: Sampling
In this key concept video from Unit 5: Sampling, L.Dre demonstrates how sampling lets you turn any sound into an instrument. By loading a sound into a sampler, you can play it back at different pitches, opening up endless creative possibilities for transforming everyday sounds into musical tools.
Key Concept:
Synthesizers
In this video from Unit 6: Synthesizers, Sanaya Ardeshir introduces the limitless world of synthesis. She explains how synthesizers can create anything from soft pads to pure mayhem—all starting from simple waveforms.
Unmatched Teacher Resources & Support
Teachers receive a comprehensive, digital Teacher’s Handbook to help set up and maintain a productive atmosphere where students feel safe to explore their creativity, respond to peers’ work, and connect their projects to the world around them.
The handbook includes:
Detailed pacing guide
Grading rubrics for each assignment
Pedagogy guides
In-depth, grade-specific instructional techniques