In September, WHS introduced a new state of the art music lab that has since opened new opportunities for students.

The new music lab at WHS in the chorus room has already been central to the curriculum for many classes in the fine arts department, including Music Theory, Film Scoring, and Music Production Studio 1 & 2.

The lab has lots of new equipment, including new computer keyboards, Korg Krome Keyboards, recording microphones, an electronic drum kit and software for post-production, mixing and selecting sound. Additionally, there are new tools for the teachers to listen in on students’ projects and give feedback efficiently.

“We have a system here where I can hear, through headphones, all of my students at once or individually,” band director Joseph Oneschuk said. “It really allows them to keep working while getting feedback in real time. Plus, we can share our projects with each other instantaneously.”

The lab is tailored to many different genres of music. The new keyboards allow students to pick the exact instrument or sound they would like to play. The new recording mics also allow students to record and mix any sound they want using the new software.

The lab was funded by a $45,000 grant from the Wayland Public Schools Foundation, setting a record for the largest grant in the organization’s 32 year history.

“We were literally jumping up and down the hall. We felt like we had won the lottery,” fine arts department head Susan Memoli said.

The lab comes at such a high price because of its technological advances and predicted longevity. According to Oneschuk, some of the equipment is a newer upgrade than what’s offered at Berklee College of Music.

“It’s like what a pro would be using if a pro did a recording,” Memoli said. “This is probably the most cutting edge lab in the country.”

The need for the new music lab goes back to the old high school, when the fine arts department had compatibility issues with the software and hardware.

“Initially our goal was really just to get new keyboards so that it could serve that [compatibility] purpose,”  Memoli said.

These problems then opened up a discussion between the department and a consultant from Berklee College of Music, Chee-Ping Ho, about what tools students need.

“It really became more of a dialogue about what kids need to know and be able to do, so they can actually be successful in these areas when they go to college,” Memoli said. “We kind of worked backward from [those questions], and with his guidance, we got the infrastructure and all the tools we needed.”

The new music lab encompasses many aspects of music production, including composition, recording, sampling, production and post-production. Students are currently writing a jingle for a local business using the new lab.

There are some problems presented by the lab. The large video and sound files have introduced issues with digital storage and network capacity.

“It’s growing pains,” Memoli said. “So they’re things that we couldn’t have anticipated because that’s not our area of expertise.”

“I think the great thing about this lab is, you could be a fan of any type of music, you could start with zero knowledge, you could have a ton of knowledge, and there is somewhere for everyone to jump in on that spectrum,” Memoli said. “It’s just great.”