Geoff Shell Music

Overview

As artist-in-residence, my primary focus is on getting students motivated and excited about the many creative and diverse things they can do with music. I aim to reach students both enrolled in the school’s music programs as well as those who are not. I hope to inspire students from all ends of the spectrum by sharing my experience as a professional composer, sound designer, producer and multi-instrumentalist in addition to covering broader topics such as music technology, recording, and contemporary music practices not offered in traditional school music programs. 

I work as both a clinician and teacher, can sit in on classes such as Concert Band, Jazz Band and Music Theory, can make myself available for one-on-one interaction with students as follow-ups to topics I cover and can participate in various after-school activities and concerts.

These are some examples of topics I can cover as a clinician:

• Creating a pop/rock song as a multi-instrumentalist using Garageband or Logic software

• Working as a sound designer and creating sound effects

• Working as a composer and using Finale notation software

• Live performance techniques, playing in a band, and promoting your music online

• Home recording on a budget and music technology suggestions using student ensembles as performing examples to record

• Working as a film composer using real film projects as examples

Several clinics can be given more than once to reach as many students as possible. I am comfortable with large groups in an auditorium setting or small groups in a classroom environment. I also have variations on each core topics when repeating clinic sessions. For example, showing how to create a pop/rock song in Garageband software working only with loops the first time, then as a multi-instrumentalist the next, then combining both and/or creating a different song in a different style all together. Everything is highly interactive and can be adjusted to cater to each group's varied interests and abilities.

This is a summary of my skills that I can put to specific use: 

• Composing – classical, jazz & contemporary styles (produced or notated)

• Conducting – concert band, orchestra, or jazz band

• Performing – bass, guitar & piano

• Teaching – as a clinician or privately, anything from theory to performance

• Recording – as an engineer & producer

• Sound Designing – recording live sounds with manipulation, layering, etc.