When you stroll into the keyboard lab of the music creating on the College of North Georgia’s (UNG) Gainesville Campus, you see 13 upright pianos, a little little one grand piano, an instructor’s location, and 4 computer stations from the wall. But the lab is a great deal extra.

Renamed the multimedia new music technological innovation lab, the area is furnished with major-of-the-line pianos as very well as machines for recording and editing audio and video. The new devices and equipment have been aspect of a program to upgrade and change the lab into a good classroom complete with a projector, speakers and pcs for distant teaching.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic transpired, we realized we required to give our pupils the potential to find out and make music safely and securely,” Dr. Joanna Kim, professor and affiliate office head of audio, mentioned. “This new lab can be applied for normal music classes, keyboard schooling, musical compositions, and recording.”

She mentioned the earlier keyboards were being acquired in 2006, making them extremely outdated primarily based on technological advancements. The new keyboards make it possible for learners to use headphones to listen to themselves participate in and history their performances on any product with a USB outlet and wire.

“Learners have extra academic choices and an endless way to produce,” Kim mentioned.

She explained she can superior deal with the classroom with the centralized handle panel. Prior to, Kim walked to each individual student’s keyboard to listen to them enjoy. Now, she can flip a change and listen to them by means of her headphones.

“It allows these college students who experience intimidated to engage in out loud,” Kim claimed. “And I can look at on each individual university student without going for walks all-around. It’s quite efficient.”

The regulate panel presents a meeting mode for learners to rehearse and engage in alongside one another as a duet or an ensemble.

“They also can do team do the job,” Kim reported. “For case in point, one particular scholar can play though an additional completes a peer evaluation. It is an interactive way of discovering and drive.”

Dr. David Peoples, adjunct professor of songs, reported the new lab will encourage composition students to broaden their skills. Previously, composition pupils on the Gainesville Campus made use of the recording know-how in the film lab of the Department of Communication, Media and Journalism.

“Now, they can create a qualified-amount composition using the new devices in the tunes lab,” Peoples claimed.

The new lab will enable advance the audio composition pathway in the Bachelor of Tunes diploma, assist UNG recruit new students and gain all those researching to be music teachers.

“And we can equip our songs schooling learners with the technology they will will need to educate in space elementary and secondary colleges,” Peoples explained.