Video. A new department for 2005-2006, the Video team draws students from the video major at Howell High School. They will produce a DVD media guide and create a DVD scrapbook in the spring, highlighting all of Next2 Records' activities for the year.

Although our primary goal is teaching music, our students can reap significant benefits when we relate music to other aspects of life, including the business community. After all, composers, performers, and recording artists are not the only people who work in the music industry. Exposing students to the music business allows them to gain a greater understanding of business in general, provides insights about the variety of careers in music, and, if properly presented, increases their awareness of intellectual-property rights. Combine that with the opportunity for students to produce their own music, and you have an exciting way to teach a variety of musical skills while stimulating student and community interest in your program.

Howell High School, in Farmingdale, New Jersey, provides an excellent example of this approach. Director of choral activities Joe Cantaffa, in addition to directing two choral groups and managing the New Jersey All-State Women's Chorus, has taken Howell's music program in new and exciting directions by founding and sponsoring a student-run record label for which students assume the responsibilities for producing and marketing audio CDs. The program has grown significantly since its inception in 2003.

Students from music, drama, fine and graphic arts, and other departments are involved in the project. The students design graphics for the CD jewel case, prepare cost-analysis statements, record original songs, and evaluate how well the CDs are produced and marketed. CDs are available for sale to the student body.

Cantaffa got the idea for a student-run record label during the 2000-2001 school year while working at the Eisenhower Middle School in Freehold Township, New Jersey. He was teaching a general music class to a mixed group of students, only some of whom had a music background. To cover the students' diversely ranging abilities, he formed a music-production team out of a class of 30 students. The project soon became a popular after-school activity.

The enterprising educator then formed 5* Star Records, a student-run record label at Eisenhower Middle School. Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 created a product that both looked and sounded very professional. The record label became one of the school's most popular activities, and the program was featured on New Jersey public television (see Web Example 1).

In 2003-04, Cantaffa took a new position at his alma mater, Howell High School. Howell is a general-population high school that houses a performing-arts magnet school. One major that it offers is entertainment technology, which includes a video as well as an audio track. At Howell, Cantaffa formed another student-run record label, Next2 Records, this time using students in grades 9 through 12.

The goal of Next2 Records is to introduce students and their parents and guidance counselors to career opportunities in music-related fields and to increase awareness of intellectual property. In addition to its musical rewards, the process of running a record label is a stimulating activity that appeals to a wide range of students and to the entire community. Cantaffa says that his biggest return is when he can provide an opportunity for his students that “I would have thought was cool when I was a student.”

Next2 Records' major project is a yearly student-produced audio CD using talent from Howell High. In addition, the record label assists with the recording, marketing, and distribution of recordings by the school performing ensembles. Next2 Records typically takes on three to five major CD projects per school year. Projects include recording live performances by the Rebel Jazz Ensemble and producing and marketing their audio CD. The record company also records Howell High School's annual rock 'n' roll event, and produces and markets the recording.

FIG. 1: Joe Cantaffa teaches students how to use gear from Howell High School’s new recording studio.

Next2 Records resembles a professional record company in that it does a lot more than record music. About half of the 40-to-60-student company team consists of students who are taking music classes, and the other half consists of students who aren't. A music-tech lab of eight workstations was installed in 2004, and in 2005 the school has added a dedicated recording studio (see Fig. 1).

Funding for Next2 Records comes from various sources. The school activities budget offers funds commensurate with other after-school activities. In the past, local minigrants at the school/district level have provided financial support. Funds have also been secured from local organizations. Today, most of the funds for Next2 Records are generated by musical activities, just the way a professional record label operates. The label's major source of funding is the sale of CDs.

Next2 Records is an extracurricular activity, so the “class” meets outside of the regular school day. The record company is composed of 11 departments: Accounting and Finance, Art and Graphics, Artist and Repertoire (A&R), Human Resources and Management, Legal and Copyright, Production, Promotion, Publishing, Songwriters, Talent, and Video (see the sidebar “Inside Next2 Records”). Each department is staffed by from three to six student members, some of whom serve in multiple departments and/or on committees and subcommittees.

At the start of the school year, Cantaffa holds an organizational meeting in which he provides the students with an overview of the various departments and of the record label's goals. Students are invited to sign up to join one or more departments.

The first step is to form the human-resources/management team. Once that department is formed, its members interview all applicants and form the rest of the departments. Students take part in the interviewing and selection of students, with Cantaffa's assistance.

After forming departments, Cantaffa holds a company meeting. “In September, we determine the original CD project and other projects we will we take on, such as recording the jazz band, the school musical, recitals, and concerts; how many original projects will we have; and in what marketing direction will we go,” he explains. “After the goals are determined, we come up with a production schedule and marketing game plan, and then we go to work. Everything typically gets moving by the middle of October.”

Early in the process, the Accounting and Finance department determines the budget, and the A&R department begins the tedious process of locating the talent who will eventually record their songs for the CD. Students work cooperatively throughout the year. Artists must record a demo, and the A&R department must approve their work. Most of the time, the students run their own meetings; their teacher usually gets involved to solve a problem or lend some advice. In Next2 Records' beginning stages, of course, Cantaffa needed to do a lot of modeling and direct instruction.

Students create their demo tracks and run them by the A&R team for several months. Eventually, a list of approved acts is submitted to the Legal and Copyright department, which handles the contracts. The Talent department is then created from the selected student composers and songwriters.

FIG. 2: A team of student artists create their music at workstations based on Korg Triton keyboard synthesizers.

Next, the Promotion and Graphics departments get into high gear, producing promotional materials to distribute throughout the school and the community. At the same time, the recently added Video department documents the record label's activities. Students use graphics-design software to create the professional-looking CD print materials. The Finance and Accounting department is also active, monitoring the flow of funds.

In the spring, the talent signs up for recording time with the Production department. Most artists use the lab, which consists of eight Korg Triton keyboards, to record their initial demo tracks (see Fig. 2). The school has some digital audio gear and microphones connected to computers for recording audio, including vocals. The rig has one Digidesign Digi002 mixer/interface/control surface and several Digidesign Mboxes running Pro Tools LE digital audio sequencing software (see Fig. 3).

Cantaffa emphasizes that schools can copy Next2 Records' concept without owning a fortune in digital audio gear. “Back in 2000, all we had was one MIDI keyboard with a sequencer,” he notes. “We recorded the backing tracks, and then rented time in a local recording studio. Now, thanks to the ever-decreasing cost of quality microphones and recording equipment, we do most of the process in school.”

FIG. 3: Two members of the Production department take instruction on the Digidesign Digi002 digital mixer/interface/control surface.

After the initial recordings are made at school, the students record the final vocals and mix and master the project at a local recording studio. Cantaffa feels that is an excellent culminating experience for each Next2 Records project, because his students see for themselves how a professional studio works.

The entire student body supports the project, and when the CD is completed, a gala concert is held in the high school auditorium. The CD's official release follows the concert, and the discs are sold to students, teachers, parents, and members of the community. Last year's offering, Just Passing By, sold 175 copies (see Web Example 2).

In 2002, Eisenhower Middle School's 5* Star Records produced a CD and sold it to students in the cafeteria for $10 apiece. On the second day of the sale, a group of five students were outside the cafeteria selling the same CD for $3. It turned out that the five chipped in $2 each and bought one CD. Then they copied everything, including the CD jewel-case graphics, and sold the black-market copies for a discounted price.

The students who recorded the original CD were angry and helped to shut down the bootleggers. That led to an insightful lesson on ethics, copyright, and intellectual property. The students learned first-hand how it feels to have their music illegally copied. As a result, they became proponents of paying for music that is owned and recorded by others.

Because of their participation in one or more of the Next2 Record departments, students have more respect for the recording and production process and have learned how copyright applies to intellectual property. Student musicians build their songwriting skills and increase their performance confidence. The teachers, school, and community notice and appreciate what the students are producing. Everyone wins.

The students sell their CDs throughout the community, and the projects are a huge source of pride for the school. “I never thought I could write a whole song by myself and have it sound the way I wanted. But the label has shown me how many people go into the making of a song. I don't have to do it all myself,” states Howell High School senior John Schanck.

How does a music teacher with a full teaching load of performing groups and classes develop a fully functional, student-run record label? Cantaffa had a head start because he practically grew up in the music industry. He was a music-management major at William Patterson University before finishing his music degree at Rutgers University. He then completed internships at Atlantic and PolyGram Records and has run management companies for musicians.

Nevertheless, Cantaffa maintains that a music teacher can run a school record label without significant experience in the recording world. “All that is needed,” he says, “is a way to record student compositions and the organizational skills to create the various departments. Music teachers are extremely resourceful and are used to finding ways to get things done.”

In addition to fostering his unique concept at Howell High School, Cantaffa continues to spread the word to other educators through clinics and workshops. Other teachers have followed his advice and have implemented similar programs in their schools.

For example, Keith Quelet, a music teacher at East Hills Middle School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, met Cantaffa at a music-technology course during the summer of 2004. Quelet took the idea and developed his own record label at his school. Others are following suit as they discover that creating a school record label has a positive impact on students, the school, and the community.

Music educators who are interested in integrating technology into their curriculum and providing cross-curricular experiences should consider forming a student-run school record label. Starting a label requires relatively few resources, and the benefits are legion. Students learn many skills by participating in the various departments and create unique recordings that showcase their talents. The potential impact is best summed up by Bill Hennessey, a Howell High senior: “I would have never gotten involved with the music department if it wasn't for Next2 Records. Now I'm a sound tech, and I'm taking chorus this year.”

If you want to pursue school projects that involve music technology, Cantaffa recommends getting involved with TI:ME, the Technology Institute for Music Educators (www.ti-me.org). Joining a network of other educators involved with technology can provide an excellent support group. In addition, you should investigate courses on digital audio and recording. Another resource is the Grammy in the Schools program (www.grammyintheschools.com), which offers workshops and activities that can support a school record label. Cantaffa is ready to help, too; feel free to contact him at jcantaffahhs@hotmail.com for more information on Next2 Records.

Tom Rudolph (terudolph@aol.com) is the director of music and a middle-school classroom, and an instrumental-music instructor for the School District of Haverford Township in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of the Arts and president of the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME).

Next2 Records consists of 11 departments, each of which is staffed by from three to six student members. Some students serve in multiple departments and on committees and/or subcommittees. Here's a department-by-department breakdown. For more information on professional record-label organization, check out the book Star Tracks, by Larry E. Wacholtz (Thumbs-Up Publishing, 1997).

Accounting and Finance. The finance team builds the production budget, advises other departments, and is responsible for money management throughout the year.

Art and Graphics. The graphic artists design CD labels, jewel cases, and related graphics and produce promotional materials, business cards, press kits, and the like (see Fig. A). These talented student artists are frequently from outside of the music department. Students in this department acquire skills with graphics and publishing programs such as Adobe Photoshop and QuarkXpress.

FIG. A: Student artists created the jewel- case art for Next2 Records’ 2004–2005 compilation CD, Just Passing By.

Artist and Repertoire. The A&R department scouts and develops the talent that will eventually be recorded on the CDs. Talent is drawn from local school bands, Howell High School musicians, and local songwriters.

Human Resources and Management. The HR team interviews and hires students to fill all of the other positions and manages them throughout the school year. Members must have excellent communication and leadership skills, much like a captain on a sports team. Meeting frequently with teacher Joe Cantaffa, the team members also function as peer mediators to solve as many problems as possible related to the record label before appealing to Cantaffa.

Legal and Copyright. The legal team handles everything having to do with contracts and copyright. They request clearance for copyrighted songs, apply for recording rights from the Harry Fox Agency, and sign student artists to contracts. The department has the critical responsibility of reviewing all student-composed lyrics so that, in Cantaffa's words, “I won't be fired.” The students are not paid for their efforts; all revenue goes to Next2 Records.

Production. The students in this department record and produce the music, including going on location for live recordings of music groups and certain choral and instrumental concerts.

Promotion. The marketing-minded students increase and exploit the name recognition of the label and its projects through concerts, CD releases, airplay, and the like.

Publishing. This department does not pursue royalties, but rather promotes the songwriters. They work on behalf of the songwriters to get their songs accepted for recording, and they have a say in what is recorded on the final project. Students who want to perform on the CD are ineligible to work in the Publishing department.

Songwriters. These young musicians come up with song ideas and match songs with singers and artists. They collaborate with songwriters who are not in the department. Members of this department are typically the strongest musicians in the music program, and they often have excellent lyric-writing skills.

Talent. The singers, guitarists, drummers, and other performers form a distinctive group and cannot be members of the A&R and Publishing departments. Submitted recordings are not necessarily included on the final CD.