How do we prepare kids from a young age for their roles in designing the future? How do we promote media literacy, entrepreneurship, and leveraging new technology to tell our stories, make our voices heard, and make the world a better place? Audio! Tools for recording and distributing professional quality audio are more affordable and accessible than ever, which means kids don’t have to wait until they are adults to get hands-on experience. With the right tools and curriculum, schools and other learning centers have the opportunity to foster students’ creative musical thoughts, stories, and inventions in an audio maker space. Welcome to Just Add Beats, creative audio production camps and school programs for kids.

1. Just Add Beats:
STEAM Learning Through
Audio Recording
Andrew Karnavas
@andrewkarnavas
@andyrooniverse

2. Sound sets the scene in our minds.
https://www.nasa.gov/mp3/582367main_Mercury-6_Zero-G.
mp3

3. @andrewkarnavas @andyrooniverse @yawprecords
www.justaddbeats.com
www.andyrooniverse.com/school
www.yawprecords.com

4. Today
● World of Sound
● Examples of Audio in the Classroom
● Hardware and Software Tools - Demo and Discussion

5. You are the most musical instrument.
“Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven

6. We live in a world of sound.
Music
There will always be a need for musicians to have their music professionally recorded to ensure the
highest quality sound.
Brand Sound
Few brands know what they sound like. As brands big and small expand across multiple platforms to
interact with their audience, having a sonic identity becomes more important.
Product Sound
New devices need sound effects that set them apart from the competition to introduce the world to
something new and enrich the user experience.

7. WHY STEAM? WHY SOUND?
STEAM is about applying critical thinking and design skills to STEM projects so that students can imagine a
variety of ways to use these skills into adulthood. The study of sound applied in STEAM projects can open
the door to many diverse career fields, including:
Arts & Entertainment
● Music Composition, Studio and Live Recording, Sound Design for movies, video games, plays, and
live dance performances.
Health Care
● Acoustics experts have created a new class of sound wave that could revolutionize stem cell therapy.
Architecture and Engineering
● Sound quality optimization of public spaces is the next frontier in architecture.

8. We make sound and we hear sound.
We can capture and manipulate sound.

9. Arts Integration
“The goal of arts integration is to increase knowledge of a general subject area while concurrently fostering a greater understanding and
appreciation of the fine and performing arts.” - Kennedy Center

10. Just Add Beats: Audio Design Challenge
Sample Challenge: NASA Theme Song Challenge
There’s a new documentary called Across the Universe about NASA Astronauts exploring
space. Your agency has been invited to submit a theme song, and NASA has given you
access to the NASA Sound Library for your sampling pleasure.
Build an “out-of-this world” beat from scratch using the Reasamplomatic 5000, Kontakt,
and the NASA Sound Library.
● Sample at least 2 NASA sounds in your theme song
● Use Reverb and EQ effects
The winning agency earns 1000 points, the contract and the Beatmaking Badge!

11. Just Add Beats: Audio Design Challenges
Click to hear student-created audio works

12. Hardware captures sound.
Software manipulates sound.

13. The Classroom is an audio makerspace.
● Produce a student-run podcast for school
● Create an “Audio Postcard” of school campus sounds
● Record a spoken word anthology of student poems
● Write and record background music for school videos
● Record public service announcements for school events
● Write and record a school song
● Design sound effects and ambient tracks for the school play
● Record the school band or choir performances

14. Recording: Important Factors
Recording Location
Where you place the microphone in the room
Your distance from the microphone
Distance between microphones
Recording Levels and Gain Structure

15. Audio in the Classroom:
Choose Equipment and Workflow
Phone to Soundcloud
USB Microphone recording into a Digital Audio Workstation and Computer
USB Audio Interface with external microphone recording into Digital Audio
Workstation and Computer
Field Recorder with or without external microphones recording to a memory card

16. Phone to Soundcloud

17. USB Microphone to Computer

18. Field Recorder Zoom H4n is a good field recorder.

19. USB Audio Interface with Ext. Mic

20. Tracks are the vegetables
Editing tools are the utensils
FX are the seasoning
Mix it all together
Enjoy your meal

21. Fun Music Making Sites for K-5:
Chrome Music Lab
Intro to Ableton
Professional and Affordable Recording
Software for Mac or PC:
Reaper

22. Thanks!
Andrew Karnavas is the Founder and CEO of Yawp Records,
an audiovisual consulting company specializing in audio
production and permanent and temporary AV installations for
public spaces and live events. He has written, recorded and
produced six studio albums and multiple singles in a variety
of genres. He is a nationally touring recording artist with
appearances at schools, libraries, and museums, including
the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Andrew
has been a featured performer on Radio Disney, for New
York City Parks entertainment, and at Houston’s Wortham
Center in collaboration with Freneticore Dance Company. He
is the post-production audio engineer for the
TEDxMusicProject, a curated library of the best live music
recordings from over 10,000 TEDx events around the world.
Andrew is the creator of Just Add Beats audio production
curriculum for kids, and AV professional development
workshops for teachers.
andrew@yawprecords.com