Kirksville High student creates recording studio

Jon Self, a Kirksville High School senior, is creating a recording studio for students at the high school who have a passion for music. Betsy Tornatore, teacher of Introduction to Engineering Design, proposed the recording studio project for Self’s independent study at the school, which is part of the Project Lead The Way 2015 program and the Kirksville Area Technical Center at Kirksville High School. Self says the project began during summer 2014 and is nearing completion. He says this project will be a great way to get students who share his passion for music involved and excited about learning. Self says by the end of the semester, Kirksville students should look forward to the studio opening up and being available to them. While Self continues to work on the studio, he says it has not been easy to get to the point he’s at. Self says he spent about a month planning what supplies and funding he would need. He says it took about two months to get the project posted on DonorsChoose.org, a website that helps schools receive money for projects like Self’s from donors all over the world. Self says once he posted the project on the website, it only took him a couple of weeks to raise the $2,400 needed for the project. “It was really cool actually,” Self says. “We had about $400 left to meet our goal, and Tommy Lee, drummer from Mötley Crüe, actually donated the rest of the funds we needed for our project.” Self says one of the biggest challenges with making this studio was the acoustic treatment of the room. However, Self says the band director acquired acoustic panels when the Circle M Music and Recording Studio closed down. He says obtaining the acoustic panels and getting the project on the DonorsChoose.org website were two major milestones for the project. Self says he had to cut some things to get the project going. If the project is successful over time and students show interest in the studio, then there will be incentives to add more to the studio, Self says. Although Self will graduate this year, he says he looks forward to seeing how the recording studio works out. For more information, pick up a copy of the Index or read online through Issuu.