Students are creating their own musical compositions in the Bakersfield College music laboratory. Tucked away in a corner of the Fine Arts building in room 70 E is Professor James Dethlefson’s classroom.

He’s been teaching the music lab class at BC for 10 years, and he’s seen the lab go through two computer upgrades. The most recent was in 2012.

Currently there are eight workstations, each with a midi keyboard running through an Apple Pro computer.

In addition, the workstations can tie into other applications and programs, including a microphone, making it possible to produce a song from inception to CD in the lab.

Dethlefson said that the advances in technology have changed music exponentially since he began teaching here.

“The phone that I have in my pocket is 10 times more powerful than the computers were 10 years ago,” explains Dethlefson. “Ten years ago, the hurdle was to be doing what I’m doing on my phone right now, and would have been between $2,000 to $3,000.

“Whether it was real-time synthesis or digital audio or it could be that it was just the expense to bring it into a costly setting. I guess it all comes down to the impact of the digital revolution that it has had on music making.”

Biology student Manuel Vargas is learning production and how to use the studio equipment. This is his first semester in the lab.

“It seems difficult at first glance,” said Vargas. “But once you work with it, it gets a little easier.”

Right now Vargas is composing and synthesizing basic beats.

“It’s a lot of hands on and learning,” explained Vargas. “The plug-ins were the hardest for me to learn.”

Vargas said his music intermingles the genres of hip-hop and dubstep. Dubstep music characteristically incorporates various types of authentic bass sounds within the texture of its beats.

Music major Michael Williams has been in the lab for two semesters. He’s been learning different programs then he has used previously.

He said his father taught him how to rap and he has written over five songs.

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that,” Williams said. “R&B, hip-hop, whatever my ears hear, what ever my heart feels.”

Williams said he has some beats, some instrumentals, some new stuff and some old stuff.

Williams said rather then putting his hands on things when he’s frustrated, he tries to bring his frustrations out through his music.

“I like to hear myself,” said Williams. “What makes me different is I’ve got my own life story. I know about my own life and my own death, so I’ll express it through my music. I may not have a record, but I’m keeping track of it.”

Culinary art major Mister Kalvin Maurice Gentry is in the soundproof room recording one of his poems over some music that his brother helped create. He’s a first semester lab student.

“It doesn’t take that long to make a beat,” Gentry said.

He added that he’s written eight songs this semester.

Helping with the music project is art and digital art major Jo’net Martin, who learned about the lab from her friend. This is her second semester in the class and enjoys learning to use the computer and compose beats.

She’s written five songs that are a mixture between R&B and hip-hop.

“I’m just taking it [the lab] for the knowledge, said Martin. “I just want to learn how to produce.”

Dethlefson said the music lab is open to all students and that they don’t need any prior musical experience.

“All they need is a desire to make music,” he said. “We’ve got a great collection of Foley sounds for making films, like people crunching through snow, birds or wolves howling.

“We can create sound designs, or atmospheres and landscapes. We have a lot of that stuff that is accessible through the computer.”

One of the student learning outcomes is computer-based music production, which involves recording some audio, editing, and adding that to some kind of sound synthesis, whether it’s drums, beats or other kinds of keyboard sounds.

Ear training and musical notation are two other SLO’s that Dethlefson teaches in the lab. There is individual instruction that is also hands on.

“Let’s say a student comes in here and they heard something they liked and they think ‘I want to try and do that,’” said Dethlefson. “They come in here and I teach them how to get there.”