Digital Music Production for Homeschool Teens: Creative Fun for High School Credit!

Our family is a musical family. My husband, in particular, has fostered a love of all things music in our children. That includes playing instruments as well as editing music on the computer. When my 16 year old son told me he wanted to learn more about digital music production as part of his homeschool year, I was at a loss. It’s important to me that we allow room in our homeschool journey for exploring my kids’ interests. But I had no idea where to start! Then I discovered Digital Music Production course by Mr. D Math!

What's Covered:

I had heard of Mr. D Math from other homeschool parents who were taking his other courses (you guessed it… math). So I was intrigued that he also offered a Digital Music Production course. My son was sold on it from the start. He loved that it is self-paced (he prefers that to live courses), video-based, and teaches specific tools and skills he had not yet learned. Plus, it’s taught by a music industry veteran and has the student actually completing music projects with the skills they learn. He was excited to get started!

What’s Included in the Digital Music Production Course by Mr. D. Math?

The Digital Music Production course is led by Brent Daniels. He’s a seasoned music industry professional with impressive experience working for Marvel Studios, Netflix, Activision, and Epic Records.

I just love that the course is taught by someone with substantial experience in the industry. Several times my son came to me with excitement, sharing about some insight or tip he learned that blew his mind. The real-world info and practical understanding gained in this course is a huge bonus in his mind, and I agree!

The course is structured into 16 lessons, covering the following topics:

1 – Intro to Digital Music Production
2 – Hardware Electronic Instruments
3 – Digital Audio Basics
4 – The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
5 – Working with DAW Audio
6 – Working with MIDI Data
7 – Virtual Instruments – Synthesizers
8 – Virtual Instruments – Samplers
9 – Effects Processing – Plugins & EQ
10 – Time-domain Effects
11 – Modulation & Dynamic Effects
12 – Distortion
13-16 – Putting It All Together (Parts 1-4)

These lessons involve actually creating music, including recording and editing audio as well as working with MIDI data and virtual instruments. Each lesson builds upon the previous one and culminates in a final project where your student will utilize the techniques they’ve learned to compose, mix, and produce a full track.

What Software and Tools Will My Child Need?

One of the Digital Music Production course’s strengths is its flexibility regarding software. Brent uses Logic Pro for demonstrations, but students are encouraged to use any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) they prefer.

Options include free and browser-based DAWs like GarageBand (Mac), Soundtrap, and BandLab. So the class can be down with whatever operating system and budget you have available to you (or even for free). You can find a list of tool options here with links to more information.

The Big Wins for This Course

I am so glad that Mr. D. Math hosts this Digital Music Production course. It’s just what we needed to help my son explore his interests and expand his skills. It was a great addition to our homeschool year! Here are a few more things we appreciated:

Self-Paced Learning: Students can progress through the course at their own pace, accommodating different schedules.
High School Credit: With all the assignments and the final project, the course is designed to fulfill 1/2 high school credit.
Self-Grading: The course includes quizzes that self-grade. The system also provides an at-a-glance dashboard on the side, as well as a way to drill down and see lesson grading details, to make it easier for the teaching parent to keep tabs on how things are going.

A Few Considerations on Secular Content

One thing for Christian families to note is that this is a secular course and includes video and audio clips of secular media. For example, the intro lesson shows a trailer for Chaos Walking, which is a sci fi thriller that the instructor produced the music for. The trailer doesn’t show anything inappropriate but it does use the Lord’s name in vain. Examples of music clips used during instruction include “So Watcha Want” by the Beastie Boys, used to demonstrate the application of sound distortion.

My take is that the clips in the course are fine, but that may not be true for the full lyrics or movies, so you’d want to discuss that with your child. From what I did see and hear, there were no red flags for me, taking into consideration my son’s age and maturity level. Of course, such things are always dependent on your child and your family’s rules. But I personally would be fine with any of my teens taking the course.

As a side note, as your student explores sound design, creativity, and technology, there are natural opportunities to pause and have side discussions about the origins of music, the nature of creativity as a reflection of God’s image in us, and the responsibility we have to use our gifts for His glory. These moments not only enrich the learning experience but also help your teen develop discernment and a deeper understanding of how faith informs every area of life—even the arts. We took the time to research Christian digital music production companies, ways music can be crafted for Christian media, what Scripture says about these issues, etc. Don’t miss those opportunities, parents!

The Bottom Line on Digital Music Production by Mr. D. Math

I tell ya’, friends, my son was eating this course up. Zero complaining or dragging of the feet when this was on his schedule. (Just take my money, right? Lol!) He’s now exploring music production careers as a result!

Mr. D Math’s Digital Music Production course stands out among the creative homeschool elective options out there, especially if your student is interested in music and technology!

Learn more about Digital Music Production here!