Mercy Students Take the Lead in Composing, Recording and Performing Electronic Music Showcase

Mercy College Music Production students in the studio

In December 2022, students in the Mercy College Department of Music Production and Recording Arts program presented an electronic music showcase titled “Lies, in High Fidelity.” The showcase – which employed both physical and software-based musical instruments, with additional music and video technology – was composed, recorded and performed by students enrolled in Electronic Music Production 3 and Electronic Music Performance, with sound provided by students enrolled in Live Sound Reinforcement.

The students at the helm were charged with treating creation and execution of the showcase as a professional production. They were advised throughout the process by Mercy College Associate Professor and Program Director Stephen B. Ward, Senior Lecturer Jarrod Ratcliffe, Senior Lecturer Samuel Stauff, and Lecturer Steve La Cerra.

With background and expertise in all aspects of the music production and recording arts fields, the advisors prepared the students to navigate technological challenges as they arose in real time, and ultimately inspired them to produce an entertaining and complex product. The process mimicked an essential real-world experience and provided students with practical skills that will help them gain employment after graduation.

La Cerra, in addition to being an adjunct at Mercy and a veteran music engineer, is a tech editor for Mix magazine, an industry-leading news source for professionals in the audio and recording professions.

La Cerra highlighted the showcase in a recent Mix magazine blog titled, “By the Students, For the Students.” To read the blog post, please click here. To view the electronic music studio showcase, please click here.

To learn more about the Mercy College Department of Music Production and Recording Arts Program, please click here.