The Focusrite Group proudly hosted its inaugural Educational Summit on August 14-15 at the cutting-edge Create-it Studios in Franklin, TN. Organized by Dr. Lee Whitmore, Vice President for Education, Focusrite Group Americas, the summit brought together leading voices in music, audio, and education for two days of thought leadership, collaboration, and exploration of best practices in preparing the next generation of creators.
The event followed closely on the heels of the July 26th Focusrite Group Create-it Takeover, held at Create-it Studios, a groundbreaking creative innovation space developed in collaboration with Walmart and sponsored by Full Sail University. Located inside Walmart in Franklin, TN, Create-it Studios is a one-stop destination for podcasting, music production, video creation and live events, open to everyone, regardless of experience or background.
At the Education Summit, attendees participated in panels, workshops, and discussions that spanned topics such as immersive audio, curriculum design, music technology innovations, and cross-industry collaboration. A highlight of the program was a Dolby Atmos® panel moderated by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer and audio educator John Merchant, with guest experts GRAMMY-winning engineer Jon Blass and noted electronic music producer/DJ Greg “Stryke” Chin sharing insights on the future of spatial audio.
Special thanks were extended to the Create-it team, along with Full Sail University’s Andrew Duncan and Michael Orlowski, for their contributions to the event.
Attendees included representatives from:
Attendees included representatives from:
- Belmont University
- Calhoun Community College
- Columbia State Community College
- Dark Horse Institute
- Dolby Laboratories
- Eastman School of Music
- Florida State University
- Full Sail University
- Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
- Lipscomb University
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Metro Nashville Public Schools
- Miami Dade College
- Middle Tennessee State University
- North Carolina State University
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of North Alabama
- Virginia State University
“Focusrite has always been deeply committed to supporting education and empowering the next generation of music creators,” said Dr. Lee Whitmore. “This summit gave us the opportunity to bring together a remarkable group of educators, industry leaders, and innovators to share knowledge, inspire one another, and advance the role of music technology in education.”
The Focusrite Group Educational Summit marks the beginning of an ongoing initiative to foster dialogue and collaboration between academic institutions, industry leaders, and creators, ensuring that the tools, resources, and inspiration needed for tomorrow’s music innovators remain accessible and impactful.
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