Tune Tools Episode 1
with Krysta Rayford
Welcome to Tune Tools. Krysta ‘K.Raydio’ Rayford interviews musicians, music educators, and students, and shares her own experiences to help us learn about the tools of electronic music and recording arts. In each episode, you’ll hear real-life examples of the tools for making music in the digital age. If you have ever wondered what DAW (digital audio workstation) your favorite artist uses, or if you’re a music educator and want to use electronic music tools in your class but don’t know where to begin, or if you are a student ready to build skills— this podcast is for you.
New episodes are released biweekly and are available here free. Transcripts are available below each episode description for those using screen readers or if you would like to refer back to the episode.
Episode One: Meet Krysta and learn the story of her road to discovering the tools of recording music
Creating music was always a personal goal for me. But it wasn’t until I was introduced to these recording arts tools that I even could envision what the possibilities could be. For many students, being able to go to a website or go into a music software program, click around, and just become comfortable, it’s not only something that builds technique or skill, but it also builds confidence.
Krysta Rayford, Tune Tools episode one
Krysta Rayford was making a name for herself in the Twin Cities music scene (aka K. Raydio) and internationally by collaborating with other artists on the internet, but she wanted to make sounds that she couldn’t necessarily communicate. This yearning set her on a trajectory to begin learning music production and signaled a pivot in her career. In this episode, you will get to know Krysta, learn about EMRA (Electronic Music Recording Arts), and begin to hear discussions about how music gets recorded. Hear about how Krysta thinks about electronic music and the recording arts: music software, tools, learning how to record on a mic, putting together a basic recording set-up and feeling confident about it, live event sound, film scoring, DJ’ing, elements of hip hop and how all of this is a game changer for musicians, students, and music educators.
Tune Tools, episode one
Episode Two with John Nguyen drops Wednesday, November 9
Meet Krysta ‘K. Raydio’ Rayford
Krysta “K. Raydio” Rayford is an Electronic Music Teacher in MacPhail’s EMRA program. A Teaching Artist for the past 10 years, she has taught classes/workshops for Minneapolis Public Schools, Kulture Klub Collaborative, Twin Cities Mobile Jazz and She Rock She Rock.
Krysta is currently an Ableton software instructor for Beats By Girlz MN, an organization that empowers women in sound production. Her introductory class was one of the only Ableton courses geared towards women and non-binary adults in the United States.
She recently released her collaborative album …And The World Weeps with producer Shrimpnose, in addition to a series of self-produced EPs (The Sync Series) in 2019. Krysta is also a Digital Media Producer and Program Host for iPondr, a national digital media publisher.
Krysta has years of experience as Voiceover Talent with a unique background in Audio Description narration. Her credits include Empire (FOX), Independent Lens (PBS), Barbie’s Dreamhouse Adventures (Netflix), and Around The Way (Hulu) among others.
Her music has been featured internationally on platforms such as VH1, BBC Radio and Okayplayer. Krysta was a featured performing artist at Soundset Music Festival in 2014, one of the largest hip-hop music festivals in the United States.
She holds a B.A. in Communication Arts (Radio, TV & Film) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She believes it’s never too late to learn! As a self-taught musician with a non-traditional path to music education, she knows how important it is to feel supported on your learning journey. As a teacher, it’s important for her to help students of all ages with setting goals and supporting them in achieving them. Krysta’s classes and more information…
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More Tune Tools
This podcast is made possible through a MacPhail Center for Music School Partnerships initiative, Project Amplify, a grant-funded, music education initiative focused on strengthening learning opportunities for K-12 Minnesota music students from historically marginalized backgrounds. This effort provides transformational programming that nurtures creativity, honors students’ backgrounds, and provides tools and resources to support K-12 educators.
About MacPhail Center for Music’s School Partnership Program
MacPhail School Partnerships enrich the lives of students by providing unrivaled in-person or live online instruction in tandem with Minnesota schools. Our staff works with schools to develop customized and relevant programming through individual instruction, sectionals, ELL support, residencies, masterclasses, and more.
Visit School Partnerships for more information, or contact Ben Bussey