Tune Tools Episode 2
with Krysta Rayford & guest John Nguyen
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 for 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 Two: Krysta Rayford speaks with artist, producer, engineer, songwriter, and educator John Nguyen about his musical journey. They will talk about how electronic music and the recording arts helped shape John’s journey.
You probably already have a computer. Can you get… a free program like Audacity or something affordable like Reaper on your computer…It isn’t gonna be a monetary barrier that’s gonna be stopping you now. That’s something I’ve been really kind of passionate about, being able to help people see that music isn’t ethereal– up here, where you need to have the training to be able to do it. That’s not necessarily true. Anybody with a computer is able to do music production. Anybody with a voice can sing.
John Nguyen, Tune Tools episode two
Tune Tools, episode two
Episode Three drops November 23, 2022
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…
©MacPhail Center for Music | All Rights Reserved | May be used for educational purposes without permission but with a citation to this source.
Meet special guest John Nguyen
John Nguyen (a.k.a. NoxInBox) is an artist, producer, engineer, songwriter, and educator from Minneapolis, MN. He has been working professionally in music since 2012, starting by creating electronic music and working with record labels before moving into other genres including pop, hiphop, and rock. John has a Master’s in Music Production degree from Berklee College of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music, Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College. From 2017-2020, John worked with songwriter and artist Aaron to form the music duo, GROUP. The artist project went on hiatus in 2020, but the pair continue to work together in a songwriting and production capacity. John is the owner of Multitool Studio – a music studio that helps local artists develop their individual sound and mixing/mastering for a set of local, national, and international clients.
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