Rochester Music Lab

Rochester Music Lab offers lessons in audio engineering, music performance, composing for film and animation, video games, and sound design, along with one-on-one lessons to perform songs and to write original songs using music theory and creative writing techniques. Students can learn to play drums, guitar, piano, and steel drums, join a Drum Circle or Group Ensemble, and participate in creative workshops. The program also includes creating, performing, and producing music, electronic beat-making, exploring microphones, signal flow, and synthesizers, composing with virtual instruments, and developing production skills using industry-standard Digital Audio Workstations such as Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Studio One, as well as recording, mixing, and mastering for music, podcasts, games, and film, and learning the basics of video game design using Construct 3 while using Mac and PC workstations equipped with dedicated recording interfaces, MIDI controllers, sequencers, Native Instruments and EastWest virtual instrument libraries, and the Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro for album art, animation, video editing, and game assets.

Rochester Music Lab states that its mission is to be an educational space dedicated to creating, performing, and producing music, with a focus on inspiring curiosity, creativity, and confidence while students explore the possibilities of sound. The leadership and teaching team includes Travis Rankin, Jilli Walch, Cam Guck, Abi Culbert, Ted Canning, and Zak Spath, with roles that include teaching, band coaching, assisting with group classes and Music Exploration, leading a Steel Drum Ensemble and community steel drum band, performing with Pan Loco, and facilitating drum circles through the TIES program in Rochester. Staff credentials include degrees in Music Technology, Music Performance, Visual Culture, Music, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and Computer Science, as well as over 30 years of experience in playing and teaching steel pans. Community involvement includes facilitating drum circles through the TIES Program in Rochester and leading a Community Steel Drum Band in Geneseo. Families can schedule a tour and a trial lesson.

Last updated February 9, 2026.