Music Technology Program Guides Lawrence to Exciting Career

Music is something that touches nearly every person’s life and often provokes passionate feelings.

For the instructors and students of the Music Technology program at Nashville State, the question becomes how to use that passion and turn it into a profession.

Ethan Lawrence came to the Music Tech program at Nashville State in 2023.

A member of a band and with some music production knowledge under his belt he wanted to expand on what he knew.

On enrolling in the program, Lawrence said he thought it would be a good chance to gain “experience and support and to gain more knowledge and expand from there.”

The program, offered in two tracks, is a roughly year-long series of courses preparing students for a music career.

One track is in music production, where students learn various skills including recording, editing, mixing, and live sound production.

The other path is commercial songwriting, where students develop songwriting skills, music business, publishing knowledge, and production skills.

“We try to maximize hands-on learning in class through the use of the equipment and by practicing,” Eric Richardson, an instructor in the Music Tech program, said.

“We have them use the gear as often as possible, so they can master various engineering and production skills.”

With that intensive course structure and a focus on hands-on time for students, Lawrence said the program helped him grow and expand on his natural abilities.

“All the classes connected to each other, it was great,” Lawrence said.

After graduating with his Music Technology certificate in 2024, Lawrence went to work at the Mockingbird Theatre, a popular live music venue south of Nashville in Franklin as the assistant lead audio engineer, producing sound for performances and events.

Beyond his day job, he still plays music. Ethan is exploring the possibility of touring for an extended period and hoping to “continue gaining more experience.” 

My “time at Nashville State really helped me out and helped me in the field,” Lawrence said. “They’re really great people.”

Instructors at the program love helping dedicated students on their musical and career journeys.

“Ethan really applied himself and was almost always the first student to arrive each day,” Eric Richardson said.

“That’s the type of person that’s going to succeed in our program and go out and succeed in the industry.”

Richardson said one of his goals as an instructor is to help guide students and show them what they are capable of.

“One thing we as instructors do is encourage students to figure out who they are as artist.”

“I’m always amazed at what students can come up with.” 

Turning passion into skills and skills into a career is the mission of instructors in the Music Technology program. With hard work and passion, results are showing for students like Ethan Lawrence.