From Fixing a Sound System to Producing for the Stomp Team

A few weeks ago, I was at Lawton High School working on their sound system. I was checking the system and making sure the hanging microphones were working properly when students began showing up for Spirit Week rehearsals.

While I was working, the stomp team came in to rehearse. I recognized their coach, Shaun, and asked him what he was doing there. He told me he was the stomp team coach.

As I listened to the team rehearse, I heard the track they were using for their performance. The ideas were there, but the track sounded like several pieces had simply been put together. I immediately started thinking about what I could do to make it flow better and give their performance more energy.

I told Shaun that I was working toward my degree in Audio Production and offered to help produce a new version of the track for the team. He was excited about the idea.

Instead of just taking the music and leaving, I stayed and watched the team rehearse. I wanted to understand their timing, movements, transitions, and overall energy. That gave me a much better idea of how the music needed to work with their actual performance.

Using what I observed, I produced a new two-minute track specifically for the stomp team. I tightened the transitions, added energy, and built the track around what they were doing on the floor.

When they heard the finished version, their reaction made the time I spent on it worth it. They were excited that I had taken their original idea and helped bring it to life.

What started as a normal day of checking a school sound system unexpectedly turned into another opportunity for me to use what I’m learning in audio production to help others.

The best part is that it didn’t end with Spirit Week. Now, when the stomp team has another pep rally coming up, they come back to me to produce a new track for their performance.

For me, that is what audio production is all about. It’s not just about making something sound good. It’s about listening, understanding the performance, and using sound to help bring someone else’s vision to life.