Jan 22, 2024
Go to
MusicTechPodcast.com for full show notes and transcripts.
In this episode of the Music Tech podcast, host Bruce Tambling
interviews singer-songwriter Ande Estrella about her experiences
with the Foothill College Music Tech Program. Estrella shares her
journey from being a theater major at the Boston Conservatory
School to becoming a songwriter. She discusses the challenges she
faced in the industry-focused curriculum at Berkeley and her
decision to switch to music production. Estrella also talks about
her songwriting process, her experiences working with producers,
and her goals for the future. She emphasizes the importance of
networking and staying true to oneself as an artist. The episode
also features guest artist Cassidy Ray, who shares her experiences
as a self-taught artist and producer.
Ande talks to us about her goals as an artist, and some of the things she loves about the Foothill Music Technology program. We also had a short Q&A session at the end with students to get advice from her perspective as a successful musician.
Ande did a recording session at Bruce Tambling's studio back in Feb 2021. She was living in Sunnyvale, California, at the time, and then she went away to school at Berkeley School of Music in Boston in the Spring of 2021. We were happy and surprised to see that she is now enrolled in the Foothill College Music Technology program. Ande is also a successful artist with a number of music productions that have been released on Spotify and various social media channels. She is at once a mentor and a "student." (as we are all perpetual students!)
In this episode, Ande talks about her experience at Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, her goals as an artist, and some of the things she loves about the Foothill Music Technology Program. We also had a short Q&A session at the end with students to get advice from her perspective as a successful musician.
Ande was accepted into the Boston Conservatory as a Theater Major after starting in musical theater and a high school band. She then decided to transition to songwriting, which required another few auditions, and she then realized several things about her unique path as an artist.
After some time, Ande pivoted to the Music Technology Program at Foothill College, praising it and stating that it serves her need as an artist and expressing her desire to gather the knowledge she needs to become the sole producer of her work.
Podcast host Cassidy asks Ande about her time in the high school band, and how her experience has translated over time to where she is as a musician now. Ande stated that the biggest carryover is the amount of time performing and the confidence she gained over time. Ande talked about her desire for a band of her own, now that she is an independent artist, and not working within the confines of the school's requirements.
Ande discussed a bit about her current goals in the Music Tech Program and that is she wants to build her knowledge in a structured and guided way. Her advice to students looking to get the most out of the program is to really put themselves out there, and mentioned that networking and exposure to new people and ideas will further improve their skills.
Ande recaps her process from songwriting to music release, what it's like to work with producers, and audio engineers, and her entire songwriting process. At this point, we moved into the Q&A session with our participants.