Since 2013 I have taught courses in audio storytelling and podcast production at Middlebury College. Former students have gone on to work at StoryCorps, The Daily, Death Sex & Money, Aspen Public Radio, The Brooklyn Paper, and more.
“After this course I am seriously considering a career in podcasting.”
“Thank you for creating a safe space for such a personal project.”
In Isolation: Audio Portraits from Spring 2020
When Middlebury students were sent home in March 2020, tasked with finishing the semester remotely, students in my podcast course received a new assignment: to create audio portraits of their own self-isolation. A seven part series featured by Midd Magazine and the Middlebury Campus and preserved on file in the digital archive of Middlebury Special Collections.
Middleburied
Hosted by Middlebury alum Maya Goldberg-Safir, current Artistic Director at the Third Coast International Audio Festival, Middleburied is a podcast mini-series showcasing the best student work from my production courses. The series serves as a playful home for the creative accomplishments of these first-time producers.
Introduction to Podcasting
In this course students immerse themselves in the rich world of podcasting as listeners and producers. Students will become acquainted with the wide variety of podcast work including, but not limited to: serial narrative, daily news features, fiction, and interview podcast programming. We will record and produce our own original podcast segments with a focus on non-fiction features. Students can expect to walk away with a foundational understanding of the variety of podcast formats and production techniques including recording, sourcing, and editing sound.
In this course students work together to develop and produce original podcast series. Small groups collaborate to develop a show idea, map a first season of episodes and produce a work sample demonstrating the aesthetic of their series. In preparation for this endeavor we listen extensively to podcasts in a variety of formats and hear from show creators across the field of podcasting. Students will have the opportunity to plan and execute interviews, record round-table discussions, engage in field recordings, and ultimately develop a unique show voice and aesthetic.
Podcast Seminar: Series Development
Podcasting the Past: Leisure at Middlebury College
This course explores aspects of American life through an analysis of a widely underutilized luxury: leisure time. Using the college archives, students study the microcosm of the Middlebury campus and identify noteworthy leisure activities throughout the College’s history (i.e., fraternity boat rides down Otter Creek in the late-19th century, or the establishment of Middlebury’s Quidditch team in 2005). We will consider how these acts of leisure reflect the broader values of the eras in which they emerged. Ultimately students will share their findings in an original, sound-rich documentary podcast. By the end of this course, students have developed basic recording and sound editing skills, and have new tools for translating complicated scholarly ideas into a format appropriate for a lay audience.
Page to Podcast: Producing Audio Fiction
This course offers a deep dive into the world of audio fiction. As podcasts grow in popularity, so do the number and quality of fictional series. In this course, students listen extensively to great audio fiction and engage in introductory level sound design and fictional scene building.
Sound & Story: Documentary for the Airwaves
In this course students learn the production skills and storytelling approach necessary to create compelling audio documentary. Through curated readings and practical exercises, the course covers field-recording basics and interview techniques, which each student uses to produce their own short audio piece. At the conclusion of the seminar, each student airs their work at a public listening event.
Course offerings vary by semester.