In the Classroom with Leo Sidran and Lindsay Whiteman

Students in the Music program had the opportunity to work with two exceptional industry professionals this spring: Leo Sidran, an Academy Award-winning musician, composer, producer, arranger, recording artist, and podcast host, helped students hone their songwriting and audio production scores. Lindsay Whiteman, an accomplished songwriter and musician, worked with students to analyze songs and song structure, while mentoring them as they composed their own music.

“Lindsay is very patient and helpful and gives a lot of insight into the songwriting process,” says Music student Xaire Romero. “Working with someone so young and knowledgeable about the music industry helps us realize doing it as a profession could be a reality. It’s nice to have a good role model who is close to our age.”

Romero enjoyed working with different artists because it allowed her to experience various aspects of the music industry. “Leo specializes in writing scores, which is not something that I have ever wanted to indulge in, but seeing a professional break it down and then having him help us with it…it’s cool to see a whole new version of music,” she says. “Even if I don’t pursue it, it was interesting to learn about it. One of the many things I enjoy about LIHSA is getting to network with professionals in the music industry. Not only does it give me more of a sense of what I want to do, but it also gives me more background knowledge.”

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