Crowd of students cheering at student concert

PBL in RTF

John Peyton's Introduction to the

Music Business (RTF 347C) 

PBL as Authentic Learning Pathways

For the final project in John Peyton's RTF 347C, students collaborate in teams to enact music industry professional roles such as producers, promoters, graphic artists, lighting/sound directors, etc. Each team contributes to managing and promoting a newly formed band of student musicians (their class peers). The project culminates in a live concert in the famous Studio 6B. 

I'm incredibly proud of my students for taking on the challenge of creating a concert from the ground up. Through their hard work, creativity, and collaboration, they bring their vision to life and gained invaluable real-world experience. This project exemplifies the power of project-based learning (PBL) to prepare students for success in the music industry and beyond.

John Peyton, Instructor

Backward Design: Begin with the End in Mind

Student band performing in front of crowd at Red River Reverb Concert

Student band Off Guad performing at Red River Reverb, Spring 2025

John wanted his course to be inspiring for students as emerging professionals. During a chat with Shelly Furness (Coordinator for Teaching Excellence at CATE), John envisioned his course from a PBL lens to chunk a learning pathway in manageable project benchmarks toward the overall milestone of a final student-led music event. 

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Roles and Contracts: Students Plan the Entire Music Business Event

As a best practice, students need explicit instruction and structure to successfully perform roles in group work. John outlines clear, detailed expectations for enacting roles to support the overall project as a full class. With a nod to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2018), students are allowed to choose roles based on prior knowledge and skills related to career aspirations.  

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Students performing a cover of Radiohead's Song "Creep"

Student band Burnt Orange Strings performing a cover of Radiohead's song "Creep" at Moody Groove, Fall 2024

Authentic Learning: Hands-on Experience Related to the Course Content

Student Band Late Registration Fees at Red River Reverb

Student band Late Registration Fees performing at Red River Reverb, Spring 2025

Throughout the semester, John delivers industry specific content based on extensive personal experience in the field. In addition, he strategically brings in an array of music industry practitioners each week who engage with students to build concepts related to specific areas of music industry professions.

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Reflection: Actively Thinking About the Learning Process

At the core of PBL is the practice of self-reflection. As students enact or mirror real-world professional roles, they need a chance to build metacognitive skills. Capturing their thinking about the learning journey, including mistakes, helps hone increasing competent professional mindsets. 

The full class of students smiling for a group photo in front of the Moody Groove stage set

Moody Groove, Fall 2024

The full class of students smiling for a group photo in front of the Red River Reverb stage set

Red River Reverb, Spring 2025