Syracuse University SENSES Project (Syracuse NY)
Instructor: Maximiliano Jimenez
School Name: Syracuse University
School Profile: Private R1 University, 15,000 undergraduates, 6,000 graduates
Class Title(s): The SENSES Project
Structure of Your NTM Class(es): A student focused multi-media lab focused on increasing sense of belonging for students on campus, with a particular focus on first-generation students. Provides equipment and education around music production, DJing, podcasting, videography, and photography as a way to form community around creativity.
Describe Class Activities: SENSES acts predominantly as an open lab, similar to a makerspace, where students can enter at any time and work on individual projects. In his role, Maximiliano acts as facilitator, offering differentiated musical and technical knowledge to students based on their individual goals. Student projects include music production, songwriting, mixing, and DJing in a variety of genres, voice acting, podcasting, zine making, music videos, and much more. Collaborative projects also occur in the space. One example of this are collaborative albums: students select a theme and work to create, edit, and distribute the album over the course of a semester. The albums are not genre-dependent and are open to any skill level. They can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/323U7Fbz9rSvhtKYmOLh1L?si=WqcYJOHkTJWtzDupNgqvmA
Software Used: Logic Pro X, Splice, YouTube, FL Studio, Ableton Live and Suite, Soundtrap, Serato Pro and Lite, Soundcloud DJ, Melodyne
Hardware Used: Mac Desktop Computers, SE Electronics X1 Microphones, MV7 Shure Microphones, Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen, JBL Studio Monitors, DDJ SRT-1000, DDJ FLX 4, Headphones, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass
History: In 2020, associate director of TRIO Student Support Services at Syracuse Amy Horan Messersmith attended a webinar hosted by Ray Cordero and Dr. Raphael Travis at Texas State University. Inspired by their approach to increasing first generation students' sense of belonging at a PWI, Amy wrote and received an internal grant for $25,000 in order to purchase music and podcast equipment. Collaborating with OSS Director Craig Tucker, music professor Dr. David Knapp, and art professor Joanna Spitzner, the equipment was set up in an abandoned computer lab.
After completing his master's degree in music education, Nick Piato was brought on in the role of program coordinator, where he facilitated the space for the next three years. The lab grew from an average of five weekly visitors to over 3,000 unique visits a year. The space has released 8 albums, two magazines, and collaborated with dozens of courses. Many students who had little to no previous formal music training left the space as musical artists and engineers, and many friendships formed as a result of the space. After Nick's departure to pursue his doctorate, Maximiliano Jimenez became program coordinator of the space. An expert in community building in higher education, and a former SENSES student, Maximiliano has continued to foster community and teach musical skills in the lab.
Key Success Stories to Share: Many individual students have found their creative voice in the space. One example is a student who found a community in the lab as a freshman, began writing raps in collaboration with others, and found the courage to memorize and perform one of his raps at the on-campus chapel for an event. An additional creative community has developed out of the space. Inspired by their synergy when creating tracks in the lab, a group formed to create inspirational short form videos called Motivational Mondays. This student-led initiative that stemmed from the lab ended up gaining over 10,000 followers and over a million views. https://dailyorange.com/2025/12/syracuse-motivates-uplifts-black-men/ The most impactful success story is one of the lifelong friendships and musical collaborations that have developed from the space.
Advice to Others Starting NTM Project: It is essential to have data to prove why such a program is necessary and effective. In non-traditional music education, there is no "wrong" way to create. The goal is to help students efficiently translate their creative ideas into software and hardware. Success is measured by how the student feels about their work rather than external validation. Teachers should encourage students to "live life" and bring those external experiences back into their creative projects.
Key Metrics/Data % of Students in Music Tech Classes: 100%
Date Submitted: February 2026 by Nick Piato (2026 MTLA Intern) from an interview with Maximiliano Jimenez.