Lowell High School  (Lowell, MA)

Instructor: Thomas Burns
School: Lowell High School, in Lowell MA
School Profile: Lowell High School is situated in a very diverse urban school district. Like many other urban school districts, a large percentage of the students come from low-income households and the district often often suffers from a lack of adequate resources

Class Title(s): Music Technology & Engineering, Evolution of Hip-Hop
Grades Levels Included: 9th-12th
Structure of NTM Class(es): 

• Music Technology & Engineering currently consists of four main units, which are all heavily composition-based. The units are generally excursions into different idioms of contemporary popular electronic music  
• Evolution of Hip-Hop currently consists of five main units, which involve researching, writing, presentation, and composition components

Software Used: In addition to the Google suite (Docs, Slides, etc.) Thomas previously used BandLab for both of these classes. However, he recently received funding for the education edition of SoundTrap, which he’s looking forward to diving into in more detail. Due the resource limitations at his disposal, all of his software has to be browser-based, low-cost/no-cost, and able to run from a Chromebook.
Hardware Used: Thomas doesn’t have the resources for any music technology-specific hardware, and his students just use their Chromebooks. 

Class NTM Activities: 

• Evolution of Hip-Hop: Thomas is a strong believer in Universal Design for Learning, so activities for this class consist of a combination of presentations, essays, and discussion, depending on what suits students’ needs best. After students have completed a project on a particular style/artist, Thomas also tasks them with trying to create a beat in that artist’s style. For example, Unit 3 is focused on the 90’s and the ‘golden age’ of Hip-Hop. After students have completed their work for this unit, they pick a region and superproducer to imitate the style of – either using samples provided by Thomas, or using samples that they find on their own.
• Music Technology & Engineering: As mentioned above, this class is mostly project based, and each unit is centered around a different idiom of contemporary popular electronic music. Students complete a basic research and writing component for each idiom, and then are tasked with creating their own compositions in the style of each idiom. There is a combination of individual work and group work.

History: Both of these classes are new this year. A curriculum was provided to Thomas for the music technology class, but he quickly discovered that it wasn’t a good fit for his students (and wasn’t the most practical with the resources he had at his disposal). He began developing his own lessons very soon after the year began, and constantly checks in with students to incorporate their interests into his lessons.

Success Stories from NTM Activities: Thomas recently put together a “Winter Showcase” for students in both of these classes, which was the first of its kind!  Students from a variety of musical backgrounds were able to present a beat to the audience (many of whom had never made any beats before taking Thomas’ classes). The showcase resonated so strongly with students that many of them challenged themselves to create more beats outside of class. One student from Thomas’ Music Technology & Engineering class now composes and sends Thomas new beats every week.
Advice to Others Starting an NTM Project: “Make sure to implement a curriculum that is a good fit for your students and resources you have at your disposal. Additionally, I’ve found that it really helps to stay tapped in and responsive to students musical interests as much as you’re able to.”
Key Metrics/Data % of Students in Music Tech Classes:  As both of these classes are new this year, there are no available metrics.

Date Submitted: February 2026 by Joe Paquin (2026 MTLA Intern) from an interview with Thomas Burns