When award-winning and Juno-nominated music producer Padraig Buttner-Schnirer was looking for a new challenge, he chose teaching. It turns out, he’s just as successful in education as he is in music.

The assistant professor of music received a 2024 Early Career Teaching Excellence Award for his exceptional commitment to his students. Here, he talks about his work with MacEwan’s university record label, the opportunities he creates for his students both on and off campus, and his implementation of innovative assignments and grading systems.

You had a successful career in music production – why pursue teaching?

Teaching something that I love appealed to me. When you love the subject matter, it's not really a job. It's just something that's fun to do – I could talk about it all day. I love that students are enthusiastic and they're starting out and they're hungry for information, which makes teaching such a pleasure.

Another thing that drew me to MacEwan was the music facilities. Allard Hall is incredible – classrooms are so well-equipped, with grand pianos, a variety of percussion instruments and live sound equipment. The recording studios are exceptional, and it's a joy to teach in such professional spaces.

How did you navigate not being able to use those spaces during the pandemic?

Many of the courses I teach emphasize hands-on learning in the studio, so developing strategies that translated to online instruction was challenging and forced me to be creative. I'd literally just written or was in the process of writing three or four new courses, and all of a sudden, I had to rethink them completely. That whole process gave me an accelerated learning experience about how to design courses and think outside the box. 

You really believe in hands-on learning – how do you provide students with experience outside the classroom?

I'm one of four faculty members at MacEwan’s record label, Bent River Records, which was founded by Rose Ginther and Paul Johnston. We think of ourselves as a learning lab that engages with students from different disciplines from across the university. One of the ways we do this is by providing opportunities for students to attend extracurricular recording sessions, taking active roles in the production process. The record label gives students an opportunity to experience real-life scenarios that you can’t reproduce in a traditional classroom setting, which is invaluable as a learning experience.

We also foster relationships with local musicians and music studios, because we recognize the importance of making connections within the community. Many studios are eager to have students come in and do internships or assist. Dept.9 Studios, for example, is a relatively new studio with wonderful facilities, and for the past two years we've organized field trips to visit their Dolby Atmos immersive mixing room and meet with their engineers. We’re always looking for ways to work with partners in the industry to give students as much practical experience as possible.

You use inclusive assessment methods for your students. Can you explain what you mean by that?

I've learned a lot through workshops at MacEwan's Centre for Teaching and Learning, and try to vary the different assessment tools I use. Rather than always doing traditional exams, I'll also include oral presentations, group assignments, video submissions and interactive practical assignments. I try to vary the types of assignments, because I recognize that people learn in different ways, and everyone has different strengths. 

What did it mean to you to be the recipient of the Early Career Teaching Excellence Award? 

It means so much, because it's been a joy to teach at MacEwan, and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come. I didn’t have a lot of teaching experience before this, and I've learned lots about course development, teaching strategies and accommodating different learning styles. To receive this award is an acknowledgement that I'm on the right track, and moving in the right direction. It means everything and I’m very grateful.