Helix offers a wide variety of different clubs and aspire programs. Aspires, for those unaware, are after school programs that cover lots of different interests for students to try out and explore.
Attendance isn’t mandatory, and with over 24 different Aspires to try out, there’s certainly one for everyone. One Aspire that many students aren’t familiar with, however, is Podcasting.
Led by the Edge Lab’s new Facilitator, Christian Chamberlain, Podcasting is an Aspire with the “ultimate goal of [finding] your voice.” Chamberlain pushed that “everybody has a story to tell,” and by attending podcasting, you get a chance to do just that. The tools, software, and expert are present– you just have to show up.
According to Chamberlain, all podcasting styles are welcome. “If you want to do interview style ones, or whatever it may be, we [can] figure that out together.” He also mentioned that, by attending, you get to learn how to properly record audio, handle the microphones, and understand the editing. The biggest part, Chamberlain emphasized to me, “is actually learning how to edit through Adobe Audition (an audio editing software)– and then, hopefully we get to the point where we can actually publish and make it available for everybody out there.”
“It looks very intimidating, but once you get into the flow of it, it’s not that bad. And, Audition has some great things.” For anyone finding the program daunting, he expressed that it really was easier than it looked, and that it’s just a “matter of figuring it out first… [and] a lot of tinkering and playing with your voice.”
Oftentimes, there are subtle nuances in audio editing and podcast management, such as prioritizing that “fly on the wall” feeling, as Chamberlain puts it. “You want it to still feel, like, natural… leaving in some of the ‘um’s’, the ‘like’s’, the pauses, those kinds of things– a lot of people like to edit those out completely, but that just makes it not natural anymore.” Figuring out how to do that yourself adds an air of professionalism to your podcast, widening your audience and giving you more skills in the audio field.
“[Podcasting] is another great outlet to put stuff out there. Maybe they’re too scared to do it in person– at least Podcasting gives them that avenue to do that safely from their home, they [can] feel safe doing it and sharing it with the world.”
Aspire Podcasting is open from 3:45 to 5:45 on Mondays and Fridays- however, dates are subject to change with student interest. If you’d like to attend, please email Mr Chamberlain at [email protected] and let him know you’re interested, and official dates can be set.
