Maker News Music
By Dale Dougherty
DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.
In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.
Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.
View more articles by Dale Dougherty
April 24th, 2025April 24th, 2025
In this episode of Make:cast, host Dale Dougherty speaks with Kirk Pearson, author of ‘Electronic Music from Scratch,’ and Kevin Toyama, the book’s editor. Kirk is a musical experimenter and he encourages others to do the same. Kirk shares his journey from a traditional music background to creating electronic music and building custom instruments. He discusses his workshops, where participants learn to build synthesizers and other electronic instruments. Specific topics include circuit bending, synthesizer design, and the use of capacitors and potentiometers in creating electronic sounds. The conversation also touches on the challenges of translating workshop experiences into a book and the collaborative process with the book’s illustrator, Maisie Byerly. Kirk also mentions his other projects, including a new album and a show called ‘Radio Pacific.’ The episode highlights the intersection of creativity, music, and DIY electronics.
To buy Kirk’s book, visit Maker Shed.
Dogbotic is a collective interested in unconventional sounds and their potential creative applications. We work as a commercial audio studio—producing music, sound, and audio tech for all sorts of clients—and as a research and education outfit—teaching workshops on a variety of niche artistic topics
Also, check out the Boxytone Synth Kit on Maker Shed.
By Dale Dougherty
Dale Dougherty
DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.
In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.
Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.
View more articles by Dale Dougherty
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