What should a beginner music-production class teach a 12-year-old before we buy software or equipment for our small apartment?
My 12-year-old wants to make beats this fall. I'm happy to support it, but the equipment lists are getting out of hand and we don't have a spare room. What would you want a beginner course to cover before buying more than the basics?
I'd ask what equipment is provided during class and what is genuinely required at home. Required and nice to have can get mixed together very quickly. I wouldn't buy a keyboard or paid software just because it's in a promotional photo.
Find out whether the student can keep and reopen their projects after the course ends. I'd be annoyed if the only way to hear or edit the work later was to keep paying for something nobody mentioned at signup.
I'd want the class to include where sounds come from and what can be shared publicly. My kid would definitely want to post the result, so I wouldn't leave that conversation until the upload button is already being pressed.