April Featured Educator: Joe Briggs Magnant

At Sturgis Charter Public School West Campus in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Joe Briggs Magnant leads a music program that touches a significant portion of the student body. As the only music teacher at his campus, Joe teaches general music courses for ninth and tenth grade students, directs multiple ensembles, and leads the International Baccalaureate (IB) Music program for juniors and seniors. His work spans chorus, jazz band, concert band, rock band, and R&B band, along with large collaborative performances that often involve students from both Sturgis campuses. Through these courses and ensembles, Joe has created a program where students are not only performing music but also learning how to compose, produce, and analyze it in ways that reflect the modern music landscape.

For Joe, the heart of the program is the opportunity it gives students to discover their creative voice and contribute meaningfully to their community. Music becomes a space where students can collaborate, build confidence, and share something personal with an audience. Joe sees his role as creating opportunities for students to experience that process. “At the end of the day, it’s really about giving students a place where they can create something meaningful and share it with others,” Joe explains. “When they perform or produce something they’re proud of, it becomes part of the culture of the school and the community.”

Managing a program of this size requires thoughtful systems, and for Joe, technology plays a critical role in making the work possible. Digital tools allow him to distribute materials efficiently, support rehearsal and practice outside of class, and give students opportunities to create and collaborate in ways that mirror the modern music industry. “When it comes to talking about technology and having to juggle all those different things,” Joe says, “that’s the only way I can really communicate or get content to my students without it being completely impossible.” Technology enables students to access rehearsal tracks, compose music collaboratively, and build their own creative portfolios while allowing Joe to support multiple ensembles and classes simultaneously.

Two tools form the backbone of Joe’s classroom workflow: BandLab and Flat.io. BandLab provides students with a browser-based digital audio workstation where they can record, produce, and collaborate on original music projects directly from their Chromebooks. Flat.io allows students to compose and analyze music using traditional notation while working collaboratively and receiving feedback in real time. Together, these tools allow students to move fluidly between written composition and digital production. As students gain confidence and interest in music technology, Joe introduces them to more advanced production tools such as GarageBand and Studio One, giving them a glimpse into professional recording environments and helping them understand how music is produced beyond the classroom.

Joe’s goal is not simply to teach students how to perform music, but to help them think like modern creators. Today’s musicians often operate as composers, producers, engineers, and performers all at once. By integrating technology into his classes, Joe gives students the opportunity to experience that full creative process. Students compose original pieces, collaborate with peers, and experiment with production techniques while learning how historical and theoretical concepts connect to the music they create. Outside of class, this interest in music production once extended into a Music Technology and Production Club, where students gathered during lunch to create songs, explore recording techniques, and learn from one another. While the club is no longer active, it played an important role in building access to hardware, software, and collaborative practices. That foundation is now “baked into” the existing music program, where students continue to create, collaborate, and support one another as part of their regular coursework, reflecting the same kind of shared, studio-like environment that the club originally fostered.

At the same time, Joe is thoughtful about how much technology students are expected to manage. While digital tools can expand creative opportunities, they can also create pressure if students feel they must use every tool available. One of Joe’s biggest challenges is making sure technology enhances learning rather than overwhelming students. Many of his students are highly motivated and eager to try every platform and production technique they encounter. Joe recognizes that this enthusiasm can sometimes lead to burnout if students feel they must keep up with everything at once. For him, thoughtful integration is key. Technology should open doors for creativity and exploration, not overload students simply because the tools exist.

Joe also continues to emphasize the importance of traditional musicianship alongside digital tools. While his classroom includes recording software, MIDI controllers, and collaborative composition platforms, students still engage deeply with instruments and live performance. This balance allows students to understand that technology is not replacing musicianship, but rather expanding the ways music can be created and shared. By blending analog and digital approaches, Joe helps students develop a broader understanding of how music functions both historically and in the modern creative landscape.

Through being recognized as a MassCUE Featured Educator, Joe also had the opportunity to learn more about the organization and its work supporting educators across Massachusetts. He appreciates that MassCUE brings together like-minded educators who are interested in exploring how technology can be used thoughtfully and meaningfully in classrooms. For Joe, these conversations are essential as schools continue to consider how digital tools can best support learning while preparing students for the future. MassCUE creates a space where educators can share ideas, reflect on best practices, and discuss how technology can help students become thoughtful, creative users of the tools that will shape their world.

In Joe Briggs Magnant’s classroom, technology is not simply about efficiency or innovation—it is about expanding what students believe is possible. By giving students the tools to compose, produce, collaborate, and perform, Joe is helping them discover their creative voice while building skills that extend far beyond the music room.

Joe Briggs Magnant is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Music Teacher at Sturgis Public Charter School, an IB For All and National Blue Ribbon School located in Hyannis, MA. He has worked with the Cape Symphony and Conservatory and was the owner of his private instruction company, Baer's Music Service, which was based in Berkeley, CA. In 2016, he published The Guitarist's Palette, a 212-page method book on the relationships between music theory and the guitar fretboard. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music with a focus on performance and education.

As a performer and producer, he's recorded for several independent record labels across the United States and performed at venues including The Great American Music Hall, Club Passim, and the SF Jazz Center. In addition to his own trios and quartets, he was also a member of the Oakland-based R&B/Soul group, The M-Tet (mentioned in It Ain't Retro: Daptone Records & The 21st-Century Soul Revolution).

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