February to April is tapping season – and on campus at Maple Tree Studios, it’s sweet music notes that are flowing. The studio’s walls and ceilings are the same, but everything else about the space, including having space, is new.

 

Maple Tree’s current aesthetic is cozy, with inviting lighting and leather furniture to settle into between sets. The clutter disappeared with the move of the editing and recording booth into a recently repurposed storage room. “I like how it looks now, and it means more functionality,” says Phan. “And we have a wish list,” he says, which include soundproofing upgrades and filling the studio with the necessary tools to meet everyone’s needs.

Phan’s path to Maple Tree began by taking a sound recording class that led to an interest in sound production. During his junior year studying abroad at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, he had the opportunity to work with resources that advanced his skills in audio production, music recording, sound design for screen, and broadcasting.

Kingsbury, a jazz pianist, first used Maple Tree Studios as a musician, and then took Introduction to Editing and Recording. When the opportunity to take on the role of audio engineer became available, this hands-on experience working in a real music studio was the best next step. “My strengths are creative. I’m good at identifying how to get certain sounds and how to operate a mix,” said Kingsbury. “I have a good ear.”

Kingsbury’s good ear learned quickly to use coconuts as horse hooves and other sound effects while supporting the large cast of the audio drama The Beach House, a Beloit Independent Theatre Experience (BITE) production. Accustomed to setting up mics and walking band members through the recording process, Kingsbury celebrates managing The Beach House from Maple Tree Studios to distribution on YouTube as a major success and unique experience in managing a large cast vocal recording and editing.

Phan and Kingsbury acknowledge it’s an exciting time in their position – from orchestrating a group’s editing vision to opening the doors for practice sessions – and it’s one that requires a lot of troubleshooting. Phan supports a livestream music collaboration every third Friday, a first, that includes performances, a live mixer, navigating the specific technical issues that arise, and dealing with them in real time. “I have to be nimble, at the top of my game,” he says. Phan plans to do freelance with sound design with the creativity and finesse he’s building.

 “The studio is a great resource both for making music and just having a space for people to get together and jam,” said Finn Waterman ’26, station manager at the campus radio station WBCR.

Students are introduced to the space and tools through classes, and then Kingsbury and Phan take it from there.

“Last semester, I used Maple Tree Studios to record voice acting for an animation. Directing it was a blast, and everyone I was working with had a great time!” said Ellie Anderson ’28.

The future of Maple Tree Studios is golden, full of flavor and intensity, as more student-led projects, from PART and media studies, as well as across campus, understand how accessible the resource is. Kingsbury and Phan believe the studio will continue to strengthen the music community at Beloit College. Their message to their fellow students: If you are trying to elevate your production, Maple Tree Studios is a great place, academic or personal, to enhance creative elements, voices, music, and acting. Resources like CELEB are here for a reason!