Josh Ottum, Ph.D.
EDUCATION
Ph.D Interdisciplinary Arts
Ohio University, Athens, OH April 2016
MFA Music
UC Irvine, Irvine, CA June 2012
B.A. Psychology, B.A. Music
Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA June 2000
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professor, Commercial Music; Program Director
Bakersfield College, Bakersfield, CA August 2015-Present
- Have managed and maintained recording studio; spearheaded successful CTE program in an economically underserved area, worked with students one-one-one in supportive environment
- 3-year interdisciplinary NEH grant: Energizing Humanities in California’s San Joaquin Valley is a $100,000, three-year grant project from interdisciplinary humanities perspectives promoting cultural competency in humanities instruction at Bakersfield College.
- Developed 7-course Commercial Music CTE Certificate of Achievement; authored program-related low-cost textbook
Instructor
Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA February 2015-June 2015
- Worked with students one-on-one and in groups; articulated career goals in supportive setting
- Develop assignments and lead exercises with Finale music notation software and Cubase
- Lectures on history of electronic music and relationship to commercial music
Instructor
Ohio University, Athens, OH August 2012-December 2014
- Interdisciplinary Arts courses designed for undergraduate students
- Taught 30-175 students
- Used multiple online teaching tools including Blackboard, MyArtsLab, Prezi, and Tumblr
Teaching Assistant
UC Irvine, Irvine, CA September 2010-June 2012
- Instructor and designer of “Computer Music Composition” course which included basics of digital and analog audio, synthesis, microphone techniques, and extensive use of ProTools and Reason
- “Music Theory II,” “Introduction to Music,” “Music and Computers,” and “Beatles and the 60s”
- Promoted success by regularly meeting with students in individually and in groups to facilitate learning
Graduate Student Teaching Intern
CCC Internship Program, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA September 2011-May 2012
- Facilitated MIDI labs
- Lectures on technology and careers
- Participated in teaching workshops offered by the college
Graduate Research Assistant
California State Summer School for Math and Science (COSMOS), UC Irvine, Irvine, CA July 2011
- Taught basics of audio synthesis, microphone techniques, and MIDI
- Designed projects for students to produce music in Logic
- Provided individualized instruction
Case Manager
Elderhealth Northwest (now Full Life Care), Seattle, WA August 2000-June 2003
- Managed and cared for clients in memory care are at Adult Day Health Center
- Duties included: keeping records, meeting one-on-one with clients, assisting w/ hygiene
- Created therapeutic songwriting workshops, performed/supported clients
Co-Director/Music Faculty
Music Works Northwest, Kirkland, WA August 2002-June 2010
- Taught private and group instruction for guitar, electric bass, songwriting, computer music production
- Spearheaded a summer program for commercial music ensembles and recording
- Participated in community outreach through visits to local elementary and high schools
Internship in Psychology
Oceanside Day Center, Oceanside, CA June 1999-August 1999
- Led songwriting workshops and performances
SELECTED GRANTS, AWARDS, TRAININGS
- Distance Education Training Course, KCCD 2026
- ZTC OER Grant 2022-23
- CTE Goes Online Grant 2019
- NEH Energizing the Humanities Grant ($100,000) 2017
- Logic Pro Certificate 2017
- Pyramind ProTools Certificate 2017
- Levan Humanities Summer Research Grant 2017
- UCLA Internationalization of Curriculum Award 2016
- Faculty Entrepreneurship Champion mini-grant ($7500) 2016
- New Faculty Development Grant, Bakersfield College 2016
- Seigfred Award for Teaching Excellence, Ohio University 2014
- Medici Scholars Award, University of California, Irvine 2011
- Short-Term Thayer Research Fellowship, UCLA Library, Special Collections 2011
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
- 2019 “Compost Listening: Vaporwave and the Dissection of Record Production.” In Perspectives on Music Production: Producing Music.
London: Routledge.
- 2019 “Between Two Worlds.” In MUSICultures, special issue: Ecologies.
- 2017 “Listening to Oil.” In Levan Humanities Review: Vol.4, Issue 1,
2017.
- 2016 “California Scenario.” In Noise and Silence, special issue Urban/Rural, Issue 2.
- 2014 “Sounds Like Garbage: Paddling through an imaginary island of trash
toward a new sonic ecology.” In Social Alternatives, special issue on
Music, Politics, and Environment, edited by Tony Mitchell, Vol. 33,
Number 1 (2014): 52-59. Required reading for Dept. of History
undergraduate class at U of Michigan entitled “Trashed!: A History of Garbage in the Modern World.”
- 2013 “Sounding Boards and Sonic Styles: The Music of the Skatepark.” In
Sounding Out! Blog, July 29, 2013. Part of series Sound and Sport. http://soundstudiesblog.com/2013/07/29/sounding-boards-and-sonic-styles-the-music-of-the-skatepark/
- 2013 “Nonsensical Connections: Kurt Rosenwinkel’s ‘The Polish Song’.” In International Association for the Study of Popular Music, US Branch website, May 22, 2013. Part series Stop Making Sense: The Unintelligible in Popular Song. http://iaspm-us.net/stop-making-sense-ottum/
SELECTED AUDIO FOR TELEVISION, RADIO, FILM, AND MEDIA
The Voice (NBC), College Basketball (CBS) 2014
Freakonomics Radio (WNYC), American Pickers (History Channel) 2013
My Life as Liz (MTV) 2010
All for Melissa (Independent Film, Hawaii International Film Festival) 2009
Alphabet Air, Letters A to Z, and Numbers (sound design and music for iPhone applications) 2008
Mad Men (AMC) 2007
SELECTED PERFORMANCES and RECORDINGS
Performances as Solo Artist
Variety of venues throughout Central Coast and Central Valley 2015-present
Melodica Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland August 2011
Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg, Germany September 2006/2011
La Fleche d’Or, Paris, France September 2006
Performances as Guitarist
Alexi Murdoch (Warner Brothers), U.S. tour, venues included El Rey Theater, LA July 2009
Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian), U.S. tour supporting Stereolab, venues: Fillmore West, Troubadour, Seagerstrom Center for the Arts Summer 2008
Rosie Thomas (Sub Pop), West Coast tour, venues: Town Hall, Seattle and Largo, LA December 2009
Recordings as Solo Artist (all music available here: https://joshottum.bandcamp.com/)
Josh Ottum Sampler Vol.1-3, sprawling 30 album project to be released over 3 years 2026-29
Objects in Mirror), full band recording with Peter Sprague, etc 2026
One Note Chord, duo recording with renowned guitarist Peter Sprague 2026
Library (self-released), collection of 208 songs across genre 2022
Ecotones (self-released) 2022
Domestic Vibes, featuring Sean Collins, recorded with Chris Schlarb (Mark Ribot, etc) 2023
Edge Effects (Big Ego Records) 2022
California Scenario 2019
Smart/dumb (self-released), fully notated, string and percussion ensemble, Van Dyke Parks 2012
Watch TV (Tapete Records), features members of The Black Keys and The Shins 2011
Like The Season (Mill Pond Records/Tapete Records/Cheap Lullaby Records), NPR and MTV 2009
Recordings as Session Guitarist
Songs for Parents by Rosie Thomas, features The Shins 2019
Psychic Temple II by Chris Schlarb (Asthmatic Kitty), features Sufjan Stevens, Mars Volta 2011
Other People’s Songs by Damien Jurado (Sub Pop) and Richard Swift (Polyvinyl) 2010
Curse Your Branches by David Bazan (Barsuk Records) 2009
Josh Ottum 