What's it like to teach Max/MSP to high schoolers?

Will Kuhn posts about the importance of teaching routing and object-based programming via the music application Max/MSP

http://willkuhn.com/2012/04/15/whats-it-like-to-teach-maxmsp-to-high-schoolers/

"High schoolers can learn “advanced” music tech stuff, so long as you’re willing to learn it yourself and teach it to them.  I’ve had multiple students over the years contact me during college thanking me for teaching them patching.  Why?  Either they’re in a music tech class and already know how to do the advanced stuff, or they’re in an engineering class using Matlab or something else extremely similar to Live.  Others who go into computer science are basically familiar with logic routing and object oriented programming concepts.

In an age where music classes don’t usually apply to the “applicable” world for most students, stuff like this is an awesome experience to give your students."

I would like to point out that MSU has a music technology course that teaches basic Max/MSP programming, and it is an invaluable skill when mastered. It is my hope that the music program continues to allow this division to grow.

I feel Mr. Kuhn has a great point -- teaching advanced concepts to high schoolers is the same thing as teaching it to anyone. We may use different examples or vocabulary while teaching it, but the concepts remain the same. Educators need to get past thinking "it's just too difficult for my students" to "how can I make this less difficult for my students to comprehend?"

In an age where school is becoming less and less valuable, and college undergrads as my self are graduating with a 50% jobless rate, we need to rethink public schooling before the bubble bursts. I think engineering, and these more practical and hands-on approaches to our subjects are a step in the right direction.