There are a growing number of music production schools around the world, each offering various levels of certification. From music producer to sound engineer and from studio assistant to sound designer, there are numerous career paths available to one who wishes to study music production. The courses and certification offered by these four schools are consistent with what is offered by other music production schools worldwide. This can give prospective students a glimpse of what to expect.
Certification Offered by Schools for Music Production
There are several levels of training available for people who wish to study music production. Several universities and colleges throughout the world offer degree or diploma programs in music production.
For instance, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers degree programs focusing on music technology, microcomputer applications in music and audio technology. The University of Newcastle in Australia offers a Graduate Certificate in Music Technology. Berklee College of Music offers online college courses, including a Master Certificate, Professional Certificate and Specialist Certificate in music production.
Technical institutes offer diploma and certificates shorter diploma and certificate music production programs. Pacific Audio Visual Institute offers diploma programs in audio engineering and production, film and music business, game design and 3D animation and finally, film and digital arts.
In addition to full-time courses, Alchemea in the UK offers weekend courses and short courses for those aspiring to enter the music industry or for industry professionals who wish to brush up on their skills. Some of the full-time programs offered at Alchemea are Studio Assistant Certificate and the Diploma in Studio and Live Sound Engineering.
What is Taught in Music Production Courses
Courses in music production involve both classroom lectures and hands-on training. Students enrolled will have the opportunity to work not just on digital audio workstations but they will work in world-class recording studios with state-of-the-art audio consoles.
Students will learn about the various stages in music production, starting with pre-production. This involves everything from booking studio time, hiring musicians and sound engineers to coming up with an overall vision for the project and establishing a comfortable environment that fosters creativity.
The courses also cover various recording, mixing and mastering techniques, as well as other tasks involved with post-production. Some of the popular sound recording programs they will use include Pro Tools, Ableton Live, SONAR, Reason and Logic. Students will also study sound design as well as sound reinforcement.
As with any academic program, prospective students should do their research prior to applying for a course on music production or sound engineering. Students can attain a better understanding of the field by reading about the careers in music production. They can obtain curriculum details and application information by visiting the websites of various schools for music production. Another useful information gathering technique is to conduct informational interviews with industry professionals in music production.
Rhona-Mae Arca - Rhona-Mae is a Registered Music Teacher. She has an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, B.A. (Music) and ...
