College Counseling: Great Schools for Two Year Programs in Music Technology

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Emily Standish, GoLocalPDX College Admissions Coach

Community college programs in music production, audio engineering, and music business attract students who are musicians and aficionados of music, who love the [mostly] digital technology involved in recording and editing.

Trained professionals bring skills and experience with the latest audio production technologies and full understanding of today's music industry. Music technology programs exist in liberal arts colleges, public universities, art schools, and community colleges.

Nearly all programs in music tech provide students with state of the art facilities so that students are ready to operate the most sophisticated equipment when they enter the job market. Here are five programs that award an Associate of Arts degree or a certificate in music technology fields:

American River College, Sacramento, CA

The Associates degree (AA) in Music Recording is a four-semester sequence where students use two recording studios to learn how to operate mixing consoles, outboard signal processors, audio workstations, music software, practice microphone techniques, do remote recordings, and facilitate complete recording sessions.
The Associates degree in Music Business prepares students to enter the music industry in the areas of publishing, entertainment, distribution, marketing, and promotions.
American River College offers both AA degrees and Certificates in both Music Recording and Music Business. AA degree seekers take more credits in general education requirements to prepare to transfer to a four-year university and finish with a Bachelors degree.

Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR

The Music Technology Certificate is a three-term sequence that gives students the skills and knowledge needed to enter the sound and music production industry.
The Associates degree in Digital Media Communications is a six-term sequence that allows students to attain the skills to work in visual effects production, sound mixing and recording, boom operation, post-production sound design, mobile location recording, voice-over work and audio for interactive media.
The Niemeyer Center for Arts and Communications houses recording studios, performance spaces, and equipment for all students to use for music tech projects.

Northwest College, Powell, WY

The Associate of Arts Degree in Music Technology is a four-semester sequence requiring 60 credit hours from a range of general education courses, applied music and music technology courses.
The recording studio allows students to work on the same equipment as professionals in the recording industry, equipped with Vintech and API preamps & compressors, ProTools software, RADAR audio recorder and a Soundcraft console.
Northwest College is part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange, giving students in 15 western states a tuition reduction. Northwest has five residence halls and 80 student apartments.

Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ

The Audio Production Technology program is based on a curriculum emphasizing studio recording, live concert sound, digital audio workstations and electronic music.
Scottsdale CC offers shorter, more focused certificate programs in audio production, disc jockey technique, electronic music, music business, and sound design.
Scottsdale Community College is part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange giving students in 15 western states a tuition reduction.

Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, WA

The Music Technology program offers Associates degrees in Digital Audio Engineering, MIDI Music Production, Merchandising, and Performance.
Shoreline students utilize four main studios and two instructional labs consist of the latest in industry standard hardware and software. Students gain expertise in specific software platforms, such as Digidesign Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer, Propellerheads Reason, and Ableton Live
The music building houses up-to-date analog & digital recording facilities, choir and band rehearsal rooms, individual practice rooms, two computer labs with the latest MIDI and digital audio software and hardware, and a new twenty seat digital piano laboratory.

Other two-year and certificate programs in Music Technology include City College of San Francisco (CA), Globe Insitute of Recording and Production (CA), Long Beach City College (CA), Salt Lake Community College (UT), Santa Fe Community College (NM), Southwestern College (CA), Spokane Falls Community College (WA). For a comprehensive list of domestic and international music production programs, visit the website of the Audio Engineering Society.

Emily Standish is a partner in Portland, Oregon-based College Admission Coach LLC which helps students identify and gain admission to right-fit schools where they will thrive academically and personally. Contact me at [email protected].