Recording Arts Education, in Brief
By Sarah Jones
|
So you want to land a job in that glamorous industry, the recording
biz. You're dying to break in, and you're ready to take the important
first step--learning the ropes.
Or maybe you're already in the industry and you'd like to advance your
career by enhancing your skills or learning some new technology. Maybe
you're considering a career change. Or perhaps you're just feeling
nostalgic for your old side rule. At any rate, recording arts school is
on your horizon.
There's only one problem. Okay, two problems: time and money. How do
you train for your dream job without giving up your current one? What
do you do when you want to go to school but you're not realistically
able to move across the country, or invest years of your life and tens
of thousands of dollars on a recording arts school education?
Well, there are hundreds of programs out there designed just for you.
Whether you have an hour, a summer or a semester to spare, short-term
recording arts programs can provide a comprehensive, sometimes intense,
hands-on learning experience tailored to your schedule and pocketbook.
If you're new to the recording industry, you may be looking for a way
to jump in and get some practical recording experience right away. Jimi
Petulla, president of Music Connection, says his program was designed
to solve the age-old problem of "no experience." In the Music
Connection program (a Broadcast Connection program is offered for those
looking for careers in radio), students who pass an admission interview
are enrolled in an on-the-job training program in which a student is
assigned one-on-one to a mentor at a recording facility. A percentage
of the tuition goes to the mentor (usually a chief engineer or studio
owner), who is required to take the individual through the Music
Connection's recording arts school program and evaluate his/her
progress through periodic testing--insurance that the student will
receive audio (not coffee machine) recording training in the studio.
Students can arrange to intern days, nights or weekends, depending on
the studio scheduling. Instructional text and tapes are included in the
tuition, and all Music Connection graduates receive seven years of job
placement assistance.