A good music school should be able to provide individual access to a number of industry-standard digital music editors. If you come across a school that's offering a production-based course, you should be concerned if they don't have multiple licenses for one, if not all, of the following programs: Cubase, Pro Tools, Reason, Live, Sound Forge and Waves. A modern music course should contain at least a module on getting to grips with an advanced digital audio editor.
If a music school doesn't have a fully-equipped professional studio, it should provide each student with access to a computer powerful enough to easily run the audio editors it uses as part of its courses and a good "plug and play" USB MIDI keyboard. There should also be access to a soundproofed area and the technology and hardware necessary to record and mix live vocals and instrumentation.
Even if a school is running courses exclusively dealing with digital music, it should have a selection of live instruments that students can use when putting compositions together and learning how to mix and master. An important aspect of modern music production is the ability to combine traditional analogue instruments with newer digital technology.
Not only will a good music school employ tutors that have vast experience in the area they teach, it should also look to invite a series of guest speakers to share their theoretical and practical knowledge with its students. These might be behind-the-scenes technicians or higher profile DJs and remixers. Students should also receive a solid grounding in the business side of the industry and networking.