Schools to Become a Music Producer

McNally Smith College of Music

• McNally Smith College of Music, established in 1985, is in St. Paul, Minnesota. The school prepares students "to engage, adapt, and thrive as leaders of change in music and society," according to its mission statement. It offers a bachelor of science in music (music producer). Courses offered in the bachelor degree program include ear training, digital recording, recording theory and music economics. The school also offers an associate of applied science in music with an emphasis on music production, a one-year recording engineer diploma and a music production minor. The school believes that "inside every great music producer or recording engineer is the heart of a musician" and teaches its music production majors skills in musicianship like keyboard and music theory. School graduates have gone on to tour with the musical "Chicago," start record labels and record with Willie Nelson. Students have access to practice rooms, private teaching studios, digital audio workstations, MIDI labs and recording studios.

  McNally Smith College of Music
  19 Exchange St. East
  St. Paul, MN 55101
  651-291-0177
  mcnallysmith.edu/academics/recordingtech.aspx

Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences

• The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, in Tempe, Arizona, was established as the Academy of Recording Sciences in 1987. The school's mission is "to train students for entry-level positions as audio recording engineers in the audio recording and music industry." Its Master Recording Program II is a 42-week program consisting of 30 weeks on campus and 12 in internship. Courses offered in the program include audio recording and production, digital recording, music business and sound reinforcement. The school offers equipment certification in Pro Tools and Apple Logic Pro. Guest lecturers include music industry manufacturers, recording professionals and studio managers. Students have access to eight recording studios and six labs with 46 workstations and each student receives a laptop with a microphone, headphones and top-of-the-line music software.

  Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
  2300 E. Broadway Road
  Tempe, AZ 85282
  480-858-0764
  audiorecordingschool.com

California College of Music

• The California College of Music is in Pasadena, California. According to the school's website, students in the music production program develop the skills necessary "to engineer, record, edit, mix, and master musical performances with the highest possible audio quality." The Engineering and Music Production program is a certificate program. Classes offered include history of recording and the science of sound, microphone techniques, mixing and foundations of MIDI programming. The school's faculty has worked with big names in music such as Janet Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Outkast, Beyonce, Phil Collins and Michael Jackson. Students have access to a 48-track Pro Tools-ready recording studio, a piano studio, MIDI studio, music technology lab and several practice rooms.

  California College of Music
  42 Catalina Ave.
  Pasadena, CA 91106
  626-577-1751
  ccmcollege.com