Founded in 1884, the USC Thornton School of Music is one of the oldest operating music institution in Los Angeles and is consistently ranked as one of the best music schools and conservatories in America. Graduates from the school usually find positions with major orchestras, ensembles, music industry firms and recording studios post course completion. The school offers programs in various disciplines, including choral music, classical guitar, jazz studies, keyboard studies, organ studies, popular music, strings, winds & percussion and scoring for motion pictures and televisions. Admissions to most of the institute's programs begin with an audition, which could be either produced live or submitted in a DVD format.
California College of Music, or CCM, believes in mentoring musicians and audio engineers for a career in the music and recording industry. The college offers certificate programs in music, audio engineering and music production and artist development. CCM provides training in a student-centered and intimate environment to aspiring vocalists, audio engineers, instrumentalists, disc jockeys and music producers. The college follows the quarter system, with 11 weeks per quarter. Application guidelines are different for American and foreign applicants. American candidates require a high school diploma or General Education Development test. Foreign candidates, along with a high school diploma, require a passport copy and a current bank statement copy.
Musicians Institute was established in 1981 and is accredited by the National Associations of Schools of Music. The institute offers bachelor's degrees and certificate programs in bass, guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals, audio engineering, guitar craft and film music. The admission requirements for the degrees vary according to the program levels. For the bachelor's degree program, an accredited secondary school program or its equivalent is required along with 3 years of study in primary instruments like guitar, keyboards and drums. The bachelor's degree program also requires keyboard harmony knowledge and music reading ability in bass and treble clef. For the certificate programs, a written application, a written test or recorded audition and prior experience are required.
The Los Angeles Recording School, established in 1985, is an intensive, hands-on recording engineer job-training school. The objective of the institute is to provide the music and recording industry with audio engineers who are trained and taught by industry professionals. The programs at the institute concentrate on music production, digital recording and audio postproduction for film and television. Some of the courses offered at the institute are advanced digital audio, advanced MIDI, advanced recording, digital audio essentials, entertainment business, film sound, introduction to recording arts, Musical Interface Digital Instrument, known as MIDI, music production and sound foundations. MIDI is an electronic language between computers and electronic instruments. For admission, an official high school transcript and basic proficiency in English language are required. Unlike many other music institutes, the Los Angeles Recording School does not require previous experience in music and recording.