This is a list of resources that are available, whether you are just starting on your path to working in professional audio or you are wishing to expand your current skills. SoundGirls does not endorse any of the programs and strongly encourages you to consider the quality, amount of hands-on experience, and placement rates. There are many programs that offer certificates and degrees. This list will be expanding so check back often.
Do I Really Need to Go to School
But, Do I Really Need to Go to School
Should You Go to School for Audio Engineering?
Educational Programs Overview
Certificate programs often include audio technology and audiovisual systems, In addition, they should cover local area networks, microcomputer software, and information technology.
Associate of Science degrees in communication and broadcasting technology. These programs will have general education requirements and should include industry-wide topics like broadcast journalism and management, audio and television production, and broadcasting. Look for opportunities for hands-on instruction in radio or television production, and the equipment should be up to date meeting current industry standards. You should also consider programs that provide internships.
Programs for Girls and Kids
The Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York – Girls participate in digital photography, video production and editing, audio engineering/sound design, and graphic design programs.
Girls Rock Camp Alliance – Girls Rock Camps help girls build self-esteem and find their voices through unique programming that combines music education and performance, empowerment and social justice workshops, positive role models, and collaboration and leadership skill-building. The GRCA supports camps around the globe in this mission.
Modesto Sound empowers youth to create music and artistic media through access to internships, industry experts, access to professional equipment, and mentors. Offering recording classes and job training
The Fifty One In week-long camps, girls will learn the technical skills to start their own band and record music at home. Camp is open to beginners, musicians, singers, and even those with no musical experience who have an interest in audio and live music production.
Beats By Girlz Is a non-traditional, creative, and educational music technology curriculum, collective, and community template designed to empower females to engage with music technology. We provide young women with the guidance, access, tools, and role-support to develop their interest (and ultimately their ability to pursue career opportunities) in music production, composition, and engineering. We are working towards gender equity in a field where women are highly underrepresented and strive to help other groups mobilize and create similar change in their own communities
Seminars
Dave Rat: FOH Engineer for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Owner/Founder of Rat Sound Systems Inc. offers in-depth seminars covering a wide range of audio. He also shares his knowledge and tips.
Robert Scovill: 30+-year professional audio veteran and FOH engineer for Rush, Tom Petty, and many more offers seminars at The Complete FOH Engineer.
Online Training Courses
Mixing Music Live – Learn the fundamentals and beyond of mixing Live Sound, even if you’ve never touched a soundboard. Mixing live sound isn’t hard but doing it right and doing it well can be unless you understand the principles behind it.
- What are the principles essential to achieving great sound?
- It doesn’t matter if you are mixing live music in a club, a church band/choir, a theatrical event or a handful of talking heads at a convention, these basic principles apply to all.
- Mixing Music Live is an online video course for Live Sound and Mixing.
The Production Academy – Explore what The Production Academy has to offer with our two free courses on the fundamentals – they’re a great way to start building your live music production knowledge.
SoundChannel online training in music production and the recording arts! Are you an aspiring music producer, recording engineer, live sound engineer or sound designer?
Get a jump-start on your career with essential training at SoundChannel!
SoundChannel Training Library features:
- Animated, interactive e-textbooks that include audio examples, video demonstrations, DIY projects and quizzes so you can test your own progress.
- College-level content created by award-winning college professors and seasoned industry professionals. Used by colleges across the country.
- Resource library that delves deep into the science and electronics of sound and audio gear.
- Self-paced, unlimited access online 24/7.
- Affordable.
SoulSound is a leading audio resource center for audio engineers, curated and delivered by live and studio audio professionals.
Berklee College of Music offers a degree in Music Production and Engineering. Geared toward studio work but giving a good background in theory and general knowledge about mixing which transfers to live sound.
Coursera offers free online courses including Fundamentals in Music Engineering and others c/o Berkleemusic.com
Lynda.com: Basic yet fairly comprehensive audio engineering tutorials (plus a range of other subjects)
Envato Tuts+: Online community-based music production and audio engineering tutorials
Online Certification
The Dante Certification Program provides an easy way for system designers, engineers, and others in the industry to learn about Dante with in-depth training and promote their expertise. The certification program demonstrates your Dante proficiency to potential employers and clients. The certification program currently has two levels, but the goal is to add additional levels, as well as specializations by industry role in the future.
Colleges and Trade Schools
The 15 Best Music Business Schools In 2017
Sound Recording Program at City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco offers several certificates and degrees in Broadcast Electronic Media Arts (BEMA). Including certificates in Sound Recording Arts, Live Sound, Broadcast, Sound Design, Post Production, Audio and Video for the Web, Multimedia Journalism, Film, Television, and Electronic Media. They also offer an AV Tech Certificate program.
Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences is a private technical college offering pro-level training for careers in audio recording, live sound, film & TV, music, and video games.
Los Angeles Recording School a division of The Los Angeles Film School, offers classes and workshops taught by industry professionals who are dedicated to passing their knowledge and techniques on to the next generation of audio professionals.
Full Sail offers courses in music production, music, concerts, film, video games, design, animation, or web development. In addition, they offer courses in the entertainment business and internet marketing. Full Sail offers Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s Degrees. Online courses are available.
Academy of Art University The Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media program offers a unique collaborative environment for music composition and sound production with an emphasis on industry-standard production technologies for the ever-expanding world of visual media. They offer online degrees as well.
Sound Haven offers a variety of classes, ranging from basic to advanced programs, to aid in a student’s development as a top-trained audio engineer. The programs are designed to be affordable, hand’s on, and practical in their training. Students who excel through the audio engineering classes will be well prepared to step into a career in audio engineering.
Master Mix Live will provide a LIVE audio program for the student that is interested in being a Live Audio Engineer and not wanting to spend two to four years on getting a degree and having to take other non-related subjects to get there.
Karen Kane’s audio engineering classes are located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The classes are taught in a professional studio with state-of-the-art equipment. There are 5 courses plus one-on-one intensives, starting with the fundamentals of audio to recording and mixing full bands.
Pacific Conservatory Theatre’ a two-year Technical Theatre program encompasses all areas of technical theatre. The training models professional standards and practices through a master/apprentice approach. Students participate through invitation and advance based on demonstrated growth of skills and professionalism
Pinnacle College Offers small classes, hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, and a curriculum that balances academic lectures and practical workshops in professional studios.
Capital University provides a 4-year liberal arts education with two Music Technology degree options: Bachelor of Music (audition required) or a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology (no audition required; optional liberal arts minor available). In both cases, the music technology classes are identical.
North Seattle College Audio Certificate Program
Both in-person and online courses for this one-year program are available; you can also choose to take individual courses throughout the year. 4 quarters with courses in mixing, recording, production, and post. We will especially emphasize the history of women in audio and music during the program. Hands-on experience will be available at Earwig Studio in Seattle.
The Recording Connection Audio Institute offers an Intensive, hands-on, in-studio course for audio engineering and music producing and offers several locations.
SAE LA currently offers three courses: the signature audio program that trains for careers in the music and post-production industries.
Synergestic Audio Concepts offers a variety of web-based and in-person audio training as well as a wealth of audio information.
The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, OH offers training in music, audio, and sound production. Their core program is 5 weeks long, while geared more towards the studio it offers a good background in theory, signal flow, and troubleshooting which applies to live sound as well.
Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH offers a Recording Arts and Technology program as well as a two-year Assoc. degree in Audio. Courses are also offered in all forms of music business and entertainment. Scholarships available, affordable credit hours, and a proven track record of successful employment.
New England School of Communications (NESCom) at Husson University, located in picturesque Bangor, Maine, offers one of the only four-year degrees in live sound on the planet. The program, which culminates in a Bachelors of Science in Live Sound Technology, melds academic instruction in audio, electronics, and music, with hands-on training in mixing, system optimization, and event management.
Britannia Row Production Training – Britannia Row Productions is one of the top live sound companies in the world. This has been achieved by having some of the very best engineers and technicians. Training has always been central to their ethos. As an employer, Britannia Row Productions have always known that college and university courses still do not fully cater for our particular niche.
The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. The Bachelor of Music in Recording Arts and Sciences, a unique double-degree program, is known as the American counterpart to the European Tonmeister training program. The Peabody/Hopkins degree combines the courses and performance requirements of Peabody’s Bachelor of Music Program along with special courses in the Recording Arts and Sciences. The relevant electrical engineering, math, science, and computer courses are taken at the Whiting School of Engineering of Johns Hopkins University. Students in the Recording Arts and Sciences degree program receive extensive practical experience through an internal work-study program – which compensates students as staff engineers in our professional recording studios, responsible for engineering over 1000 live recordings and studio sessions each year – and an external internship taken after the third year. Students have earned their internship credits at recording studios, video game production companies, National Public Radio. acoustical consulting firms, audiovisual engineering design firms, and summer music festivals such as Tanglewood and Brevard.
Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) provides training in the recording arts and audio technology in a world-class recording studio with award-winning women instructors. WAM creates an environment that encourages over 200 young women a year to become recording engineers, music producers and media makers and to enter a “non-traditional” field. They also offer online training and a library.
International
producer Program Popkollos producer program is for girls and trans people over 20 years ( rec. Of age ) who are active in music production and want to deepen and develop together with others. The program does not require any specific prerequisites, but it does not apply to beginners, but to people who have already begun to produce to some extent and want to move on. The producer of the product is already familiar with one or more music programs (DAW) and is interested in developing yourself in the role of music producer. Based in Sweden.
dBs Music based in Plymouth, UK, offers music production training in the UK. Various diplomas and degrees available.
Britannia Row’s Live Sound Technology Course provides a short-cut entry path into the live sound industry.
SSR offers courses in music, film, audio, and gaming.
Alchemea, located in London UK, Alchemea specializes in sound engineering and music production
The Business Side
UCLA Extension Programs offer courses in sound engineering and business programs, such as tour accounting.
The Musicians Institute offers a wide variety of degrees and areas of concentration in the field of contemporary music.