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[tt_deeb]

I'm really interested in doing something with music as a career. I'm leaning towards something in audio engineering or music production since I can't play anything terribly well. Eventually I would like to actually make music so I'm also thinking about Music Theory and Composition. I just want to be proficient in the studio and as a songwriter. It doesn't matter to me which I focus on during college. There are so many music subtopics though. First off, what would Music General mainly be? Just a little bit of everything? How important would Music Synthesis be or Acoustics?

What are some colleges you recommend checking out? I know Full Sail is one of the highest rated schools for this type of stuff but they only offer a Bachelor's degree. University of Miami seems to have a good department too. And of course Berklee. I'd prefer to stay somewhere on the East coast somewhere between New York and Florida. All this college stuff has become very overwhelming.

 

[tt_deeb]

Nothing?

 

[brooklyngooner]

My brother is a freelance music producer in Miami. I can ask him specifics if you want. He didn't major in music but took a great deal of theory courses in college (Duke).

 

[placebo]

I attended Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA (the percussion program, so I'm not actually a musician and I actually wound up working there as a live audio engineer -- it eventually curtailed into studio engineering once they built 2 studios to support what was then their new program for recording engineers, but to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it considering your location and all. In hindsight I'd say the school was fairly overrated, but mostly, like many programs, you get out of it what you put in -- so for me it was a great choice (I'm now working more in Television production).

As for engineering as a career choice, it's a tough nut to crack -- a lot of things factor into being good enough to support yourself. It takes time to develop a good reputation that you have a great set of ears and you have to have good people skills as well; patience, and some quasi-psychiatric skills too. I enjoyed it a lot, but I really found that I personally liked doing live audio the best -- something about mixing on the fly and not overthinking this tone or that sound suited me much better. Best of luck and, if you haven't already, you might want to consider ProTools courses as a primer to see how it all feels to you first.

 

[tt_deeb]

<senseless bump> Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to ask my Electronic Music teacher about stuff after the spring break. </senseless bump>

 

[Len Dontree]

Hey tt, I'm currently at FullSail (for Animation, though) so I can try to answer your questions about the school in general...Although I'm only in my second month so far.

For the music biz in general, as placebo says it's tough...It's a relatively small and tight-knit community. Not to sound discouraging, but Nashville, my hometown -- "Music City, USA", famed for studios and "the studio sound" and A-list studio musicians -- is having a hard time, with a lot of high-end studios having trouble or closing down. Home recording is just getting so cheap and flexible now. Of course there will always be a place for a few cream o' the crop facilities for big-budget projects, but you'll really need to stand out to make it in that realm. Really don't want to sound like a downer...Just be serious and tenacious about it if you decide to pursue it.

I gave up the music biz for Computer Animation, which seems to hold many of the same caveats. But it seemed to have more room for growth in the future than the music biz (at least in terms of where I want to go).

 

[Dice]

I'm also interested in any info people might have. I am a musician, I've been good at pretty much any instrument I've touched but haven't stepped up into professional training yet. But I don't feel as much like a performer (even though I sing well), I have a mind for composition and appreciate the art of music so I think I'd want to head more in that direction (unless I find some great guys for a unique band). I also love Jesus and have a lot of experience playing in church and I enjoy it, that "field" is far more open so that may end up being where I settle if life goes that way but I don't want to limit my prospects to that. So yeah, any info on composition stuff would be very useful.

 

[evilromero]

I'm pretty much a full-timer. All I can say is get into a good school and hang out with the professors who instruct digital recording. I'm a musician though, and I do everything myself but I have made a few pieces for motion picture. You basically just have to go out there and get your feet wet.