Here’s a sound idea: Amarillo College’s School of Creative Arts has developed a new Mass Media certificate program with an emphasis on the Recording Arts.

The new certificate program, available at AC this fall, will focus on all aspects of sound engineering. Students will engage in hands-on activities that prepare them to create, record, edit and mix music or sound for film, video, broadcasting or live events.

Students who enroll in the program also will receive instruction in Pro Tools, a digital software composing/editing program created by Avid Technology and considered the industry standard audio-production platform. It will be the sort of training that can lead to a résumé-building certification in Pro Tools.

And because AC is the only Avid Learning Partner in the Panhandle, anyone interested in just the Pro Tools training can get it solely online through AC’s Continuing Education (CE) Division at www.actx.edu/ce or www.actx.edu/music/protools. CE students can set their own pace and will find that Pro Tools offerings are far more affordable through AC than just about anywhere else, roughly one-fifth the cost of some providers.

But those on the certificate track, in addition to experiencing a more hands-on, project-based approach to Pro Tools mastery, also will engage in a mix of established Mass Media courses and four new classes being orchestrated by AC’s Department of Music: two in audio engineering, and a pair of live-sound workshops.

Program participants will receive opportunities to contribute to the operation of both AC’s 100,000-watt radio station, FM90, and its public television station, Panhandle PBS. They will spend time in video-production studios with live web-streaming, audio-editing and broadcast facilities, and state-of-the-art computer labs.
 
As a result, those earning the certificate might use it as a stepping stone to an associate degree or a springboard to gainful employment wherever the recording arts are in demand – from the expansive and multi-faceted music and entertainment industries to social media, video games, advertising and much more. 

“The certificate is designed to prepare students for the real world of audio,” said Scott Beckett, instructor of music, band director, and recording arts coordinator at AC. “We will do everything from running cables and setting up live sound to recording, mixing and editing sound.

“It needs to be practical so students will know exactly what they are doing when they get into an actual studio. There will be internship opportunities. I think it will be a fun and valuable certificate to pursue.”

For additional information about the new Mass Media certificate program with an emphasis on the Recording Arts, contact Scott Beckett at rsbeckett@actx.edu, or Jill Gibson, associate dean of the School of Creative Arts, at jlgibson@actx.edu.

To learn more about presently ongoing opportunities to take Pro Tools training online through the Continuing Education Division  – start with Pro Tools Fundamentals 1 at a cost of $335, then Pro Tools Fundamentals 2 for $380 (for Avid Certified User License) – call (806) 371-2900.

June 3, 2016