The pursuit of a career in music is rewarding, but can only be done by those who possess a passion for it. Although there are many universities with music programs, only a few have earned excellent reputations as Music education leaders. This article provides an overview of music production public schools in denver co.
Read on to learn more about the music production schools, music production schools colorado, music production schools denver, university of colorado music production, and university of denver music production. You can get related articles on CollegeLearners.
About denver music production
A CRAS education gets you “in the Denver mix” quickly and without a mountain of debt so you can pursue your passion and begin a career.
Our program provides the education you need to succeed in the fast-paced, challenging world of audio recording and sound engineering in Denver.
If you’re looking for an education that can give you the knowledge and skills to start a career in the Denver audio recording industry, then all you need to do is [BE]CRAS!
CRAS students have begun their careers at many Denver facilities.
n A.A.S. degree in Recording Arts Technology puts you in the workforce quickly. Students build digital literacy skills in audio recording, digital editing, audio production, audio post production, live sound engineering, and film, theater, and video sound production.
Recording Arts Technology degree: See required courses and descriptions.
Offered at Larimer Campus only.
Music Degree
A.A. in Music
60 credits
(4 semesters)
You can earn an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree with Music designation at FRCC and transfer as a junior to Colorado public four-year schools.
A.A. Degree in Music: See required courses and descriptions.
Offered at Larimer campus only.
Transfer Options
With this A.A. Music degree you can enter as a junior majoring in Music at the following four-year schools:
Adams State University
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Fort Lewis College
Metropolitan State University of Denver
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
University of Northern Colorado
Western State Colorado University
See more about transferring.
Recording Arts Certificates
Foundations of Recording Arts Technology
11 credits
(2 semesters)
This certificate introduces students to sound engineering. It’s ideal for elementary and secondary music teachers who need to learn about recording arts technology/sound engineering. The program is designed for students who are working full-time and/or attending school part-time. All credits can be applied to the Recording Arts Technology certificate.
Foundations of Recording Arts certificate: See required courses and descriptions.
Offered at Larimer & Westminster campuses only.
Recording Arts Technology
28 credits
(2 semesters)
This certificate program prepares students to work in the music industry. Students learn digital literacy skills, including audio recording, digital editing, audio production and post production, live sound engineering, and film, theater and video sound production.
Recording Arts Technology certificate: See required courses and descriptions.
Offered at Larimer & Westminster campuses only.
What You Will Learn
Upon completion of the program students will be able to:
Create high quality audio recordings and live production mixes, which demonstrate proper microphone selection and placement, plus signal flow and processing.
Recognize the best practices of effective production in a range of genres of music in both MIDI and non-MIDI environments.
Apply fundamental knowledge of digital recording electronics and operation of a minimum of two contemporary audio recording and processing Digital Audio Workspace (DAW) software such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Ableton Live.
Demonstrate an understanding of the history and aesthetics of electronic music through practical application of basic digital audio theory, the processes of music synthesis and audio effects.
Evaluate merits of recording outcomes through development of critical listening with an understanding of technical goals and aesthetic considerations appropriate for multiple genres.
Demonstrate an understanding of the process of multi-media content delivery.
Identify different audio career paths and the skills necessary to be successful in the varied career paths in the audio industry.
Develop fundamental entrepreneurial skills, including an online presence and a basic promotional strategy adaptive to market demands.
Recording Arts Jobs & Annual Salaries
Entry Average Experienced
Sound Engineering Technician $33,685
$58,965
$71,605
Broadcast Technician $36,942
$60,818
$72,756
Colorado Dept. of Labor & Employment, 2021
MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM – MUSIC PRODUCER
The Community College of Aurora offers two degrees in the field of Music and Entertainment Entrepreneurship: Music Performer and Music Producer.
Music and Entertainment Entrepreneurship: Music Producer (AAS Degree)
Program Description: The AAS degree in Music and Entertainment Entrepreneurship (Music Producer) at the Community College of Aurora prepares you to start your own business as a music producer or to work in a variety of entry-level music production careers. This two-year degree also helps prepare you to continue your education at specialized music schools or four-year universities. With access to the latest technology, live performances, studio sessions, and music business strategies, you’ll learn from industry professionals through instruction, hands-on experiences, collaboration, and professional networking.
Estimated Program Cost for In-state Residents
$9,186 plus books and supplies
Entry Level Salary for Music Producers: $32,580 a year
Program Length and Courses Necessary – 60 Credits
General Education Requirements
ENG 121 English Composition I (GT-CO1) or higher
ENG 122 English Composition II (GT-CO2) or higher
COM 125 Interpersonal Communication
MAT 120 Mathematics for Liberal Arts: (GTMA1) or higher
PSY 101 General Psychology I (GT-SS3) or higher
Music and Entertainment Entrepreneurship Common Core
MUS 107 Entrepreneurial Artistry Development for Musicians
MUS 163 Music Audio Production I
MUS 164 Music Audio Production II
MUS 167 Music Business I
MUS 169 Project Management for Musicians
MUS 263 Music Publishing
MUS 267 Music Marketing Strategies
Producer Emphasis
MUS 100 Introduction to Music Theory I
MUS 110 Music Theory I
MUS 112 Ear Training/Sight Singing Lab I
MUS 141 Private Instruction
MUS 168 Audio Post Production I
MUS 261 Advanced Music Audio Production
MUS 262 Developing a Producer’s Ear
MUS 265 Live Audio Engineering
MUS 268 Audio Post Production II
Music Producer Certificate
This certificate program will prepare students for entry-level work or to launch a new music entertainment audio business and/or career. Topics range from audio production to music business to music-making. Students will have access to current tech and hands-on experiences.
Estimated Program Cost for In-State Residents
$6,743 plus books and supplies
Program Length and Courses Necessary – 44 Credits
Music and Entertainment Entrepreneurship Common Core – 21 credits
MUS 107 Entrepreneurial Artistry Development for Musicians
MUS 163 Music Audio Production I
MUS 164 Music Audio Production II
MUS 167 Music Business I
MUS 169 Project Management for Musicians
MUS 263 Music Publishing
MUS 267 Music Marketing Strategies
Producer Emphasis – 23 credits
MUS 100 Introduction to Music Theory 1
MUS 110 Music Theory I
MUS 112 Ear Training/Sight Singing Lab I
MUS 141 Private Instruction
MUS 168 Audio Post Production I
MUS 261 Advanced Music Audio Production
MUS 262 Developing a Producer’s Ear
MUS 265 Live Audio Engineering
MUS 268 Audio Post Production II
At Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, students learn their trade through hands-on exposure to state-of-the-art technology. For those working towards a degree in audio engineering and sound production, that means collaborating with students in other programs within the Jacobs School.
IU puts students behind the boards in its studios and performance venues, recording, mixing, and producing productions from the media school, the department of theatre, drama, and contemporary dance, and more.
In addition to this multidisciplinary learning, students also have access to several centers to explore the artistry of their trade. In the Center for Electronic and Computer Music, students gain theoretical training in producing electronic and multimedia compositions. The Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature focuses on gathering, researching, and disseminating of documents relevant to the history of musical thought.
- UMass Lowell (Lowell, MA)
UMass Lowell
Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons
The University of Massachusetts Lowell prides itself on the state-of-the-art technology it provides students in its sound recording technology program. With both theoretical and practical training, Umass Lowell prepares students for a range of careers in music, media, and technology.
The school achieves this goal by combining studies in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and advanced mathematics, with formal studies in music and courses in the technology of recording.
Students get hands-on experience with professional equipment in diverse performance spaces around the campus, under the watch of the school’s experienced faculty. Teachers include program chair Dr. Gena R. Greher, who pioneered combinations of technology and music to work with emotionally disturbed students and their teachers at a New York City public school.
Assistant professor Elissa Johnson-Green’s studies in the function of music in human development led to the creation of The EcoSonic Playground Project, a music-focused, STEM+Design+sustainability program for children in underserved communities.
- Elon University (Elon, NC)
Elon University
MPD01605, Alamance Building, Elon University, CC BY-SA 2.0
Located near North Carolina’s vaunted research triangle area, Elon University offers a cutting-edge Bachelor of Science in music production & recording arts degree.
Bringing together the art of music performance and the craft of technological production, the degree prepares students for careers as varied as songwriting, composing music for film and video games, audio engineering and music production, post-production audio, music business and entrepreneurship, performing in commercial music genres, and more.
They advance this goal with a first-class internship program, which places students within the industry.
Students in the program gain this experience by taking advantage of the school’s excellent facilities, including recording studios and performance spaces that feature technology such as an Avid S6 48-channel digital mixing console with Dolby Atmos 7.4.1 surround sound, Avid Pro Tools HD Native, Logic Pro X DAWs, an API 1608 32-channel analog mixing console with dual-layer automation, and more.
- California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA)
California Institute of the Arts
Bobak Ha’Eri, CalArts, CC BY 3.0
Cal Arts may be famous for its advances in animation and film production, but its music technology: intelligence integration design (MTIID) program deserves just as much acclaim.
Unlike the other programs on this list, Cal Arts’ MTIID curriculum puts more of an emphasis on technology. Students participate in activities such as custom software design, physical computing for human-computer interaction, electro-mechanical systems for robotic performance, and other contemporary music subjects.
Classes for students include subjects such as electrical engineering, computer science, physics, acoustics, and mathematics, as well as those that underscore the program’s core focus in electronic music composition, production, and performance.
After gaining theoretical knowledge in these classes, students gain hands-on experience by working with other departments at Cal Arts. Students create scores and design soundscapes for the animation department, build installations for the art and theater departments, and produce recordings done by various performers.
- New York University (New York, NY)
New York University
Jean-Christophe BENOIST, NYC – Washington Square Park – Arch, CC BY 3.0
Where most institutions have one excellent music production program, New York University is one of the few schools to offer two.
Students learn about music production and the music business through the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (CDIRM). The CDIRM equips students with business, creative, and intellectual skills needed to become innovative entrepreneurs in the music industry. Their multidisciplinary faculty brings together engineers, research scientists, game designers, media artists, and musicians, allowing them to collaborate within the same space.
At NYU Steinhardt, students examine the technical aspects of music production. Whether they are studying for a BA or a Ph.D., students learn within the brand-new James Dolan Music Recording Studio, a 7,500 square foot multifunctional teaching, recording, and research space. The studio features a 25-seat control/classroom, including a fully automated 48 channel SSL console and the first Dangerous Music 10.2 surround installation in New York City.
- Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
Belmont University
Lahti213, Belmont University, CC BY-SA 4.0
Given its location in the “Music Capital of the United States,” it should come as no surprise that Nashville’s Belmont University also has two programs for those looking to go into music production.
As part of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, Belmont’s audio engineering technology major provides a theoretical foundation to the practical and technological skills of audio engineering. Students learn how to operate, install, and design audio systems for concerts, music recordings, and film production.
Within the school of music, students can pursue a degree in music technology. This degree prepares students for careers in creating, composing, arranging, and performing music through technology. The program gives students access to the latest digital audio workstations and other new technologies, allowing them to put their studies into practice by collaborating with other school of music students.
- University of Miami Frost School of Music (Coral Gables, FL)
University of Miami
Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons
The final school on this list with two different program options is one of the best in the country. Within the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, students can study media scoring and production or music engineering and technology.
The media scoring and production program ranks among the top 25 music schools for film and television, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Thanks to their outstanding resources and a faculty that includes multiple Emmy-award winners, U Miami prepares students for immediate employment within the music and media industries.
Founded in 1977, the music engineering technology program at U Miami is the oldest in the world. The program boasts the newly-renovated Weeks Recording Studio, the world’s first studio to feature three full-size consoles in the control room.
- Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)
Berklee College of Music
Tim Pierce, Berklee College of Music Ensemble Building, CC BY-SA 3.0
At Boston’s Berklee College of Music, students in the music production and engineering program get to work directly with artists, writers, musicians, and fellow engineers and producers within the school. Students develop their skills while working under a faculty of industry professionals, many of which have produced music for some of the most impressive names in the business.
Working with state-of-the-art equipment, students learn every part of their craft, from recording session set up and microphone placement to large-format console signal flow, mix-down, mastering, and professional studio protocol.
Additionally, Berklee offers several related programs for those interested in production but would like to emphasize a different element. The film scoring program has graduated several successful people, including Emile Mosseri, who earned an Oscar nomination for his score for the film Minari.
- USC Thornton School of Music (Los Angeles, CA)
USC Thornton School of Music
Lan56, USC-Bing Theatre, CC BY-SA 3.0
The highest-ranking school on this list is also the most selective. Each year, the music technology program at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California accepts a very small number of students.
Those who make it into the program learn the creative, technical and business aspects of professional music.
Seeking to prepare them for the evolving nature of professional music, the program trains students in a wide range of competencies, including composing and arranging, live and studio performance, audio engineering/mixing, editing and mastering, music synthesis and programming, as well as the business aspects related to music licensing.
The program takes advantage of USC’s many other programs, allowing students to collaborate with songwriters, artists, and bands within the Thornton school, as well as video directors and video game designers in the School of Cinematic Arts, the Roski School of Art and Design, the Viterbi School of Engineering, and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
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