Music Schools & Recording Engineer Schools : Should You Go or Not?

Music School seems to be a big topic right now (at least in my life). I attended a specialized music school immediately after graduating high school, so I have a little insight on this topic. I'm also friends with a few young talented guys who are ripe out of high school and trying to figure out what they should do with their lives and their talents. One of my friends has recently been accepted to Musician's Institute in Los Angeles. Another is looking at going to Full Sail in Florida. I personally know a teacher at Musician's Institute (MI) and I've known several graduates from Full Sail throughout my career. There are a lot of other schools out there as well. And what about music degrees at any university with a music program, etc? This hub will take a brief look at these schools/programs and also take a look at the career paths of some working professionals for a comparison so that you can make up your mind on whether or not attending a music/recording school is right for you.

One of the biggest fear factors in making this decision is the cost of school. Like many schools today, Full Sail is not cheap. A degree in recording engineering can run a student $75,000 + your living expenses. I'm not sure exactly how much a degree costs from MI now, but I'm guessing it will run over $30,000. Of course, financial assistance is available from accredited schools (for US citizens)--but these are loans that will need to be paid once the student graduates. Most of these schools promise to help place students in jobs--but what does that mean exactly?

I graduated from a school called The Grove School of Music located in Van Nuys (Los Angeles), CA. It was a great school. I graduated from the Songwriting program, and then later took another year of the Recording Engineering program. Unfortunately--my year of Recording Engineering was cut short because the school went "Out of Business" before I could finish (Check out this article in the L.A. Times if you're interested)! At the time, I was 19 and a full year of school only cost around $8000. Times have changed. The Grove School of Music was a competitor to Musician's Institute and students from all over the world attended. In fact, students who graduated from other music schools (such as Berklee) attended Grove to further their education. I was 18 (and thinking I already knew everything) when I started Grove. It wasn't long before I realized that I knew nothing and there was a lot for me to learn. Yes- it was a mind opening/blowing experience for me.

I was lucky that I had 2 friends that attended school with me. That made renting an apartment with roommates a lot easier. My first year at Grove (in the Songwriting program) was the best. I remember, before I attended Grove, that I was trying to determine if I should join the Keyboard (piano) program, Songwriting program, Recording Engineering program, or Composing program. I made the right choice. The Keyboard program was designed for players who wanted to become pro keyboard players (whether that means becoming a church organist, a studio session keyboard player, or a piano bar pianist, etc). The Songwriting program focused on the craft and business of creating new original works. I have to admit, the Composing program (at that time in my life) would've been too much for me to handle--it was intense. The Songwriting program helped me "ease" into composing for film/TV. And so I jumped into the Songwriting program and continued on with the Recording Engineering program as I mentioned before.

I highly value my education at Grove. It was a great experience for me. However, I can't say the same for a lot of my fellow students. A lot of students were "back to school" students--meaning they were older than me. I had no problem with it, but it made my social life a little awkward at times. Some of these back to school students had sold their homes to start a new music career (starting with music school). I thought that was a little gutsy at the time. Now, however, I think if someone is ready to do something as drastic as that, then it's probably the right move. As far as I know, this particular student who took this risk isn't a major success in the music business today. I was shocked by the number of students in the Recording Engineering program. My class size was about double that of the Songwriting program. But what I discovered was that over 1/2 of these students didn't seen to "get it". In fact, most of them wanted to do live sound for a living. Live Sound is a LOT different than Recording Engineering. These students would skip classes, cheat on their homework, and just plain flake-out on the whole Grove experience. And this wasn't because they knew what they were doing, because they clearly didn't have a clue. I'd say that 90% of my class just wanted to get out of school ASAP and start their career in live sound. I've lost touch with all of my former classmates, but I have a feeling that most of them aren't working in recording studios. I was very serious about learning and even I had a really difficult time working in recording studios.

So how does my former education stand up to today's standards? This is where it becomes interesting. If I just decided to stop learning once I quit school, I'd be a dead fish in this business. Over 80% of what I learned in school is now obsolete knowledge. Whoa! That's a big number for a lot of useless knowledge. So what's the point in going to school if all of this knowledge that I obtained is now useless? This is hard to summarize. At the time I went to school--there wasn't the internet. I would've never been able to find an article with information like this. A lot has changed in the world. The music business changes everyday. Recording technology has changed in ridiculous ways right before my own eyes. Every year I have to re-learn everything I already know, just so I can stay on top of things. This business takes a lot of work/studying just to "get by" in. Of course, the music business isn't alone. Other businesses have to relearn changes every year (taxes, doctors, lawyers, teachers etc). The big difference is that paying jobs in the music industry are becoming less and less each year which probably adds a little extra stress (at least for those who are trying to make a living at it).

When I tell people that I went to the Grove School of Music, most go "huh?". A select few raise a glass and toast the school. To get a degree at Grove, students took all of the music classes at Grove- but then had to also attend an accredited affiliated college after graduating Grove to study all of the boring things like Math & English. This was an extra expense for me, and after learning about music, I didn't really feel like going to another school--I just wanted to start working ASAP and I got a job in a studio. In order for a student to get a degree, they have to take the additional classes. Most of my teachers at Grove were working professionals and most did NOT have degrees in music (shocker!). Because of this, I realized that just about the only job that required a degree in the music business was either teaching or strictly business jobs. It's still pretty much the same way. Just because teaching and business both sound like real careers in the music world--don't be fooled. There isn't a shortage of music teachers/music business execs in the world.And guess which department is the first to get "let go" or pay cuts if there are cut backs? Sad reality. If you're looking for security in the music biz, nothing is 100%.

Now we have the option to get degrees online. I'm going to have to veto this option. I'm a fan of the school "experience", and online education takes the experience out of it. Instead, you just get the knowledge (if you're lucky) which these days can mostly be obtained through other online sources or via books. Online degree programs are still expensive and for what? A degree that doesn't really guarantee any work. The other big problem with online education is that it becomes much more technical. Technical problems (such as internet speeds, video, audio, etc ) can hinder your learning experience. I understand that a lot of people can't just pick up and move to L.A. or wherever, and that a lot of prospective students have full time jobs already.I still personally think these programs are a waste of $$$.

While I was at Grove, several opportunities fell in my lap. I wound up working for a recording studio that paid me by paying my school tuition. What I didn't realize at the time was I was extremely lucky to get that job emptying trash cans and making coffee. I wasn't happy working at that studio at the time because it wasn't the reality I was hoping for. I thought I'd get to start utilizing my new skills right away, but that wasn't at all the case. Instead, I decided to set off on my own producing music--which eventually paid off. I actually had an opportunity to work for a big name film composer (who was formerly in a rock band) but I hesitated and lost out. It paid a whopping $5/hour...which in L.A. means you're basically living in your car (even way back then!). So--those were MY opportunities. These days, it would be harder to get those awesome jobs.Why? This field is over saturated with newcomers and technology cuts out jobs just as the economy cuts out jobs (even at $0 pay or minimum wage). Schools often promise to get you jobs. What they don't say is that you might be working part time at the school, or you might be working for FREE as an intern somewhere. That being said, those FREE/intern jobs can lead to a great career in music if you are able to climb the ladder of success. I have watched people climb that ladder, and I have also seen people get completely frustrated and quit the business. While I was working at a major studio in L.A., the big pay off after years of working crazy hours for minimum wage was "going freelance". Once you "go freelance", you no longer work for the studio--you're on your own. Meaning, it's up to you to get your own work--which seems sort of backwards, but that's the way it works. With all of the freelance competition out there, it still seems pretty darn risky to me.

If you're a musician, getting a job might mean getting a gig. I had an opportunity to play for a Las Vegas performer while I was in school. I needed the money so I practiced really hard, but then I decided I wasn't cut out for that sort of work and the money wasn't that great so I turned it down. My suggestion is, don't wait for the school to start handing out jobs. Start pounding the pavement while you're in school. If you want to start making money right away, don't start up a band (unless maybe it's a cover band). Join a band that already has an established fan base and is touring. If you're okay with being on the road 12 months/year and eating/drinking whatever you can find- you can earn a living as a musician if you're skilled enough to get into the right band. The days of being a "studio musician" are numbered and jobs that pay well with regular work are extremely hard to get.

There's a lot more to going to school than landing a dream job. As I mentioned before, school for me was a mind blowing/opening experience. I was young and new to L.A. Pop music changed dramatically in the early 90's. Everything was fresh, new, and exciting and it was my first big step toward a new life. Even if I never landed a job, I would still value my experience and education that I obtained in school. There are some things that you just can't put in a book. However, if you were to simply look at it as a start up business expense--nowadays the numbers don't necessarily add up.

If you're serious about this, there are several things you can do to help you make the right decisions. Here are a few pointers.

• DO YOUR RESEARCH! If you're really interested in going to school, read up on the school. Read reviews. Compare schools. Visit the schools. Make sure you know which field is right for you. Read books on the field you're interested in before you bite the bullet.
• ASK QUESTIONS! Don't feel as if you'll be extremely lucky to be accepted to a school. A SCHOOL IS A BUSINESS. THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. Just make sure that you're going to be learning what you want/need to learn. Sometimes students sign up for a school without even knowing what it is they're going to be learning. Don't be a dope! ( :
• Make sure to calculate the costs of living wherever you go to school. Use your online resources to see what apartments cost/utilities cost, etc. Make sure you know ahead of time what sort of money you need to have to survive. Once your done making your calculations--add a few hundred bucks/month just to cover unforeseen expenses. The last thing you want to have to do is drop out of school because you can't afford to live in the area you're moving. If you end up with extra money while you're at school--save it because you'll need it later for sure!
• While you're in school, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. DON'T CUT CLASSES. NETWORK (Make lots of friends). ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. If you don't do these things--you're wasting your time and money.
• REMEMBER: Working a job for no money could lead to a great career or to nothing...just make sure that if you work a job for no money that you are happy with what you're doing, if not--get out ASAP and find something that makes you money or happier.Of course, you'll still have bills to pay while you're working for FREE--so also factor those expenses in.
• No matter how skilled/talented you currently are, you can learn something new--if you open your mind. Don't think you know it all, because you don't.
• More musical skill/knowledge does not necessarily equal more money/pay. Some of the best musicians in the world are also the poorest. Learn to separate business and music and try to figure out where you belong.
• School should be thought of as a stepping stone in your career. Even if it simply provides an excuse to get you a little closer to the world where you want to be, it's a positive step in the right direction.
• If you can't afford music school, keep in mind that probably over 90% of the professionals working in the music business did not attend music school. If you have ambition and drive, then you can make your dreams happen. Schools can't teach that.
• For those who are interested in Recording schools--recording and live sound are two different things. Also, keep in mind that there are a lot more recording/sound jobs outside the music business....but make sure that you realize that recording dialog or editing sound effects is not the same as recording music. Music and Sound are 2 different things.

I'm excited for my young friends who are faced with this decision or who are sailing off to school for a new beginning. I hope this hub has provided a little insight on music schools and starting out in the music business. Please feel free to leave comments, share your experience, or ask questions. I definitely don't have all the answers but I'm happy to help if I do.

Next week, I'll be discussing "Promoting a Career as a Recording Artist" as well as my usual Cubase topics. Thanks for reading!