New recording arts certificate strikes a chord

Written by | Austin Ulen |

The arts always have been and will be important at Amarillo College. From fine art, to photography, theater and graphic design, Amarillo College holds its arts programs in high regard.

The fall semester of 2016 brings a new kid to the arts neighborhood: the recording arts certificate. The new certificate will fall under the mass media umbrella, which also covers journalism, media writing, broadcasting, audio and video production, advertising and public relations.

Jill Gibson, coordinator of the Matney Mass Media Program and associate dean of the School of Creative Arts, said, “I think this represents one of the advantages of the new School of Creative Arts because it brings together the music department and the mass media program in a unique way that serves the needs of our students.”

The new certificate covers everything from the fundamentals of cables and connections to acoustics and sound design. The curriculum also features training in the use of Avid Pro Tools, a high-end music composition and editing program.

Scott Beckett is the man behind the new certificate. He is a professor of music and the recording arts and a band director, with extensive experience in sound engineering, mixing and recording. “There are two sides to what we’re doing here,” said Beckett. “There’s a continuing education side of it, which is just Pro Tools. There’s also the academic side where we do not just Pro Tools training, but we do everything from sources, to mics, cabling, connectors, how to set up systems, how to do live sound, how to do recording, how to mix, and how to edit. It’s kind of like a practical recording arts program,” he said.

The courses cover many aspects of the recording industry and offers chances to network with others in the industry, Beckett said, “We’ve got a number of community partners as well: Covenant Recording Studios and my company Blessed Dynamics/Big Daddy Audio. Also, my church, Tascosa Road Fellowship, gives me paid internships that students can run live sound for them.”

The goal is that when students complete the program they will have the experience in a real world setting that allows them to be prepared for the real world of audio outside of AC’s walls. “The fabulous thing about this is that they get to do all of that in a confined time period so that when they get out into a studio, they’re ready to go. They’ll know what they’re doing,” Beckett said.

Along with the recording classes, the certificate requires classes in various aspects of media production. Students also will gain hands-on experience working in the student-run 100,000 watt radio station, FM90, and the college-licensed TV station, Panhandle PBS.

Anyone interested in learning more about the program should contact Beckett at rsbeckett@actx.edu or Gibson at jlgibson@actx.edu or speak to one of the AC counselors. The new fall courses are MUSC 1327 Audio Engineering and MUSC 1120 Live Sound Workshop. For information regarding the online continuing education Pro-Tools classes, go to the AC website (www.actx.edu) click on continuing education tab, click on find classes and then click on music.

Beckett said he has high hopes and expectations for the new certificate. With the vast knowledge and tools at hand, the success of the program is simply music in the making.

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