Music schools are now becoming more diverse by expanding their course offerings and majors to include music business, musical genres and especially music production and technology.   Among these music schools, one of the hottest trends in music education is in contemporary music and modern music production. 

Why?  Music schools are looking for new ways to open their resources to a wider range of students.  Especially in the aforementioned area.  Technology is changing the way many of today's leading musicians compose, perform and produce.  It is also changing the way in which music reaches audiences both in the recorded and performance mediums.  

The country's leading music programs and even traditional conservatories are taking notice.  There is a reason for this.  Schools are finding it necessary for their sustainability to train students for the careers that will exist 20 years from now.  This includes going beyond the traditional classical curriculum and picking up on ideas that have led to the emergence of non-traditional music programs such as Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute.  Many of today's jobs a few years from now will have been replaced by other things.  Other careers in music will be invented or explored.  What these jobs or other careers will be, only time will tell.  But colleges owe it to their students to make sure their needs are being met and that they are truly prepared for a career in music.  

Traditional distinctions among types of music schools are becoming less prominent as schools increase their offerings by adding more academic and technology programs.  For instance, Chicago's Columbia College just recently launched the Contemporary Urban and Popular Music Program and awards a Bachelor of Music degree for students that are interested in producing, composing and performing modern music.  Ironically, this is the same degree awarded to students for classical composition.  

Many schools which started as traditional conservatories are now offering degrees in Music Business, Music Industry and Music Engineering Technology.  Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami's Frost School of Music were the among the pioneers in these non-traditional fields of music.  Schools are offering these programs designed for modern music production which are essential for sustainability and are using modern methods in order to reach current and future students.  

Music has been deeply affected by the enormous change evolving in all forms of media.  Every branch of the arts has and will be affected for years to come.  It's important that we embrace the future and what technology has to offer in the field of music.  With new ideas come new possibilities and exciting opportunities.  This emerging trend has not gone unnoticed and many music schools are now getting involved.  Music colleges owe it to their students to meet their current goals as a musician and lead them in directions they may never thought existed. 

Here’s an interesting article about Dubspot, a music production school located in the west side of Manhattan. Check out the original article at: http://www.dancetracksdigital.com/wp/?p=580

It can be a difficult thing to keep your tech skills on par with your creative vision. Without the luxury of a studio engineer to bail you out when the going gets technical, most producers can find themselves at one point or another in a stump.

Dan Giove, founder of music production school Dubspot knows that pain. A DJ himself, Giove sought an institution that could further his passion for electronic music with a comprehensive education in studio production. Left frustrated with the shortcomings of the market, Giove decided to take matters into his own hands and start a school of his own.

“I’ve always wanted to make music,” says Giove, “and I just couldn’t find anywhere to go. I stumbled upon an empty office on 14th Street and thought I would build a studio and learn from just being there. The studio turned into classes and the classes turned into DJing and Production school. Before long, there was really nothing else like it in New York.”

Located in the Meatpacking District on the West Side of Manhattan, Dubspot has a mission of building a community of novices, experts, and everywhere in between who share a common love for music and a desire to further educate themselves in the processes of its production. Giove designs its programs to fit the needs of students with all kinds of musical backgrounds, ranging from experienced disc jockeys to those who have never touched a turntable. Classes offered include DJ tutorials, Electronic Music Production intensives, and weekend workshops that teach students how to get started with Ableton, Reason, Logic and more. In Dubspot’s summer youth programming, kids can also learn to mix and scratch and now, with Dubspot’s corporate team-building event service, you and your coworkers can even play DJ for the day. (Who knows, it may open up some new career paths.)

Despite its popularity with students, Dubspot still manages to provide personalized instruction to each and it’s no secret how. Giove works with his team to establish the ideal blend of hands-on experience and instructional supervision at every level. With its top-caliber facilities and diverse, knowledgeable staff, it has just the tools to do so. Instructors represent musical and educational talent across the board including professional DJs, studio engineers, product specialists, instrumentalists, software experts, and on occasion professional guest speakers, all passionate about the creation of music.

At Dubspot, students are the teachers as well, though. “In the classroom environment, students are constantly interacting,” Giove says, “which means they are always sharing ideas. There are students who come to learn hip-hop and then decide to go a completely different direction because of the guy behind them, who is working on techno.”

In addition to receiving expert coaching, students are given the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art music equipment as used today by the industry’s pros. The school boasts an impressive studio and mastering facility, DJ stations and student workstations, in which the latest of hardware and software is made available to all.

Although the school’s facilities look an imposing sight to beginners, its classes are not. Classes are capped at a maximum of six students to make certain each student receives the personal attention they necessitate.

Sound good? It is – we know because we went to the school to check out one of the classes ourselves. We sat in on the Ableton introductory class where instructor Heinrich Zwalen, a veteran of Live since its early versions, took the class through the software’s basic functionality, through to the more advanced topics, like various ways to go about tackling a remix, and the foundations of any production. The class is structured with 20-30 mins of instruction followed by 10 minutes of hands on, allowing the students to put into practice what they have just learned. The students we spoke with at the end of the two day training class (6pm to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday evening) all spoke highly of the class and the education they had just received.

Dubspot has surely conquered some undiscovered territories, to say the least, but Giove sees the company as ever growing: “There’s still so much for us to do here in New York. People come to Dubspot from all around the world – it’s an international community for music-lovers. We just want to get more artists and keep building the community we started.”

With the varied assortment of classes, teachers, and students at Dubspot, everyone interested in music is sure to find their fit. Go experience Dubspot for yourself during their open house sessions.

Dubspot Official Site [www.dubspot.com] »
Check out pictures of Dubspot at DTD’s Flickr »