Music Production Schools

Question: I am interested in learning how to become a record producer. Are there schools for music production, or can I learn most of what I need at home?

Answer: There are quite a few schools that teach music production and offer degree programs, but there are other ways to accomplish the same goal of learning to be a music producer.

Music Production Colleges

If you are interested in going to school and getting a degree in music production, than Los Angeles, California has plenty of schools for you! LA has the most production schools in one area, from as far as I can tell. I would suggest visiting the area and checking out all of the different colleges that offer specialized training in music production. There are quite a few, so contact these colleges, universites and trade schools in advance to see when their new student orientations are being held.

Music Production Styles

You'll want to tour the different campuses and find out how the environment fits the type of music that you want to learn to produce. This is one of the most subjective things that you will have to figure out for yourself. If you are interested in producing country, than a more obvious place for you to go would be Nashville. New York and Atlanta are other hot-spots for music production schools, so check them out as well. Make sure you find a great fit for your style

Do I Need a Music Production Degree?

A great deal can be learned rather quickly by going to a school and getting your degree. However, there are other ways to become a great record producer. Matter of fact, most of the greatest record producers out there never went to a formal school. Most simply learned by doing. In all major cities, you can find quite a few recording studios. Doing a quick google search for " 'cityname' recording studios" will help you find some. Contact the owners and see if they offer a mentoring, or internship program. Sometimes they'll even hire you to do odd jobs from which you can gain experience setting up equipment and helping out with engineering. Think of it this way, you may even get paid to learn instead of shelling out a lot of money to learn the same stuff in college classrooms and studios. You may not get the same structured learning, but experience is the name in the game, not certificates on the wall. If you can make a great sounding record,than that's what matters!

Home Study Production Degrees

You can even learn music production online at Berklee University. They offer affoardable pricing and a nice course structure that gives you the tools you need to learn how to become a record producer with your own recording equipment, from home.

You'll most likely need to purchase a Pro Tools LE system like the DIGI 003. There are also a lot of great books available to help you get started with music production, but having someone to work with you is the best way to learn.