TRAC Student Testimonial

A few kind words from a former student and current intern at Studio West....

"I began playing music when I was in the second grade. It came fairly naturally to me and I always had fun playing whatever instrument I was into at the time. As a youth it was mostly a hobby for me and it wasn’t until I moved to California and picked up a guitar that I really started to get serious and passionate about pursuing music as a career.

That was six years ago, when I received my degree in hospitality management and began working in hotels and restaurants. Early on, in the back of my mind, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, but I didn’t really know how to go about breaking into the music business. After playing in a few different bands and writing some of my own music, I began to realize that I wanted to learn about music recording and production to really diversify my skill set and better prepare myself for the future.

I spent months looking into all sorts of different programs, from community colleges, graduate programs, the Musicians Institute, and local studios as well. It seemed like an impossible decision until I made a visit to The Recording Arts Center at Studio West. Immediately after taking a tour and meeting with the staff, I knew it was the program I wanted to get involved in.

As a student I had access to state of the art equipment, expert instructors, small class sizes, and networking opportunities with other music enthusiasts from Californians, east-coasters, and folks from as far away as Mexico City. Most important for me was the level of personal attention that I received as a student. No matter how busy things were at the studio, whenever I called with a question, someone would take time out of their day to speak with me. That made a lasting impression with me. The other great part about the classes is that you can tailor them to your goals, whether it’s to learn how to work your own project studio or to become a certified Pro Tools Operator.

Once I received my operator certification in music production, I started working as an intern at Studio West. The welcoming and family-like environment I enjoyed as a student has continued and it feels like I’ve been there for years, even though it’s only been months. The smaller size of the studio has given me many more opportunities to work on a variety of projects in a short amount of time, which I feel would be considerably more limited in larger facilities in cities like L.A. and New York. These have included tracking, session set-up and break-down, mixing, working on a weekly radio call-in show, and I’ve even had opportunities to work off site with film and music celebrities.

The program allows you to progress at your own rate while challenging you to become creative and resourceful by working autonomously on projects. Problem solving is an essential skill for engineers to be successful and the staff is there to support you 100 percent. They genuinely want to see you realize your goals and I feel like I am getting the best possible preparation for a tough industry.

Having a career in music seemed like an unattainable dream for so long and my internship is making that dream seem more like a real future every day. I feel truly lucky to be a part of the team at TRAC and Studio West and for all the skills that I have learned and will continue to learn for as long as I can."