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Music Industry Studies - Albright College
Music Industry Studies - Albright College
Music Industry Studies
Create. Produce. Perform. Discover your voice in a thriving music community.
Music Industry Studies at Albright combines creative production, music business, cultural studies, and hands-on industry experiences to help students build meaningful musical careers.
About the Program
Students learn how music shapes identity, culture, and community while gaining professional experience through Lion Records, community partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Hands-On Learning
Students release original music, teach production workshops in local schools, collaborate with Theatre and Game & Simulation, and intern with regional music and arts organizations.
Program Goals
Course Requirements
Opportunities
Faculty
ARTISTRY:
Acquire the compositional, listening, technical, and performance skills necessary to master chosen areas of applied music study (digital audio workstation, guitar, piano, voice, etc.). While the Artistry curriculum focuses on popular music and the commercial music industry, students of all musical interests and ability levels are welcome.
CULTURE:
Develop appreciation and understanding for the socio-cultural meanings of music around the world and throughout history, including how music is used to communicate messages, reinforce senses of belonging, and amplify other aspects of a society’s or community’s way of life. Studying music as culture is highly interdisciplinary and connects to Albright’s commitment to liberal arts education.
INDUSTRY:
Sharpen the critical thinking, research, and writing skills required to become an effective communicator and contributor within the contemporary commercial music industry.
BUSINESS:
Acquire and develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the industry-standard business practices at work within the contemporary commercial music industry.
TECHNOLOGY:
Apply a working knowledge of the terms and processes specific to the use of music technology within the contemporary commercial music industry.
Full Course Catalogue
Course Descriptions
Major Requirements
Artistry (5 courses)
MUS 209 Applied Lessons (four semesters required)
MUS 211 Commercial Music Theory I
MUS 212 Commercial Music Theory II
MUS 311 Commercial Arranging
MUS 312 Songwriting
Industry (5 courses)
MUS 243 The Business of Music: An Introduction
MUS 244 Entertainment Marketing
MUS 344 Artist Management
MUS 345 Music Law
MUS 391 Event Promotion
Technology (4 courses)
MUS 250 Introduction to Music Technology
MUS 251 Recording Technology
MUS 350 Mixing & Mastering
MUS 351 Music Production
Capstone Experiences (2 courses)
MUS 482 Internship
MUS 495 Senior Seminar
Music Production Combined Major Requirements
Learn the nuts of bolts of music technology and music production from introductory to advanced techniques in audio mixing and mastering through an Albright College co-major in Music Production. Then apply this knowledge through experiential learning labs and commercial music ensembles.
Four semesters in one of the following ensembles or applied lesson sections (each semester counts as ¼ credit)
MUS 103B Commercial Music Workshop
MUS 103D Rap Collective
MUS 209K Applied Lessons in Music Production
MUS243 The Business of Music
MUS250 Introduction to Music Technology
MUS251 Recording Technology (prerequisite: MUS250)
DIG250 Sound Design for Visual Media
MUS350 Mixing & Mastering (prerequisites: MUS250 and MUS251)
MUS351 Music Production (prerequisites: MUS250 and MUS251)
MUS495 Senior Seminar
Music Minor Requirements
For those students who wish to augment their academic experience with an added focus in the rudiments of Applied Music, we offer a five-course minor.
MUS 120 Music Appreciation: Introduction to Western Music
MUS 211 Commercial Music Theory I
Two (2) courses from the following (chosen with consultation of Department Chair):
MUS 113 Rags, Rock and Rap: Popular Music and American Culture
MUS 212 Commercial Music Theory II
MUS 250 Introduction to Music Technology
MUS 251 Recording Technology
MUS 312 Songwriting
Four (4) Semesters of Study in Applied Music
MUS 103 Symphonic Band (requires four semesters of study for credit
MUS 104 String Chamber Orchestra (requires four semesters of study for credit)
MUS 105 Albright Chorale (requires four semesters of study for credit)
MUS 109 Applied Music Lessons (requires four semesters of study for credit)
Lion Records
Lion Records is a multidisciplinary record label that is led by faculty and operated by students, with the goal of providing experiential learning opportunities in tandem with the Music Industry Studies major, co-major, and Entertainment Industry Business Administration track. Students are given the opportunity to work as part of a fully functioning record label and use skills gained in the classroom to create, perform, manage, promote, market, mix, and produce quality content that is distributed to the global music marketplace. Albright College is one of only a handful of institutions that offers a certification in the industry-standard recording software, Pro Tools before graduation.
Internships and Career Support
Students can connect with the
Career Development Center
to find internships. As our Music Industry Studies students prepare to graduate, they must put their course work and creative experiences to the test by completing a pre-professional Internship. Recent students have gained hands-on experience (not to mention invaluable networking opportunities) by interning for such prestigious music industry companies as:
Atlantic Records
Columbia Records
Broad Street Music Group
Warner Music Group
EMI Gospel
Sony Red
The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Bad Boy Entertainment
Allure Media Entertainment
Radio One Incorporated
+Vibes Productions
Rhythm & Blues Foundation
KG Enterprises
Win Win Global
Della Music Publishing LLC
Cheri Media Group/Hip HopDX
Reverb
Primary Wave
Haverford Music Festival
AMLA (Artists/Musicians of Latin America
ASCAP
‘stache media
Doghouse Records
Cross Keys Recording
WRAT 95.9 FM
DRP Record
Rockwood Music Corporation
Elam & SCott LLP
WMGK 102.9 FM
Worldwide Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group
Helene Blue Musique Ltd.
Great Scott Broadcasting
Propulsion Media Labs
Tempo Music Therapy
Wired 96.5 FM
Radio One — 92Q Jams
All Star Music Empire
Premiere Studios NY
Astral Werks Records
ACRE Undergraduate Research
Students in any major can engage in interdisciplinary undergraduate research through the
Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE)
, partnering with faculty mentors to pursue independent research or creative projects and present their work beyond the classroom.
Tamara Black , M.M.
Instructor of Music
James Damore , M.M.
Artist in Residence of Music, Director of Choral Activities
Michael D'Errico , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Music
Olivia Holeva B.A.
Adjunct Faculty
Daniel Immel D.M.A.
Adjunct Faculty
Jeff Lentz , M.M. , 85
Senior Artist in Residence of Theatre, Coordinator of Vocal Performance Program
Brian Levering B.A.
Adjunct Faculty
Lars Potteiger
Adjunct Faculty
Gregory Wilson
Adjunct Faculty
Curriculum Highlights
Capstone experiences including internships and senior seminar
Lion Records operations and artist development
Community partnerships including Music Industry Days
Research and creative scholarship opportunities