Education and training


President of the SPARS board of directors, and president of New York’s Avatar Studios, Kirk Imamura


HEY TEACHER! HEY STUDENT!


In addition to a frankly formidable array of ‘formal’ tuition, education providers are increasingly mindful of providing shorter – in some cases, one-day – events designed to stimulate interest in a variety of audio topics.


Now it’s setting up shop


in Berlin, beginning with BTEC National Diplomas and Degree programmes in Studio Recording and Electronic Music Production this September. But centre manager of the Berlin operation, Nick Trussler, emphasises that this development does not presage a global domination-style plan of attack: “We did see an opportunity here, but it’s mainly down to [dBs co-founder Dave Puttick’s] links with Berlin and the fact that it is an amazing, creative city that we decided to establish ourselves here.” Operationally, however, dBs will function differently outside the UK. At home – and in a practice that is increasingly common – the privately-owned company partners colleges and universities who effectively sub-contract out the provision of campus services, but usually


audio engineering training, SAE Institute has evolved to become the world’s largest practical creative media educator with 54 campuses in 26 countries. In the UK alone, it operates four campuses, situated in Liverpool, Oxford, Glasgow and London – where SAE UK audio programme leader and SAE Institute London audio programme co-ordinator Carlos Lellis is based. Underlining John Krivit’s


earlier assertion about audio being a “moving target”, Lellis says that SAE Institute takes continual advice about course composition from a formal academic advisory committee and a panel of experts. Integral to their guidance over the last few years has been the encouragement of a “more open way of looking at sound. Fewer people will go to work in ‘traditional’ studios, so we’re very much pushing


“Audio is a moving target, so the education that supports it needs to be equally agile” John Krivit, AES Education Committee


pay staff members directly so that they can audit them appropriately for quality. Underlining the extent to which music technology has become part of the educational establishment in the UK in comparison to some other countries, the German Government does not recognise music technology at HE or FE level – hence it receives no funding.


SAE Institute’s global


footprint, meanwhile, is without comparison. Founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1976 with an initial base in post-secondary


www.psneurope.com


towards live sound as an industry because it’s not suffering so much; the same applies to sound for film. Programming is central, too; we spend a lot of time getting students to think about working with manufacturers on plug-ins, or developing mobile apps as being very healthy career options.” This versatility in possible


career routes is matched by a course structure that has multiple exit points: students who leave after two modules will emerge with an HE certificate, while those who opt to depart


Jo Dipple, UK Music: training is “huge priority”


after four modules and two years gain a Diploma of HE or a BA Hons degree, respectively. “All the students are moving along essentially the same ‘core’ course path,” explains Lellis.


MEETING MENTORS The standing of UK audio education has undoubtedly been assisted by the evolution of the JAMES accreditation scheme (see Box for more). There are currently no comparable benchmarking initiatives elsewhere in Europe or across the Atlantic – but one area in which the US does appear to be more advanced is a structured approach to graduate and post-graduate audio mentoring. At the forefront of this trend is SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services), which has gradually evolved from a talking shop for studio owners in the late ‘70s to encompass manufacturers, engineers, students and others… even leading to the instigation of a separate charitable foundation in 2012. ‘Speed mentoring’ at the US AES Convention and the NAMM Show, regional events and even one-on-one Skype- based guidance all feature in the


agenda of SPARS, which regards the provision of mentoring opportunities as “a way to bridge the gap between what industry needs and what audio engineering schools output in the form of graduates,” according to SPARS board of directors president Kirk Imamura, who is also president of New York’s legendary Avatar Studios. Back in the UK, the


involvement of leading producers in many current programmes underlines the value now placed on formal training. But while the provision of core technical skills seems to be nicely in hand, there is a residual feeling that some equally fundamental areas could benefit from greater attention: awareness of the industry landscape, business issues… even, well, social skills. “There is an issue around people being able to communicate in a creative environment,” says Robin Watkinson, director of courses at Wakefield’s Backstage Academy, whose offer includes an FdA in Live Events Production (see box, left). “And, along with the right technical skills, it’s vital that they have


appropriate expectations with regard to what’s going on in the industry.” “Lots of students coming out still don’t have that sense of place – a wider idea of what is required of them,” echoes Platt. Ward, meanwhile, urges more acknowledgement of the fact that “we are now an industry that survives on entrepreneurship and self- employment… the old model of career progression has rather broken down.” And while the apprenticeship schemes outlined at the top of this article suggest that progress is about to be made in this area, the career routes that surround and support audio engineering and production – such as music-specific management and accountancy – remain underserved. “Well, we could do with some damn good managers,” laughs Platt. “In reality, though, action in this area is all about fighting tooth and nail to help people understand what is required to progress the industry. There is a lot that still needs to be done, but in terms of education we’re definitely in much better shape than we were a decade ago.” PSNLIVE 2013


PSNLIVE 2013 l 25 Taking place shortly before this


issue of PSNLiveheaded to the presses, the Gus Dudgeon Foundation’s annual post-grad summer course (above) was this year led by producer Greg Haver, whose exhaustive list of credits includes Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals and Bullet for My Valentine. Treating 12 top- graduating students from JAMES- accredited music technology and production courses to five days of recording on both analogue and digital systems, the programme occasioned an impressive level of


cross-industry collaboration with funding from the Foundation and JAMES sponsors such as Sonic Distribution and Focusrite. Across the Atlantic, the AES Education Committee is gearing up for the seventh edition of its memorably named BADASS (aka Boston Area Definitive Audio Student Summit) event, to take place at the New England Institute of Art in Massachusetts on 5 October. Full programme details have yet to emerge, but a past roster of presenters that includes early Radiohead producer Sean Slade and mastering supremo Jay Frigoletto bodes well for another edition of an event devised specifically to promote membership of the AES.


www.gusdudgeon.com www.heyaudiostudent.com


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