Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 SLCC General Catalog 
    
2021-2022 SLCC General Catalog [**** ATTENTION: YOU ARE VIEWING AN ARCHIVED CATALOG ****]

Media Music: AAS (CTE)


Associate of Applied Science | 67 credits minimum

Communication and Performing Arts Division
South City Campus
General Information
801-957-4073
Program Information 801-957-4130
Program Website
Academic and Career Advising

Program Faculty
Professors - Craig Ferrin
Associate Professors - Thomas Baggaley, Jon Clark

Program Description
The AAS in Media Music is designed to prepare students to work professionally as music producers, composers, songwriters and/or arrangers in the music and multimedia industries. In addition to a basic core of musical skills, students receive training and gain experience creating music using electronic and acoustic instruments for use in a variety of professional and commercial settings from film scores and commercial music productions to music for video games and other multimedia projects. They also receive training in business and entrepreneurship as it applies to the music industry and build a portfolio of projects that they can use to apply those entrepreneurship skills in pursuing work in the industry.

Career Opportunities
Students completing the degree program will have received training that will help to prepare them to work as a freelance composer, songwriter and/or arranger. Students may also find work in a recording studio, working as a studio musician developing MIDI-based recordings to combine with acoustic elements of digital recording. However, a large percentage of those who make their living in this field are self-employed and work on a contract basis. For this reason, an important part of the course requirements is designed to teach students the kinds of skills they will need to be successful as freelance artists. Additional freelance work may be found in the related fields of sound design/synthesis and digital audio recording engineering (although the Music Recording Technology degree is designed to give more specialized training in the audio recording area).

Transfer & Articulation Information
The core of classes of the Media Music AAS, also required for the Music AS degree, have been articulated with all state-sponsored higher education institutions in the state of Utah.

Estimated Cost for Students
Tuition and student fees: http://www.slcc.edu/student/financial/tuition-fees.aspx

In addition to tuition, students will need to purchase $550-$600 worth of books while completing the specified courses. While not required for completion of the program, any professional composer of media music will need to buy equipment for his own MIDI project studio eventually. The estimated minimal costs for such equipment and related software is at least $3,000 (and will grow from there as they acquire more equipment over time). Ownership of this equipment as a student would be helpful to the student’s success but is not required as all of the required equipment is available for use in on-campus computer labs.

Estimated Time to Completion
If students follow the suggested sample schedule, completion time is four semesters.

Program Entry Requirements
A musical background with performance experience including basic piano/keyboard skills and the ability to read music notation are desirable and will benefit students entering the program. Students with insufficient prior preparation may be required to take MUSC 1100 Intro to Music Theory before being allowed to begin taking the required courses in Music Theory. Students with insufficient piano/keyboard skills may be required to take MUSC 1150  and MUSC 1160  to complete the piano proficiency requirement. Contact Thomas Baggaley: thomas.baggaley@slcc.edu.

Program Student Learning Outcomes Related College-Wide Student Learning Outcomes
  1 - Acquire substantive knowledge
2 - Communicate effectively
3 - Develop quantitative literacies
4 - Think critically and creatively
5 - Develop knowledge and skills to be civically engaged
6 - Develop the knowledge and skills to work with others in a professional and constructive manner
7 - Develop computer and information literacy

Demonstrate proficiency in music composition for both acoustic and electronic instruments.

1, 4

Demonstrate the ability to work in a collaborative team environment on professional-quality music projects for both musical and non-musical clients.

1, 2, 4

Demonstrate the development of professional-quality specialization within the field of music composition and production.

1, 2, 4

Demonstrate the appropriate entrepreneurial skills necessary for a freelance artist including but not limited to portfolio development, networking, promotion/marketing and basic business accounting.

1, 4

Demonstrate proficiency in academic understanding of the basic structures of music including the ability to compose and analyze music according to common theoretical practices generally accepted in the music industry.

1, 2, 3, 4

Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to fluently read and write music notation in accordance with practices generally accepted in the music industry.

1, 2

Demonstrate proficiency in musical performance with appropriate expression, accuracy and artistic value.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

General Education Requirements


Core Skills


Composition (EN) 1 course


Quantitative Studies (QS) 1 course


Communication (CM) 1 course


Human Relations (HR) 1 course


Distribution Areas (6 Credits)


Choose an additional six credits from at least two of the following distribution areas.

Recommended: MUSC 1010 Introduction to Music (FA) , MUSC 1030 Survey of Jazz (FA)  or MUSC 1040 U.S. Music & Culture (FA, DV)  (each of which meets the Fine Arts distribution requirement). 

Graduation Map


Advising Notes


It is recommended that students complete their distribution requirements by taking MUSC 1500  (which meets the Interdisciplinary distribution requirement) and one of the following: MUSC 1010 , MUSC 1030  or MUSC 1040  (each of which meets the Fine Arts distribution requirement). It is also recommended that students complete their HR General Education requirement by taking FA 1025   .  It is the student’s responsibility to examine each course description for details of prerequisites for each class. Those prerequisites must be satisfied before the designated class may be taken.

Additional semesters of Performance Ensembles may also be used for elective credit - qualifying courses for performance ensemble credit include MUSC 1350 , MUSC 1360 , MUSC 1370 , MUSC 1380 , MUSC 1390 , MUSC 1450 , MUSC 1460 , MUSC 1470 , and MUSC 1480 . An audition may be required for specific ensembles. Students may repeat any performance ensemble classes for both the required and elective credit in this degree program.

Students may use MUSC 1712 , MUSC 1715 , MUSC 1722 , MUSC 1725 , MUSC 1732 , MUSC 1735 , MUSC 1742 , MUSC 1745 , MUSC 1752 , MUSC 1755 , MUSC 1762 , MUSC 1765 , MUSC 2712 , MUSC 2715 , MUSC 2722 , MUSC 2725 , MUSC 2732 , MUSC 2735 , MUSC 2742 , MUSC 2745 , MUSC 2752 , MUSC 2755 , MUSC 2762 , and MUSC 2765  to complete any elective credits for private vocal or instrumental lesson instruction. Students must pass a proficiency jury to advance to the second year (2000) level of private applied instruction. These courses may be repeated for elective credit in this degree program.

Reminder: At least four of the elective credits in the media music degree program must be selected from among MUSC 1050  MUSC 1060  MUSC 2510  MUSC 2520  .

Reminder: All students in the media music program are required to meet with a full-time instructor at least once during each semester to discuss their progress toward graduation. For the media music degree, students should meet with Thomas Baggaley (Ph: 801-957-3237, Email: thomas.baggaley@slcc.edu)

Additional Program Notes


MUSC 0990  must be taken each semester for four semesters Students may use any combination of MUSC 1350 , MUSC 1360 , MUSC 1370 , MUSC 1380 , MUSC 1390 , MUSC 1450 , MUSC 1460 , MUSC 1470 , MUSC 1480  (including repeating any of these classes for credit - which is the normal case) to fulfill the four credits of vocal or instrumental performance ensemble that must be taken.

In order to receive this degree, all students are required to pass a piano/keyboard proficiency exam, which is usually taken at the beginning of the student’s first semester in the program. Students with insufficient prior preparation in this area may be required to take MUSC 1150 and MUSC 1160 to obtain the necessary skills to successfully complete the piano proficiency requirement.  Contact Thomas Baggaley: thomas.baggaley@slcc.edu.

In the final semester before graduation, all students are required to pass a portfolio review with the full-time music faculty from the music program.