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
Academic Advisor Cindy Clark SCC, 1.062.ME, (801) 957-3361
Academic Advisor Gordon Storrs SCC 1.061.MD, (801) 957-3361

Program Faculty
Professors - Craig Ferrin
Associate Professors - Thomas Baggaley, Lyle Archibald
Assistant Professors - Stephen Sue

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.

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.

Estimated Cost for Students
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.