This academic autobiography recounts a seasoned music technology professional's journey toward completing a bachelor's degree while simultaneously beginning a career as a college professor. The author reflects on how courses in electronic music, film scoring, music business, jazz and world music history, mathematics, English, and public speaking each contributed to both professional development and personal growth. Drawing on over 25 years of industry experience — including studio ownership, film scoring, and ethnomusicology — the author demonstrates how higher education deepened technical knowledge, refined critical thinking, and enhanced teaching effectiveness, ultimately framing the bachelor's degree as a foundation for continued graduate study.
There are events that have the capacity to alter one's life course. Most of the time, these events are concretized in split seconds that result in life-changing choices. A document posted in November 2006 would change my life forever: a job opening for a full-time, tenured position as Professor of Music Technology at a college in Los Altos Hills, California. As a full-time music technology professional and educator with more than 25 years of experience, I was exhilarated at the thought of taking my profession to another level and sharing my knowledge and experience with college students.
After a series of intense panel interviews with academic hiring committees, I was awarded the position. Nonetheless, the appointment relied on successfully meeting one crucial challenge: completing a Bachelor's degree. I was 51 units away from a dream I had treasured for a long time. This inspired me to enroll and attempt to complete my academic degree. The first step required an academic review of my transcripts to determine a path of action. Reflecting on the courses I completed, I believe they have all contributed to a comprehensive education that is broad and well balanced. Each class expanded my consciousness, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Despite their apparently heterogeneous nature, these courses influence one another, creating a profound interactive and supportive synergy that is clearly greater than the sum of its parts. All of them directly contributed to my career as a Professor of Music Technology and professional music producer.
The concentrating courses provided me with crucial knowledge that, along with hard work and dedication, has largely contributed to my success in the music technology industry. Together they make up a well-balanced and complementary study in the field of music technology, allowing me to evolve as a professional in the music business and to take on new professional challenges.
The Electronic Music and Recording Arts courses represent the fundamental core training in music technology. It is essential to understand the workflow of contemporary recording studio techniques, including microphone placement, audio signal processing, mixing, and mastering. The electronic music courses include the use of software and digital audio tools such as Pro-Tools — the industry-standard software used to produce virtually all of today's music releases. Mastering Pro-Tools is therefore essential for success in the industry. As a recording studio owner with over 200 commercially released albums for major record labels, as well as an experienced Music Technology Instructor and studio technician, I believe it is crucial to maintain a profound understanding of the technical mechanisms behind music production. This course awarded me an in-depth look at what those mechanisms entail and how I can fully apply them in my professional life.
As a professional in the field of audio recording and a music composer for many feature films and TV shows, I found the Film Scoring Techniques and Digital Sound Design course extremely beneficial to my chosen career path, as well as an overall interesting immersion into the world of sound design. Although sound design was initially restricted to the field of film, it is now frequently incorporated into other styles of music as well. This course also prepared me for work in multimedia, video games, and television production.
The Music Business course provided important information regarding contracts, licenses, publishing, and distribution. Understanding how the music business works is essential for success, and this course supported my previous experience as a business owner and entrepreneur while allowing me to deepen my view of global business. Through both my academic and personal life, I have learned that without a solid understanding of the music business, a music technology degree leads to nothing more than an expensive hobby.
"Global music cultures and professional collaborations"
"Math, English, and public speaking broaden critical thinking"
I am an artist. My whole life has been very focused on creating art and teaching others how to create art. College education has improved the quality of my art and my effectiveness as a teacher. My bachelor's degree is just the beginning. I will continue as a graduate student and college professor.
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