Illinois Entertainer November 2017 | Page 26

personal careers and observations of other suc- cessful music industry professionals around us it seems that a mix of these traits always exist. Everyone is always wearing multiple hats these days. It’s not enough to just play your instru- ment well. The new musician needs to under- stand technology from DAWs to MIDI to meta- data and everything in between. But all of this means nothing without an entrepreneurial mindset. That’s why we partnered with our business department at the University of St. Francis to enhance the DIY mentality. We’ve also started a podcast called “Musician, Technician, Entrepreneur” where we interview successful music industry professionals and have them share their experiences and paths to being a 21st century musician. USF'S DARA PROGRAM Gabe, student at University of St. Francis on the recording console in Joliet etting a Bachelor’s degree as a studio engineer and related audio arts has been the domain of downtown educa- tional institutions, but The University of St. Francis’ Digital Audio Recording Arts (DARA) program has been making its mark offering potential students and those interested in the program since 2012. Studiophile talked to Jeff Jaskowiak Director of DARA at USF about the program. G is only five years old. At any rate, we’d like to change the “secret” part. However, every year we’ve been growing. Our class sizes are small, typically around 10 students a course. This is a great student/teacher ratio that we’d like to keep. Currently we have four paths or concen- trations a student can take; Artist, Audio Engineer, Music Entrepreneur, or User Generated Content Developer. Many students take a mixture of these. IE: You have a world class digital recording arts program in Joliet. Most folks don't know there are options getting a Bachelor of Science Degree in Joliet. Jeff Jaskowiak: Many people have told us “we are the best kept secret” after visiting with us. I suppose partly because our program as a major IE: The music business is changing rapidly, but your curriculum has been developed so your students can have success with new music business models in the 21st Century. JJ: Our foundational belief is “musician, techni- cian, entrepreneur” with a deep understanding of multiple income streams. Pulling from our IE: There some great training facilities and pro- grams in downtown Chicago, but your stu- dents have the advantage of access to your stu- dio 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. JJ: It was extremely important to us that the DARA program be a hands-on experience. We encourage the students from day one to get in the lab and start exploring the sonic space and music creation. Our lab computers are second to none. We have installed the most current versions of Pro Tools and Ableton Live and they’re loaded with plugins from iZotope, Waves, AIR, Native Instruments, and much more, they’re dream stations. Our large main room and tracking room has a full-blown Pro Tools HDX rig, 48-channel Audient console, Grand Piano, Drumkit and some of the best microphones available. Students have profi- ciencies they must achieve to have full use of this equipment. And when they do we have worked out a unique agreement with our out- standing St. Francis security to allow our stu- dents 24/7 access. Every night the lab and stu- dio are buzzing with sound. can get their training. JJ: Let’s turn this on its head for a moment. From day one students are mandated to create audio content to build an audio portfolio. From the beginning they are in the music creation mode. In the beginning coursework there is an emphasis on developing one’s musicianship. We have a Berklee College of Music approach of teaching music theory, ear training, rhythmic understanding which I could go on [about] for a long time, but I’ll leave it at that. Concurrently they are working with the tools in the digital audio workstations to understand and sculpt the sonic spectrum. And also concurrently, they're using the microphones and hardware of audio equipment to learn it’s flavors so to speak. This is the realm of the audio engineer. As they progress, their results improve both musically and sonically using the gear and the spaces described previously. This is probably the shortest description of the process that I’ve ever given. As a side note, some great collabo- rative projects come into being in this environ- ment. IE: Are there opportunities for internships and potential job placement? JJ: Since we come from working in the music industry we understand the real learning expe- riences come from being on the job. We there- fore put a high priority on internships shaping them for each student-interests from artist, [to] audio engineers to music entrepreneurs. We seek out a variety of opportunities. Currently we’ve partnered with a variety of recording stu- dios, live production companies, venues, record labels and publishers. We’re always seeking new places for internships. If someone is interested please contact us, we have the best students. IE: What is the history of this program, in essence what brought it into being? IE: Tell us about the facilities where students Continued on page 53 An Evening with Craig Thatcher Mon, Nov. 27th 7:00PM presentation Craig Thatcher, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, & Martin artist will explain distinctions between Martin models and demonstrate their best qualities and differences. A truely unique event, reservations are highly recommended. Contact Tobias Music for more details. Visit our website for more: TobiasMusic.com 26 illinoisentertainer com november 2017 Tobias Music 630-960-2455 www.TobiasMusic.com 5013 Fairview Ave • Downers Grove IL 60515