Basic Certificate of Achievement Commercial Music

Digital technology has transformed commercial music, making it possible to produce commercial music without huge budgets, expensive studio set-ups or large crews. Whether the goal is to fulfill a personal artistic vision, market a product or advance a cause, the fundamental need for commercial music remains a powerful one.  

In this seven-course, twenty-unit certificate program, students receive direct, hands-on experience creating commercial music that is entertaining, emotional, sophisticated and compelling.  The program covers the primary aspects of commercial music production, including writing, directing, performing, producing, editing and marketing.  

The Basic Certificate provides a platform from which to launch further study of commercial music production as well as a basic entry level industry skills, processes and practices.  It gives students crucial musical and audio engineering tools.  Students emerge with commercial for their personal or professional portfolio.

The program meets a need in the geographic area and does not cause undue competition with an existing program at another college.  Need was determined by Labor Market Analysis (see LMI attached and Program Goals and Objectives above), Advisory Committee (see Advisory Committee meeting minutes attached), Enrollment and Completer Projections (see chart below) and Enrollment Data (see chart below).  

Enrollment and Completer Projections:

                                                      Enrollment                                  Completers

The US Bureau of Labor projects the number of jobs in radio production and broadcasting has grown since 2014 and is expected to grow 8% through 2022.   In the Inland Empire/Desert and Los Angeles/Orange County areas combinedthe number of jobs in each of these areas created or vacated annually justifies the creation of a new radio production certificateat College of the Desert.  

The Basic Certificate of Achievement in Commercial Musicaddressesthese employment needs by teaching students howto write, direct, perform, produce, design, edit and mix commercial music.   With an emphasis on traditional andcurrent digital technologies, students will becomeimmersed in the commercial musicproduction process from writing through marketing.  They will become competent in understanding how commercial musicis created and how it reaches and affects an audience.  Students will, through electives, apply these skills to specific areas of interest including film production.

Required (14 units): 

MUS 78A Digital Audio I (3) (Fall); MUS 78B Digital Audio II (3) (Spring); MUS 12 Fundamentals of Music (3) (Fall); MUS 21A Piano I (2) (Fall); BUMA 028 Entrepreneurship(3) (Spring)

Electives (6 units):

MUS 01 Music Theory I (4) (Spring); MUS 21B Piano II (2) (Fall, Spring); MUS 23 Commercial Vocals (2) (Fall, Spring); MUS 50A Jazz Rock Guitar (2) (Fall, Spring); FILM 02A Film Production I (3) (Fall, Spring); MUS 95A MUS Work Experience (1-2) (Fall, Spring)

Certificate Total: 20 units

Proposed Course Sequence: Fall = 6-9 + Electives (3-6); Spring = 6-9 + Electives (3-6)