Meet LAMA’s New Director of Admissions – Ashley Roberts!

We are very excited to introduce LAMA’s new Director of Admissions, Ashley Roberts! She joined our staff earlier this month so be sure to say hello and help give her a warm LAMA welcome! From Ashley:

I am so pleased to have joined the LAMA Staff! LAMA is at a great time of growth and I am happy to be working with such a successful team in a dynamic college. I look forward to contributing to the team’s efforts and helping students along with their musical careers.

-LAMA Staff

LAMA Bass Instructor Spotlight: Andre Berry

The LAMA bass department is something special and that’s in large part due to our wonderful collection of faculty members assembled by Bass Department Chair Jerry Watts Jr. We’d like to feature the bass instructors on this blog over the next couple weeks, beginning with Andre Berry.

Originally from Cleveland, OH, Andre moved to LA in 1985 to attend the Los Angeles City College Music Program, where he studied under Doc Simpson and Woody James. After four years of classes, he landed his first big road gig in 1989 with the Busboys. Andre then went on to join A&M Records recording artist Total Eclipse. Since then, he has performed and/or recorded with Dave Koz, George Duke, Warren Hill, Marcus Miller, Danny Jung, Jeffrey Osbourne, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express, Mindi Abair, Dave Benoit, The Brothers Johnson, Rick Braun, Peter White, Jeff Golub, Steve Ferrone, A Tribe Called Quest, Paul Jackson, Jr., and many others.

Andre offers playing tips on the LAMA youtube channel as well:

We are so proud to have Andre as a member of LAMA. To see information on all our other Bass faculty members please visit here. Watch Andre in action:

-LAMA Staff

You Know You’re a Music Student When…

Summer Camp Students at LAMA College for Music Professions

1. You use scales to study music, not to make measurements in science class.

2. Instead of listening to your iPod in between classes you are performing the songs on your iPod DURING classes.

3. Rather than studying in the library you are recording in the studio.

4. Your teacher not only has a PHd but a Grammy as well!

5. While your friends are studying Protons you are studying ProTools!

So musician friends…what other ways do someone know they are a music student?

-LAMA Staff

LAMA College for Music Professionals – Virtual Photo Tour

Just in time for today’s Open House at LAMA College for Music Professionals (2:00pm, Oct. 13, 2012), the Get to the Music Blog got its hands on these photos (by @verofoto) — we’ve turned them into the first LA Music Academy Virtual Tour! 🙂 Click the thumbnail for a much bigger image… have questions? Ask them in the comments below or tweet us at @LAmusicacademy and use #LAMAopenhouse in your tweet! -LAMA Staff

You’ve arrived at 370 S. Fair Oaks Street in old-town Pasadena, home to LA Music Academy!

LAMA’s “Music Production” program makes great use of the recording lab which is a fully functioning music studio complete with three iso-booths and a neighboring drum room.

You can Invoke your inner Dr. Dre or Rick Rubin with our extensive keyboard and synth collection.

Have you ever seen such a clean desk?

Thelonious Monk watches over everything in the LAMA conference room.

The Computer Lab is outfitted with ten 20” iMacs® and a 52” LCD monitor for instructor demonstrations. Each computer is equipped with Digidesign ProTools LE® software and an MBox2® recording interface.

Only thing left to do is drop off your application. Your fate rests with the admissions staff who sit behind these desks.

LAMA students love hanging in the courtyard, even for silly hat parties!

It won’t take long to familiarize yourself with LAMA’s beautiful courtyard and patio at the center of campus. The courtyard is home to good times. Join us for hangouts, jams, parties, BBQs and more!

One of the perks of being in Southern California is great weather year round.

Our favorite concert posters around the LAMA lobby. Bands include – Ween, Beach House and Pennywise!

Over your time attending LAMA, you’ll get to know Pablo who is always there to help and share a laugh! He also helps you get what you need from the student shop. Forget that guitar tuner at home? Let Pablo hook you up!

You’ll probably want to stash your gear in your own locker and don’t forget to catch up with your fellow classmates before class.

We have a number of large, clean classrooms which improve your overall learning experience.

Former Pointer Sisters touring guitarist and LAMA Guitar co-chair Bill Fowler teaching his students.

LAMA has a multitude of complimentary soundproof practice labs for students to use. Just sign up for some time!

Practice rooms can comfortably fit two people if you don’t mind getting cozy 🙂

Yelp and Music School Reviews

We really like Yelp, but don't think it should be used for helping you choose your college education!

Yelp.com is a fine place to discover great food or where to shop or hangout. And if you’re like us, you check your Yelp app before heading out to avoid poor establishments, roaches and bad service. But what about bypassing college counselors, books at the library, visiting college campuses and open houses, and turning to the noted academics at Yelp for help decide on a college </sarc>?

Yes, that Yelp. The one where you complain about a new pizzeria or after you get that bad haircut at Supercuts. But we’ve been noticing a growing problem, as more and more reviews pop up for some fellow music schools around the country. There’s a lot of misinformation and misguided reviewers — let’s take some examples from real life Yelpers:

1)”The financial department is disorganized. The school’s bank still owes me money for a mistake they made 2 years ago. Doesn’t look like I’ll be getting that $ any time soon.”

Frankly, if that is true, any attorney would be happy to help you out with that one. This doesn’t really speak about the quality of the music education however, just a completely separate legal issue. It can be handled by your attorney or your credit card company. Instead of commenting on Yelp get a lawyer or
“get loud” and persistent. Talk to your financial department openly and ask for a supervisor if you have problems resolving your account.

2)”Stay away from the wrong people. And if you are normal- stay away from the streets at night.”

Hmmm. If you don’t want to be with a bad crowd or study in the “city,” choose a music school away from all of that. A school like LAMA for example is located in beautiful old-town Pasadena where you can walk down the street any time and stay safe! All one would have to do is tour the school to know that a certain location may not be right for you. This particular Yelper probably didn’t read our “Why Location Matters With Music School” blog post 🙂

3) “My ex spent $30,000 going here to master his drumming techniques.  He graduated, and now he delivers pizza and lives in a garage.”

Resentful much? While slightly humorous, this review is silly. First of all, why is the person who DIDN’T go to the music school reviewing it on Yelp? We can’t help but wonder if this is a case of someone being scorned and taking it out on Yelp like some in that community are known to do. Secondly – if this is true about him delivering pizza and living in a garage he definitely didn’t go to a school where they have a whole section on their website dedicated to careers as well as a career guidance portion, not to mention staff members whose sole job is to guide you to a successful career. Research your schools before you choose to attend them, musicians!

4)”I was actually thinking about going to school here for also drumming but the $$$ thing scares me a bit and all my musician friends in the industry keep saying its not worth the money…..I think I might take their advice and just continue to get private lessons and practice practice practice!”

Let’s think about that for a moment — take private music lessons and you’ll know how quickly those costs add up. Private lessons don’t allow much networking with fellow students or exemplary, seasoned faculty. Do you get clinics and performances by superstars in music during those lessons? What about getting a degree from your private instructor? Doesn’t seem like a solid approach. We’d like to see lessons –> College –> play/teach professionally. These people are not reading this blog. Otherwise they would see our post on how much more musicians with degrees make than those without!

There you have it musicians! This is about all of the fact checking we could handle for one day. The moral of the story — do the research and be smart about it! Call every school you are thinking of going to and ask them to send materials in the mail, go visit the schools, do the hard work. Good luck!

-LAMA Staff

#Fact: Music School Grads Earn More as Artists

We tried to warn you. Getting a degree from a music school like LA Music Academy (LAMA) is more important than ever. According to a new article in the money section of FutureofMusic.org, going to Music School shows an impact on artists’ earnings.

This is the quote that really spoke to us from the article:

We found that music school or conservatory graduates were more likely to be earning more, working more, and were more likely to have a graduate degree.

To read the entire article yourself click here.

-LAMA Staff

5 Tips: Get a Music Scholarship

LA Music Academy distributed this press release last week to help spread the word about scholarships available to music students for its drums, guitar, bass, vocals and music production departments.

The deadline for LAMA’s Spring 2012 semester is November 15th.

In the press release, LA Music Academy Vice President Mike Packer gives us five tips for your best shot at being awarded a scholarship from the college. Read below:

LA Music Academy Scholarships Available Now

 Application Deadline for Bass, Drums, Guitar, Vocals and Music Production is November 15^th

 Pasadena, CA – October  2011 – Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music (http://www.lamusicacademy.edu) announced today merit-based scholarships are available now for the school’s Bass, Drums, Vocal, Guitar and Music Production Departments; the submission deadline for the Spring 2012 semester is November 15th. The school’s president, Tom Aylesbury, suggests incoming students take full advantage of these financial opportunities which can significantly help lower tuition and financial stress associated with attending high-end colleges.

“LA Music Academy offers various levels of scholarships in addition to financial aid for its performance degree and diploma programs,” says Aylesbury. “In addition to the coveted $20,700 Charles T. Aylesbury Memorial Scholarship and the Al Jarreau Vocal Scholarship ($13,800), each department awards an ‘outstanding’ performance scholarship. Several other performance scholarships, valued anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, will also be awarded.”

Interested domestic and international students demonstrating exceptional musical talent, ability and enthusiasm can apply now and are evaluated based on essays, transcripts, academic promise, results of the performance audition and letters of recommendation. Aylesbury, however, offers words of caution to interested applicants. “Some of the musicians don’t present themselves to the best of their ability. This decreases the quality of their submissions and chances of being awarded a scholarship,” says Aylesbury. He says the school’s scholarship committee offers five tips for a potential applicant’s best chance at being awarded a scholarship, including:

1. When answering the questionnaire, be sure to draft a clear vision of a future career and how LA Music Academy can help with the journey.
2. Keep in mind that scholarship applications are graded on these three categories.
• Performance
• Transcripts, letters of recommendation
• Essay
3. Performance videos are required, therefore production quality and presentation will affect the decision process. Wear more than just shorts. “No shirt, no shoes, no service!”
4. Essays should demonstrate the dedication of being a future leader in the industry and portray a strong personality.
5. Spend time on the submission, and make sure it is professionally presented and perfect the performance video as much as possible.

The school is known for giving its students big responsibilities from day one; whether playing in ensembles with some of Los Angeles’s finest professional studio musicians and performers or having to make their way through one of the world’s most intense lesson plans. “We are looking for future leaders of the music industry,” says Aylesbury.

The Academy is known for the personal attention that students receive from instructors and its warm and welcoming campus in Pasadena, which is central to many of the entertainment hotspots in Los Angeles. LA Music Academy graduates have gone on to perform with artists such as Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Lifehouse, Ricky Martin, Hilary Duff, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Calling, Sepultura and Airto.

For more information about Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music, visit http://www.lamusicacademy.edu, call 626-568-8850 or e-mail info@lamusicacademy.edu. LA Music Academy is located at 370 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. Facebook: www.facebook.com/LAmusicacademy. Follow the school on Twitter: @LAmusicacademy. LA Music Academy is on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/LAmusicacademy.

About Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music

LA Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, CA, is regarded as one of the premiere music schools in the world, for students who desire an intimate and friendly, yet serious and rigorous contemporary music education. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the school offers A.A. degrees and diplomas in music production and music performance (drums, bass, guitar or vocals). Founded in 1996, the Academy has provided a solid musical foundation for more than 1,500 international and domestic students. The Academy offers a significant number of real world playing situations with professional musicians, not just peers, setting the school apart from other prestigious music institutions. LA Music Academy gives its students the skills necessary to apply their learning in a wide variety of professional situations in the music industry.

Media Contact:

Dan Grody, Tellem Grody PR, 310.313.3444

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-LAMA Staff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Tips: Get Motivated for Music School

When September rolls around here, that means we are preparing for a whole new school year at LAMA. You can just sense the guitarists putting fresh strings on their guitars, drummers getting new sticks, and the vocalists warming up their vocal chords. While it usually is a time of joy for music students sometimes we could all use a little kick in the butt. Was it a long summer? Maybe finances got you down? Don’t stress — even the most ready-to-go music students need a little pep talk. Hopefully you can use these tips to get motivated for a great year of music!

1) Keep Your Eye On The Prize

This often happens to people during the first semester at college: graduation can seem a very long way away. However, it is important to keep your eye on the prize. Sooner than you can imagine, you are going to graduate with that degree. With LA Music Academy, you are going to make great friends, network with wonderful musicians and artists, and you will be on the way to discovering and building your career in the music industry.

2) Remember Why You Chose Music

During a particularly hard study week or a day full of challenging classes, it may be hard to remember that something more powerful than anything else drew you to a music college – passion! Whether it was the first time you heard Led Zeppelin or the first time you picked up the bass, some sort of inspiration sparked a fire inside of you that led you to wanting a music degree. Take ten minutes from studying or in between classes and remember what it was that led you to music. This might help you focus your thoughts and get you inspired for the upcoming challenges.

3) Find Inspiration From Others

If you are a LAMA student, inspiration is all around you — on campus. From the department heads to the teachers, you would do yourself a favor to take a minute and talk with them about their careers. Perhaps ask Ralph Humphrey about his time drumming with Frank Zappa or chat with Tariqh Akoni about his time with Josh Groban. Sometimes even talking with your fellow students about projects that they are working on can be a great idea and very inspirational. Check out the clinics and master classes on campus (they are free too!)  — these are specifically for LAMA students but many schools will have workshops and clinics of their own as well.

4) Positive Visualization

Positive visualization might sound like a hokey way to help you get through a difficult situation, but what if I told you that professional sports teams have used it to win championships? Positive Visualization is the process of imagining what it will feel like in the future and channeling that feeling into your work on the path to that goal. “Think How Good It Will Feel” when you graduate from LAMA or your music school. Take a moment and imagine walking away with your diploma and reflect on that when you are struggling through a class or rehearsal.

5) Remember How Lucky You Are

It might do you good to take a moment and remember that you are ahead of the game— you followed your passion! How many of your friends went a certain route for college just because their parents told them to? While music college can be very challenging and demanding, you were true to your heart and knew that you would be happy in your life only if you were playing music. Congratulations!

There you go friends, students, future students et al. If you find your motivation waning during this upcoming semester, try one or all of these tips and get your head back in the game. It’s important to remember that college is a stepping-stone to the rest of your life. If you are a LAMA student you must remember to take advantage of the faculty and administrators. If a class is too hard, just ask for extra help!

Get to the Music!!

-LAMA Staff

Choosing a Music School: Why Location Matters

Our staffers visit with a lot of prospective music students at LA Music Academy open houses and on-campus tours. It is amazing how little location factors into students’ decisions on what music school to attend (“consider the location” is the first tip in our recent blog post “How to Choose the Right Music School“). We can imagine how it happens — you get so focused on the intricacies of each school and the great faculty (Tariqh Akoni chairs the guitar dept at LAMA!? cool!) that you often forget that you are going to be living in a city for your entire time at college. Let’s examine why it is important to look into location:

WEATHER

There are music schools located all over the world with a million different climates so you want to make sure that the weather is conducive to your learning. Ask yourself where you grew up and live now, was it a cold climate or a hot climate? Did you like it? Have you ever lived in a different climate? It can be a huge adjustment. Witnessing your first snowstorm can be very scary to anybody! If you want sunshine year round, you might think about a school located in California. If you don’t mind carrying your instruments and books through the rain and snow, the east coast may be more up your alley. Go visit the schools and see if the weather suites you! Don’t get fooled if you visit an east coast school in Summer since the weather, most of the year, will not resemble anything like what you see.

PROXIMITY TO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

If you wanted to go to a music school, wouldn’t you want to be, well, you know, sort of close to the entertainment industry? People often don’t take this into consideration. Why waste time in a state that has NO music industry? The great thing about going to a school like LAMA next to Los Angeles is you get to use your time in music college to network and meet all the people IN the industry who will help you get your first job after you graduate. Not to mention, sometimes you need to be close to all the action and get inspired by seeing other people who have made it and living the music dream. Trust me it helps!

COST OF LIVING

There is no doubt that certain cities are more expensive than others to live in. Weigh the options. Would you rather live in a city with cheaper rent or live in a city with a slightly higher premium but with the benefits of being closer to the music industry? Also, just because the music school you are looking at is in an expensive city, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be smart about spending your money and turn it into a cheap city. Make sure to check out our blog on “Living On The Cheap In LA” to get some ideas.

SAFETY

Rumor has it that Axl Rose’s lyrics to “Welcome To The Jungle” are about getting off the bus in Los Angeles for the first time. It can be scary heading to a big city if you haven’t before, so make sure you feel comfortable. If you don’t mind living in an urban environment with higher crime rates, you can look into schools right in the heart of a big city. However, if safety is a concern, you might like LAMA, which is located right outside LA, so you get the perks of safety and less traffic, but still just a short car or bus ride away to being in all the action.

These are just a few of the many reasons why checking out the location of the school should rank high when you are looking at different schools. Don’t forget as well, that each one of us is built differently, so you may or may not adapt well to certain environments and cities. You will know which city feels right to you. Trust your gut more than anything else!

-LAMA Staff

5 Tips: How to Choose the Right Music School

So you’ve decided to attend a music school. Choosing the right one is overwhelming for many, but we hope this post will help you narrow down your choices so you make a smart and informed decision. Don’t forget to ask the right questions and be completely informed before making such an important decision. It’s your future! Here are 5 tips for choosing the RIGHT music school for you!

1) Consider the Location

Choose the school in an area that works best for your lifestyle – consider weather, safety and proximity to housing, public transportation and nightlife:

Weather: Do you want mild temperatures and lots of sunshine year round? Then you might want to look at schools in Southern California. If you aren’t bothered by trudging with your gear in snow and cold weather conditions, than attending a school like Berklee on the East Coast might be for you.

Safety: Often overlooked is campus safety, which is a top concern for parents of teens about to leave the nest; and paranoid musicians with gear that means more to them than any other possession. So be aware of whether the school is right in the heart of a busy, urban city. LA Music Academy is in a Los Angeles suburb called Pasadena—a smaller, friendly and safer community than say Hollywood. And Pasadena is just a few minutes North of downtown Los Angeles, but still close enough to all the nightlife and entertainment that the city has to offer.

Proximity: Do you have/want to drive to get where you need to go? Is there public transportation available? Do you have access to restaurants/markets and nightlife?

2) Factor in all Costs

Cost should be a key factor in your search for the right music school. Some music schools can be double or triple the cost of others and most often don’t mean a better education. Remember…is it the RIGHT education? You should be fully informed of the financial aid options and scholarship awards at each school before you make any decision to enroll (a good indicator is if they have a financial aid director on staff). Besides just looking at the price tag of tuition, make sure you think about other factors such as: Are there rehearsal rooms and labs on the premises? How expensive is it to live in the city where the school is based? Smaller cities like Pasadena will be cheaper to live in than say the heart of Los Angeles or Boston.

3) Class Size

Class size is also overlooked. That’s a surprise…because what’s more important than anything at a music school? Hands-on teaching/interactions and personal attention. It is important to ask about the student-teacher ratio at the school. If class size is important to a school, you will find that emphasized in a mission statement or throughout a school website. Does the school put restrictions on class size? Does the school provide an intimate, friendly atmosphere that ensures personal attention?

4) The Faculty

As a student you are going to be spending a lot of your time with the faculty so it is smart to make sure they are top notch and active players in the industry. Most schools’ websites should list (link to LAMA Faculty page) the different department chairs; you might have reason to be suspicious if they don’t. Make sure to read all the department chairs’ credentials and do some Internet research. You should be able to know right away whether your school has solid faculty. A simple google search for LA Music Academy’s Guitar Department Chair Tariqh Akoni, for instance, shows he has played with everyone from Josh Groban to Aretha Franklin.

Very important: make sure you identify who is a “Visiting Artist” as opposed to someone who teaches regularly at the school.

5) The Alumni

The best test of a school is to see what graduates go on to do after graduation. Most schools will be very proud of their alumni and have them featured prominently on their website. If a school doesn’t brag about their alumni it should probably raise red flags. Look for a special section dedicated to alumni updates and news. Company the school keeps can mean the difference between say landing gigs with Macy Gray, Herbie Hancock or Tegan and Sara; or landing your butt on the couch in your garage.

What other tips would you provide to prospective music school students?

-LAMA Staff