Diploma in Music Industry Arts

The sounds we hear teach us, transform us and move us, and the music industry is one of the most diverse careers around. Fanshawe’s Music Industry Arts program focuses your musical talents and creative passions on applied skills that will help you make your mark in the world of audio and recording arts. Study the business of music, learning artist and label management, digital media technology, audio and live sound production, as well as writing, producing, and engineering.

Your Learning Experience

Our graduates are among some of the world’s best producers and performers for over 40 years, including Oscar, JUNO (Fanshawe JUNO playlist), and Primetime Emmy winners. As a student, you’ll access this growing network of graduates in addition to connecting with industry leaders at Canadian Music Week. Guest lectures, master classes, and workshops with artists-in-residence will also equip you with extensive knowledge of the latest technology and business expertise.

The Music Industry Arts program focuses on fine-tuning your skills into a rewarding career. You’ll study and practice your skills in the most modern recording facility of any school in Canada. You’ll also apply your learning by organizing and performing in the annual Share the Land charity concert, a favorite event for many graduates.

The City of London, together with the Canadian Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is proud to announce that London has been designated a UNESCO City of Music. London is Canada's first city to receive this designation.

The Music Industry Arts program is a creative and practical environment that allows students to discover and develop the artistic, technical, and business skills that will prepare them to compete in today's evolving music and entertainment industry.

The program approach is intensively hands-on, with professional recording, performance, and lab facilities exclusively dedicated to student use. Course content is varied and equally balanced between artist development and technical skills which accentuates experiential learning within the program. Course curricula are wide by design and include artist development, music publishing, entertainment law, copyright, sales and promotion, music theory, ear training, music writing and arranging, creative audio production techniques, functions of digital and analog consoles, audio recording/mixing, studio operation, design and management, audio for picture, as well as live audio production. Computer literacy, audio, and editing techniques relevant to the disciplines of music creation and audio post-production are offered through theory and practical applications. Collaborative projects utilizing other media-based programs within the college are also encouraged on a regular basis.

Due to the academic rigor required in the Music Industry Arts program, applicants applying directly to this program from secondary school without additional post-secondary education, are encouraged to consider applying to the Pre-Media preparatory program.

Courses

Level 1

Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:

Group 1

• WRIT-1037 ---- Reason & Writing 1-Contemporary Media
• PROD-1058 ---- Audio Workstation 1
• MUSC-1011 ---- Music, Writing & Analysis 1
• PROD-1061 ---- Music Production 1
• MUSC-1014 ---- Artist Development 1
• PROD-1059 ---- Social Media & Performance 1
• RCRD-1018 ---- Audio Engineering Lab 1

Group 2

Take RCRD-1016 or RCRD-1017

• RCRD-1016 ---- Audio Engineering 1-Inclusive
• RCRD-1017 ---- Audio Engineering 1

Level 2

Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:

Group 1

• COMM-3075 ---- Communications for Media
• PROD-3032 ---- Audio Workstation 2
• MUSC-3009 ---- Music, Writing & Analysis 2
• MUSC-3012 ---- Artist Development 2
• PROD-3027 ---- Social Media & Performance 2
• PROD-3029 ---- Music Production 2
• MUSC-1015 ---- Miskasowin
• RCRD-3005 ---- Audio Engineering Lab 2

Group 2

Take RCRD-3003 or RCRD-3004

• RCRD-3003 ---- Audio Engineering 2-Inclusive
• RCRD-3004 ---- Audio Engineering 2

Level 3

General Education - Take a 3-credit General Education elective course.

Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:

• DIGL-1029 ---- Audio Post Production 1
• MUSC-3013 ---- Artist Development 3
• PROD-3033 ---- Music Production 3
• MUSC-3014 ---- Music Industry Connection 1
• RCRD-3002 ---- Audio Engineering Lab 3
• PROD-1060 ---- Live Sound Production

Level 4

General Education - Take a 3-credit General Education elective course.

Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:

• RCRD-5001 ---- Audio Engineering Lab 4
• DIGL-3025 ---- Audio Post Production 2
• MUSC-5003 ---- Artist Development 4
• PROD-5009 ---- Music Production 4
• MUSC-3015 ---- Music Industry Connection 2
• PROD-3031 ---- Live Production 2

General Education - Electives

Take 6 General Education Credits - Normally taken in Levels 3 and 4

Program Residency

Students Must Complete a Minimum of 18 credits in this program at Fanshawe College to meet the Program Residency requirement and graduate from this program

Awarded Canada's top music school for three years running, Music Industry Arts has graduated some of the world's best producers and performers for over 40 years. This outstanding network of alumni includes Oscar, JUNO and Primetime Emmy winners.

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Display a positive and professional attitude towards the responsibility and respect for the creation of music and sound.
2. Meet strict deadlines and enhance creativity through the act of balancing technology and arts.
3. Apply market-ready skills in music and sound recording, preproduction, audio production, writing, arranging, editing, mixing, contracting, and delivering, artist discovery, development, direction, marketing, promotion, tour management and live sound production.
4. Utilize strong time management, problem-solving and organizational skills.
5. Stay current with industry practices primarily in the technical and secondarily in non-technical audio industry sectors through the use of creating sound and music.
6. Operate audio and video hardware and software through the creation and design of sound and music either with or without moving or still pictures.
7. Apply industry-level skills in the operation of live sound and music recording.
8. Create all documentation necessary in order to develop a music artist.

Graduates of Fanshawe’s Music Industry Arts program have the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in the music production/recording industry, the post-production field, or music business industries, including:

• music/audio production, engineering for studio and live applications;
• entry-level audio and sound design for film, web, games, and television;
• artist development, performance, and promotion; and
• sound supervision, copyright, entertainment law, publishing, and merchandising.

Here are some examples of career opportunities for graduates of Fanshawe’s Music Industry Arts program:

Assistant Recording Engineer

Responsible for assisting the head engineer in a recording studio.

Artist Marketing Manager

Develop strategies and initiatives to promote an artist’s upcoming release.

Music Production/Copywriter

Have a passion for sound and music and want to build a career in a creative environment.