Exploring the Diverse Programs at Los Angeles College of Music

Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) is a private, for-profit music college located in Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, California. LACM prepares students to be leaders in music and offers Bachelor’s and Associate’s degrees and Diploma programs in Music Performance, Music Production, Songwriting, Composing for Visual media and Music Business. Located in the heart of the music and entertainment industries, the faculty is comprised of current leading music professionals with a passion for inspiring the next generation. The college offers a significant number of real world playing situations with professional musicians, not just peers, making it one of the top music schools today.

A Foundation for Limitless Creativity

At LACM, the core philosophy revolves around establishing an environment for limitless creativity, developing a foundation of innovative music education, and building industry relationships. The college believes that music is for everyone, whether students are seeking a degree in one of the twelve majors, searching for guided online trainings, or looking for ways to elevate their music during the summer months. LACM aims to support individuals in incorporating music into their life’s journey.

Academic Programs and Curriculum Overview

LACM offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the competitive music industry. The curriculum is structured around three key components:

Major Field/Specialization: This area develops proficiency through applied private lessons, classroom lecture and lab work, and ensembles. Courses in music technology exclusive to the major, as well as recording studio techniques, cover professional creative practices.
Supportive Study: Reinforces the concentrated field and provides a breadth of learning in music theory and keyboard skills, music history, composition and arranging, music technology, music business and entrepreneurship, ensembles, and general music. Electives allow students to expand their knowledge in a field outside their specialization.

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General Education Curriculum: Comprised of fundamental and explorative courses that are dynamic, unique, and transferable. Students study a variety of coursework that encourages increased cognition and exposure to non-music subjects while supporting musical career goals. Topics include critical thinking, mathematics, government policy, and life and wellness skills.

Degree Programs

LACM offers a variety of Bachelor of Music degrees. Here's a look at some of them:

Bachelor of Music in Bass Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Bass Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry.

Faculty Highlight: Jerry Watts, Jr., an alumnus of William Paterson University, New Jersey, and California State University, Northridge, brings extensive experience to LACM. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Watts has garnered an extensive list of recording credits, having appeared on hundreds of CDs, numerous films & TV soundtracks, jingles, and DVDs. He has a wealth of international touring experience, representing a broad spectrum of artists at the highest levels of rock/pop, jazz, groove, and world beat music. Recording/ performance credits include: Andy Summers, Andy Timmons, Andrae Crouch, Babaghanoush, Billy Childs, Billy Idol, Dave Stewart, Don Grusin, three GRAMMY-nominated albums with Dori Caymmi, Dr. John, Flora Purim, Gerald Eaton, Grace Kelly, Herbie Hancock, Jai Uttal, John Daversa, Justo Almario, Keiko Matsui, Keith Emerson, Kevyn Lettau, L. Subramaniam, Michael Ruff, Mitchel Forman, Mylene Farmer, Pat Leonard, Peter Cetera, Russ Miller, Sergio Mendes, Sheryl Crow, Simon Phillips, Steve Vai, Tommy Walker, and Toni Childs.

Bachelor of Music in Brass and Woodwind Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Brass and Woodwind Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry. Students gain practical experience on their appropriate “doubles”. Brass students will perform on Keyed instruments: C, D, Eb & piccolo trumpet, tenor, bass trombones & euphonium. They also perform in diverse ensembles both contemporary and traditional.

Faculty Highlight: Bryan Lipps is a trumpeter, writer and educator. Bryan’s recording studio credits include a sizable list of RIAA multi-platinum and Grammy winning records, and as a writer, he penned the chart-topping lead single and album title track “Nobody But Me” for Michael Buble’s 2016 Reprise release. As an active Los Angeles studio/jazz musician, he has worked closely with RIAA multi-platinum record producers David Foster, Bob Rock, Steve Jordan, and Umberto Gatica. Mr. Lipps is committed to nurturing the developing musician. He has taught at the premire West coast arts high school, L.A.County High School for the Arts since 2001, and has seen many of his students receive top prize at the Monterey Jazz Festival “Next Generation” competition, “Spotlight,” “DownBeat” and Grammy Foundation honors. Bryan was handpicked by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as one of five musicians worldwide selected to participate in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz international Fellowship Program, a two year post graduate fellowship where he had the honor of learning from and playing with the patriarchs of modern jazz, including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, Barry Harris, and Terrence Blanchard. Mr. Lipps holds a B.M. from North Carolina School of the Arts, a M.M.

Bachelor of Music in Drum Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Drum Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry. Students develop a thorough knowledge of the proper technical skills needed to be a successful performer on the drum set. They use these skills and apply them in large and small ensembles in a variety of musical styles, including jazz, rock, funk, Latin and other contemporary and hybrid styles.

Faculty Highlights: Ralph Humphrey is one of Los Angeles’ most demanded studio drummers, recording for TV, motion pictures, albums and jingles. His most recent projects include American Idol, Charmed, Piglet’s Big Movie, Star Trek Enterprise, The Simpsons, ABC 50th Anniversary Special, Far From Heaven, Coca Cola, and Ping Golf Clubs. He is on the recent release by Babaghanoush, featuring Jimmy Mahlis, Andy Suzuki, and Jerry Watts. His past touring and recording experience includes the Don Ellis Big Band, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Akiyoshi-Tabackin Big Band, Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Seals and Crofts, and Free Flight. He can also be heard on album projects by Wayne Shorter, Tom Rainier, Mike Miller, Jeff Richman, and The Outside- men, among many others. Joe Porcaro’s musical spectrum ranges from jazz and rock to opera and symphonic. He has recorded with jazz artists including Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Freddie Hubbard, Don Ellis, Mike Manieri and rock/ pop artists such as Toto and Madonna. His credits include numerous television shows and movies.

Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry.

Faculty Highlight: Molly Miller is a Los Angeles native. She has performed, toured, and recorded with the likes of Jason Mraz, Wynton Marsalis, Ashley Clark, Bushwalla, Kenton Chen (The Sing Off), and Morgan Karr (Spring Awakening). She grew up playing guitar on stage in a band with her four siblings, performing on national television, and winning music awards all around the country.

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Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry.

Faculty Highlight: KAIT DUNTON is a Los Angeles based composer & pianist with an unconventional approach to composition and to the piano trio, best expressed by her genre-pushing super group, trioKAIT. Kait has produced and released three albums of original compositions, with a fourth featuring her equally out-of-the-box arranging style. Her third record, trioKAIT, made the Huffington Post’s list of “The Best Jazz for 2015” and was featured in Downbeat Magazine as well as on JAZZIZ Magazine’s 33⅓ Anniversary CD. Her second album, Mountain Suite, features master interpreters Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer, John Daversa and Darek Oles. Classically trained, Kait now works primarily in jazz and contemporary genres, maintaining a balanced career of performance, composition and education. Her enthusiasm and love for music radiates as much on the stage as in the classroom.

Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career in the music industry. Students sing with healthy vocal technique - truly applying their theoretical understanding of relaxed support and breath control, so they can sing in various styles, and in various ranges.

Faculty Highlight: David Joyce is a singer/keyboard player/songwriter who has worked with the likes of Chris Isaak, Burt Bacharach, U2, Neil Young, Oasis, Natalie Cole, Elvis Costello, Dionne Warwick, Sheryl Crow,Ray Charles, Babyface, Michael Jackson, David Byrne, Richard Marx, Tim McGraw, Wynonna Judd, Frank Sinatra, Vince Gill, and Barry Manilow. He has played and sung on many television shows, including American Dreams, Passions, Carmen San Diego, Saved by the Bell, Days of Our Lives, and The Tonight Show. Some of the films he has sung on have included The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Watchmen, Wanted, Horton Hears a Who, I Am Legend, Spiderman 3, The Simpsons Movie, World Trade Center, Superman Returns, King Kong, Matrix 2 & 3, There’s Something About Mary, Sixth Sense, Snow Falling on Cedars, Big, Face Off, and Contact. David has written songs for and produced a number of young artists in the Los Angeles area and has scored several PBS documentaries and a number of AFI films. David received his Masters in Jazz (voice) from USC and his B.M. in Composition from CSUN. He has been leading vocal/arranging seminars in Italy every summer since 2005 and has taught at both USC and Pasadena City College.

Bachelor of Music in Composing for Visual Media

The Bachelor of Music in Composing for Visual Media is a professional degree created for students who wish to pursue a career in Composition and Music Production. Graduates of this program are qualified composers who are well versed in many genres of commercial music.

Faculty Highlight: Martin Davich is a graduate of USC. He has performed and conducted with artists such as Anthony Newley and Burt Bacharach. For the last 30 years, he has made his living as a composer, having written for many dramatic series, including ER for 15 years, Trinity, and Beverly Hills 90210.

Bachelor of Music in Composition

The Bachelor of Music in Composition is a professional degree designed for students wishing to pursue a career as a songwriter in the music industry. Graduates of this program are qualified songwriters who are well versed in many genres of commercial music.

Faculty Highlight: Erin Workman’s background as a staff songwriter for Gaylord Entertainment in Nashville and a Film/TV composer have given her the practical experience to teach solid song craft and the fine art of commercially competitive communication and strategic alliances. Erin Workman’s years of experience in the field of Artist Development include working alongside major labels and networks to hone the skills of new and established artists such as Zac Efron, DJ Ashba (Sixx:AM), Drake Bell, Miley Cyrus, Sara Overall, Emma Roberts, Ashley Tisdale and many more. As former Senior Director of A&R at TAXI Music, former Senior Director of Education and VP of Industry Relations at Musicians Institute, and in her current role as an independent Education, Entertainment and A&R consultant, Erin has successfully applied her passion for guiding artists and projects to success. As a session singer and pianist, Erin can be heard working with artists as varied as Rufus Wainwright, Russell Crowe (TOFOG), Disney’s Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous with Emma Roberts, and many more.

Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry

The Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry degree is a liberal arts degree that prepares graduates to foster and employ an entrepreneurial mindset. Students focus their studies on the music performance and the music industry in areas such as music law, music publishing, artist management, music licensing, live concert production and promotion, radio programming and production, artist development and marketing in addition to the conventional study of music history, theory, individual music instruction and ensemble performance.

Faculty Highlight: Ron Winogradsky is a Co-Founder/Partner of Winogradsky/Sobel. He is also a nationally-recognized entertainment attorney, with primary expertise in intellectual property law, music copyright, New Media platforms, and media strategic planning, and music education. Prior to developing Winogradsky/Sobel in 2009, Ron served as President of North Star Media, a music and media services company (2000 - 2009). Prior to serving as President of North Star Media, Ron was V.P./Creative Affairs, and head of the L.A. office at ASCAP. Over the course of 16 years at ASCAP, Ron also served as Director of Business Affairs, was on the New Media Council, and he signed Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Lenny Kravitz, among others. Ron has published several music industry articles, and his latest book, Music Publishing: The Roadmap to Royalties, has been released by Routledge Books. Ron served as Chair of the Music Business Division at McNally Smith College of Music (St.

Additional Program Focus Areas

Beyond performance-oriented degrees, LACM also emphasizes other crucial aspects of the music industry:

Music Production

The role of the producer varies from project to project, ranging from “lending a trusted pair of additional ears,” to that of a “hands-on factotum,” involved in every single aspect of a musical work. The range of skills to be acquired is therefore necessarily wide. Music is the raw material to be molded into successful productions. Technical and musical abilities must be complemented by the ability to adapt one’s role and be of service to the music and its performers. Direct recording sessions in ways that ensure positive results (i.e.

Music Business/Music Education

As its name makes perfectly clear, the music business is, first and foremost, a business. André Knecht’s academic and professional background includes Electronic Music studies at Padua University, Italy, and a 7-year stint as a Sound Designer, Recording Engineer, Music Supervisor and composer with the Swiss Broadcasting Company (SSR). In the US, he began a twin-track career in audio engineering and marketing at Warner Bros. Records.

Award-Winning Faculty

The Los Angeles College of Music Faculty roster includes Grammy, BMI, & People’s Choice award winning musicians, recording artists, producers, and entrepreneurs who love to share their experiences and expertise with the next generation of music leaders.

LACM's History and Accreditation

LACM was founded in 1996 as LA Music Academy by Hans Peter Becker and co-founded by Tom Aylesbury, who also became president in 2004. Original department Chairs included Frank Gambale (guitar), Dave Carpenter (bass) and co-chairs Joe Porcaro and Ralph Humphrey (drums). The vocal department was established by Kevyn Lettau in 1998. Tierney Sutton took over as chair in 2008. The school has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 2003.

Community Programs

LACM provides virtual pre-college & summer programming for musicians of all ages.

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