During the summer 2005 semester, six undergraduate music business students attended a five-week semester in LA program, On-site Music Production and Management: Application of Recorded Music in the Entertainment Industry.  Developed by full-time AEMMDept faculty member Kimo Williams, the program consisted of three components: Producing Popular Music for the Corporate Label Conglomerates; Music Supervision in Entertainment; and Independent Study: Research, Networking, Interning, and Self Development.

     Taught by current industry professionals, students in the program apprenticed on commercial entertainment industry projects, learning music producing, music publishing, and music supervision concepts hands-on. Designed around networking opportunities, the program provided students opportunities to work with Matt Kierscht, music supervisor for Quiet on the Set LLC; Andy Johns, music producer for such legendary groups as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones; and Shie Rozow, music editor for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, among other professionals.

     “The program was thorough,” says student Marcos Palacios. Peter Alb, another student, agrees, adding “We met with all different kinds of people. It was pretty amazing the line up of people they had and how it all interrelated, from meeting with composers, to publishers, to labels. We went to ASCAP to get the performing rights side of it. We went to movie studios to get the studio side. We met with music supervisors. We met with a lawyer, so we really got everyone’s perspective on how music is being made to how they get the rights and how it gets into a movie.”

     The students had many networking opportunities and opportunities to show their talents to industry professionals. Kierscht said he was “pleasantly surprised by the [students’] determination and the fact the students all worked very hard and really wanted to absorb everything. That’s what I would look for if I wanted to hire or recommend somebody … I’d be more than happy to recommend these students for jobs.” In fact, two out of the six students acquired jobs through their experience in LA.

     For a final project, the students created a music production plan for a Lifetime film currently in production. Lori Goldfene, the Executive Producer for Lifetime, was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the students’ work and plans on using their plan. 
“It wasn’t like we were a bunch of students doing a project and the executive producer was nice enough to give us a spot … she WAS nice enough to give us a spot, but once we had that final project … it sounded really good, and it really hit the mark on what she was trying to communicate,” exclaims student Greg Cortez. “That was such a rewarding moment. That was what the whole semester program was about.”