Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences

At a Glance
Name: Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences Contact: John F. McJunkin, senior admissions representative Major Course of Study: Master Recording Program II (MRP-II) Degrees Offered: Diploma program; authorized education and certification center for Avid/Pro Tools, TC Electronic, SIA Smaart, Waves Accreditation: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT); licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Post-Secondary Education; Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA); The Arizona State Approving Agency for Veteran’s Training Main Technology Platforms: SSL, Neve, Pro Tools, Studer, Neumann, Otari, Yamaha and more Tuition: $12,500 Financial Assistance: A variety of federal and other financial assistance programs are available, including Stafford Loans, Pell Grants, PLUS program, VA benefits and other financial resources.

Established in 1980, the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences moved to a state-of-the-art, 14,500-square-foot,. high-tech campus in Tempe, Ariz., in 1995. Over the years, the mission has remained the same: to comprehensively prepare graduates for a career in professional audio. Consequently, the school’s curriculum is constantly updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music industry.

Via intensive lab, studio and classroom hours working hands-on with top-tier technology, the Conservatory’s 37-week/900-hour Master Recording Program II (MRP-II) is geared solely and exclusively toward audio engineering and production. Graduates have achieved Gold and Platinum sales awards, and one Grammy nomination thus far.
The Conservatory has created a highly focused curriculum and philosophy aimed at producing goal-oriented graduates. The school practices a selective enrollment, seeking only the most motivated applicants. Class sizes are kept small, never exceeding 12 students per instructor, an excellent teacher-to-student ratio, where faculty can better convey the knowledge and benefit of their own experience in the industry.

Furthermore, the Conservatory is unique in that the school’s internship program is mandatory, assuring extensive experience in a real-world environment as part of the education process. A dedicated internship office staff works to match students with specific facilities requested by students.

“We have kept ourselves relatively small by design,” explains John F. McJunkin, senior admissions representative. “The students who are here are ones who should be here, because they have shown a genuine commitment to a serious career path in this industry. There’s tremendous synergy between that and the fact that our faculty is similarly committed to the success of our students. That’s evidenced by the very, very low turnover in staff we have here. That gives the teaching process a lot of continuity.”

Students at the Conservatory work on a high level of equipment designed to reflect the reality of what’s found in today’s top-echelon recording and mixing facilities. The flagship A Room features an SSL 4056 G-Plus; acoustically, this traditional live end/dead end room is considered by many to be the finest studio in the Southwest. The B Room is a sophisticated production environment including a 32-input Neotek Elite console. The C Room console is a Neve VR-48, fitted with Flying Faders automation, recall and built-in dynamics processing. These studios also feature analog and digital recording systems from Studer, Tascam and Otari. The D Studio is a specialized environment for training in surround mixing. The Pro Tools Lab features six audio and video workstations. The Conservatory’s Live Sound room is set up in a stage-like environment, so students can gain real-world experience in setting up and mixing. Other facilities include the multi-workstation Digital Recording Lab and the Studiomaster Mixdown Lab. “Our formula is very simple,” observes Kirt Hamm, the Conservatory’s administrator. “We select the best and brightest applicants, then award-winning professionals educate them on world-class equipment. We are focused: We don’t teach any video or digital animation or Web design. We have one iron in the fire, and we’re very good at it. We have painstakingly developed a world-class curriculum that covers every detail of what you need to know to start a successful career.” •