Commercial Music

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Turn your love of music into a profitable career by developing musical and technical skills in the Commercial Music program at Cedar Valley. All of our faculty members are working professional musicians who perform nationally and internationally.

Are you interested in a career in commercial music?

Commercial Music at Cedar Valley

Open: Music​

Voice: Two…one, two…MUSIC

Dr. Kathryn Brown, Commercial Music program coordinator:

At Cedar Valley College, we train our students for success in the commercial music industry. Whether it's recording technology, or digital music production, or performance or the music business, we give our students the tools they need to be successful in the music business.

MUSIC

Michael Robertson, Commercial Music student:

My name is Michael Robertson. I came to Cedar Valley to learn about music because it's my passion. The staff at Cedar Valley has given me the opportunity how to dream again. Even though I came to do production and composition, I became a musician from being a Cedar Valley.

MUSIC

Zantana Zuniga, Commercial Music graduate

My name is Zantana Zuniga. I graduated from Cedar Valley College with an associate in commercial recording technology. I now work as a tutor for music theory in audio. My dream would be to continue honing my skills, just getting better, building connections with the people in the industry, and hopefully one day to come and actually teach here as a professor.

MUSIC

Natalie Brown, Commercial Music student:

My name is Natalie Brown. I'm currently taking Audio Engineering 2 here at Cedar Valley. I hope to pursue a career in sound for film in the film industry. Hopefully this class will give me a good foundation on what I need to know to pursue that career.

MUSIC

Adia Hardy, Commercial Music student:

My name is Adia Hardy. I'm getting an associate in arts with a certificate in recording engineering technology. And with that I'm hoping to go to school and get a music degree, a commercial music degree where I can learn multiple aspects of the music business. I want to be a producer or a performer. I love to do it all!

MUSIC

Lyrics: Tell me what I'm supposed to do…

Reginald Buzby, Commercial Music student:

My name is Reginald Buzby. I'm here for digital music and composition. My future dreams…Ah, man, win a Grammy! Why not!? Make beautiful music. Music to empower, motivate, inspire.

Lyrics: What am I supposed to do? Talk to you about true hope in this world we're living in. I should talk to you about the Holy Ghost…

MUSIC

Daniel Muntes, Commercial Music student:

My name is Daniel Muntes. I'm here in the performing music program and possibly the others. I play mainly guitar, drums and bass, but I dabble in just about everything I can get my hands on. I like music because it's a healing thing, and I like it because …I heard someone say it elicits an emotional response. I love that articulation.

MUSIC

Johnnathan Melendez, Commercial Music student:

Hi, my name is Johnnathan Melendez. I'm studying here at Cedar Valley right now. I just love music. It's one thing that speaks to me. It's something that makes me dance, and something that's really cool that you can make other people dance with, you know.

Marica Cruz, Commercial Music student:

Hi, my name is Marica Cruz, and I'm studying music business here at Cedar Valley. I like music because it was a way for me to escape from the hardships in life and also connect with other people because it's really a universal language.

Dr. Kathryn Brown:

In the Dallas-area alone there are so many opportunities, so many venues to do live sound, or studio work, composition, performance opportunities, as well as management of those facilities. Being successful in the music business is not some magic potion. It does not generally happen, 'POOF,' and you're there. It takes a lot of work, a lot of diligence, a lot of hard work and a lot of perseverance through a lot of tough times to be successful, but the success is possible.

MUSIC

The Commercial Music program has four specialization tracks:

  • Composition and Digital Music Production
  • Music Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Performing Musician
  • Recording Technology
 

Cedar Valley offered the first commercial music and audio engineering program in Texas when the college opened in 1977. The goal was to prepare students to work in the music industry in two years through developing musicianship as well as technical skills.

More than 45 years later, our Commercial Music graduates perform and are employed around the world. They are professional artists, composers and arrangers, studio and live sound engineers, radio and television staff and music retailers and marketers. Community colleges across Texas have replicated our program.

Four studios are available for instruction, lab work and various stages of a recording project. All have Mac Pro Dual Quad Core computers and industry standard Avid Pro Tools recording and editing software.

In our studios, students can:

  • Learn the basics of music, acoustics and electronics.
  • Engineer studio sessions.
  • Produce live sound for concerts.
  • Perform in ensembles.
  • Produce commercials and jingles.
  • Learn about the business of music and recording.
A man sings in front of a microphone in a studio