Questions about the CVC Commercial Music Degrees?

The following are questions that have been asked by potential CVC music students in the past. You may have similar concerns.

Q. Do you have evening music classes?

A. Unfortunately, no. The schedule of music classes is carefully constructed to allow a student to move as quickly through the required number of credit hours as possible, while maintaining fiscal responsibility as to class size and room utilization. A full-time first-year music student would take music classes four days per week, Monday through Thursday, from about 9:30 to 4:30. This would be around 17 credit hours or one-fourth of the total required for the associate degree. Our four performing ensembles meet twice per week on alternate days. Fridays are used for sophomore music classes taught in a three hour time block, such as arranging, composition & advanced recording technology labs. You may take your non-music required courses such as English, speech, science or psychology at night, or transfer in credit from another institution. Our music facilities are used at night for lab time for the sophomore recording technology students producing their own projects.

Q. May I enter during the spring semester and complete the associate degree in four semesters?

A. No. If you enter the recording technology program in the SPRING SEMESTER, it will take FIVE long semesters to complete either the two-year certificate or associates degree, due to the third semester recording class being offered in fall semesters only. Keep in mind that we do not offer music classes in the summer during the 5-week terms, so music students are encouraged to take their academic classes in the summer to lighten their fall and spring course loads of music classes.
YOU MAY ENTER IN THE SPRING SEMESTER AND COMPLETE THE NEW ONE-YEAR CERTIFICATE in just two semesters (spring/fall).

Q. Can a non-music major take private lessons for credit?

A. No. All music classes except for private lessons are open to any student regardless of their total course load, but the applied music private lessons are restricted to full-time music majors taking theory, ensemble, recital and other required courses totaling 12 hours, before adding the credit for the lessons.

Q. As a recording technology student, will I get much "hands-on" experience?

A. Yes, quite a bit - when you are ready. The first year classes, being quite large sometimes, don't fit in the studio control room, so pieces of equipment are brought into a larger lecture room for demonstration and lecture. As you acquire a base of knowledge and move through the first year classes you will be preparing for the second year courses that require you to spend many hours in the control room producing projects of your own choice - typically demo tapes for bands.

Q. Do I have to read music or be a musician before I come to CVC?

A. No. We will teach you to read, write, perform and appreciate music as your degree plan demands. Obviously, students working on the Performance degree plan will need to achieve a higher level of performing skills than those completing the Recording Technology degree plan. Conversely, recording technology students will leave CVC with more "technical" knowledge than students pursuing either the Performing Musician, Music retailing or Arranger/Composer/Copyist. The point is, whatever the specific major, you will have the same core of knowledge about music and the music business.