S'pore Poly's music & audio tech course
- Thread starter ellenshane
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CrispyEgg
New member
One said:
which year! that's a rockin course. but i quit. muahaha. hey but u'll be happy to know that NP has teh best studio in singapore! (unless a newer better one is out...)
i'm in lasalle SIA music tech, and so far i think it's the best course if u want a balance between music and teching. it's three years for the dip and one year for the degree which has sonic arts integrated in it, i think that pwns. enjoy your studying years all! hope to see all you sound techs in the industry...
Cheez
Moderator
bongman said:
I wonder about all these choices - do they actually eventually help place graduates in the music profession? Does anybody know of real-life examples - and how many?
I think softyan is right - in the end, it's the portfolio that will make or break it.
So, in this regard Bongman, maybe our time is in a way better. Force us to go to other professions but then we have to make sure we practice in our free time and make music our serious hobby. Then we have more options in our career choices, instead of being locked into one. Plus the music industry is not really huge in Singapore compared to other countries - and competition for work/opportunity is pretty tough.
I wonder for the younger generation - whether it wouldn't be wiser to choose a different course other than the music industry, then continue to pursue music as a hobby and build your portfolio and experience over time. In the end, you can have more options in the future. Even though music is my hobby, I'm still slowly building my portfolio for a rainy day - I plan to do serious music when I retire at 60 years old, and I'm confident my current portfolio will help if in the case I should make the switch right now (which I'm not going to of course...).
Any thoughts, Generation Y and Z?
ellenshane
New member
i was at SAE briefly.. it really wasn't that great. which is why i'm now considering lasalle's music technology or SP. anyone went to lasalle then? i'm having good vibes abt lasalle. haha.
blackductape
New member
at the breifing of my course, the lecturers said that it is going to be very2 difficult. and many of the graduates will end up freelancing. so the conclusion is that it is a very tough path of life to follow. only those lucky ones will get a full-time job maybe under a huge company which can afford to employ its own music personnel or something like that. i'm not sure whether they're going to provide help or not but hopefully they will.
cheers
cheers
bongman
New member
60 to turm pro?Cheez said:
60 for you to retire!
Maybe can play jazz piano in pubs and clubs.
The posting above sounds logical,
I've met people who turn pro after NS
and now doing well.
Some say let you be in the
music industry for 10-years,
that's it; your ideas run dry.
Sometimes I do regret not turning pro
where right now everyday in my day job
is just going through motion.
Republic polytechnic just intro a
Dip in Sonic Arts
http://www.rp.edu.sg/courses/technologyarts/dsa/index.asp
Diploma in Sonic Arts
About the Programme
Want to be heard?
Exploding onto the RP academic and cultural scene is the new Diploma in Sonic Arts (DSA).
Designed to nurture both the aspiring tech-savvy musician and the musicianship-aware audio technologist, Sonic Arts graduates will be versatile and possess hybrid capabilities that will make them highly marketable.
Programme Aims
DSA graduates will create, produce and master/re-master musical arts projects, via an immersive artistic environment built with cutting-edge technology that yet captures wisdom entrenched in traditional resources.
The experience is further enhanced through the ‘live’ capability at The Republic Cultural Centre. This will facilitate performance and practical learning in a real-world environment that showcases the talents of our sonic artists.
While living and breathing in the DSA space, students will be treated to a vast array of competency exposure, including:
Music technology
Audio production techniques
Scoring and production for film and TV
Environmental and spatial acoustic design
Music composition in the digital realm
Talent marketing and management
Creative business skills for music production
Your Future Career
DSA graduates will specialise in one of three tracks of choice:
Contemporary Composition & Production
Audio & Acoustic Design
Music Business & Management
DSA graduates will be equipped to take on roles ranging from film scoring, jingle composition, music synthesis, audio environment design for any artistic production genres, careers in tours, music/talent business entrepreneurs, to becoming future educators and alchemists in digital music and technology.
Looks like the government is pumping $$$ into the media industry
I think the more serious issue is the issue of market size.
Its Singapore.. its small... there IS a limit on how many musicians, soundmen and sound engineers can go running around in the pubs/bars/clubs, even a smaller number get to big companies like Mediacorp.
No matter how much the govt pumps into the media industry, there's the cap there, nothing is going to change it.
Unless you move overseas.
Its Singapore.. its small... there IS a limit on how many musicians, soundmen and sound engineers can go running around in the pubs/bars/clubs, even a smaller number get to big companies like Mediacorp.
No matter how much the govt pumps into the media industry, there's the cap there, nothing is going to change it.
Unless you move overseas.
Cheez
Moderator
bongman said:
But you can still gig on and off during weekends if you want to! And I'm not so sure if the graduates from the courses will have an edge over you. You will have engineering to rely on, music as a backup. Those who go solely for music will have nothing if the market gets saturated - and it will be difficult to switch profession after a certain age.
The problem with Singaporeans and many Asians is the paper-chase mentality - me included. We go for "certificates". I've always been keen to take up some courses like Berklee. It really looks interesting and tempting - the cost is not so tempting... But then on second thoughts, I think 70-80% of the content I already know/can pick up on myself. The urge to do it is to get a "certificate". Is that really worth it? Particularly in the music industry in Singapore where market for these people are low (as Shredcow aptly pointed out) and competition is high.
I'm sure many in SOFT (ie the older generation) who hasn't gone for these courses has more expertise and perhaps even more marketable just based on their experiences. Not to mention names, I've met people in the music industry who has studied overseas (even in film music) - but when I hear their music, it makes me wonder what exactly they were taught.
I'm not trying to pour cold water on these courses - I'm sure they are good and have their place in training. But in real life, does it secure more jobs? If not, are they deceiving the younger generations while securing THIER jobs? I'm glad blackductape's lecturers were honest in giving the real life situation - perhaps this should be conveyed before one applied to any of these courses.
I applaud the government trying hard to boost the arts/music scene. But in real-life, the make-up of Singapore does not create such a market and I'm dubious whether this will change at all despite all the effort. But then, I may be wrong - but it's hard to see any change in at least 10-20 years maybe. But then, I'm usually more negatively inclined...
I think in arts, particularly music as we see today (not speaking of classical), the key is still experience and building a good portfolio. If I'm going to look for a composer to write for one of my films, I wounldn't care where he/she graduated - just let me listen to his/her composition and I'll decide based on that. Hans Zimmer has no training and he's doing pretty well!
ellenshane
New member
hey cheez i just pm-ed u.
knucklehead
New member
strats , you're still in chem engnr issit?
felt like a dumb kid la at SP just now. argh~
felt like a dumb kid la at SP just now. argh~
teraslasch
New member
hmm, i feel that going to berklee is the best chance to mingle with better musicians out there, contacts are damn important haha.. im just going to SAE for one year then to NS then to berklee.. new law says 16 1/2 cant go overseas to do degree course b4 takin NS.. so.. i'll treat SAE as my filler yr ^^.. and to seriously pick up the engineering stuff as well as music stuff with my own private teacher.
Cheez
Moderator
I think I sounded slightly too negative.. better add a more balanced view.
For those contemplating on studying in these courses, my suggestion is plan ahead on your options.
For those already in it, don't fret. I think the most important thing to do is to position and market yourself while you are still studying there. This is important particularly so for the music industry as compared to other careers. Start getting experience, get to know the existing studio people out there (or TCS people) etc - start building your portfolio.
In another forum, there's this young kid in this teens that shocked the sampling community with his skills in sequencing/orchestration/arranging. His pieces are so real that one absolutely cannot tell if it is done by samplers or a real orchestra. He was studying music in college at that time doing things like film music etc. There are a few things that helped him in his situation (like his dad owning an orchestra and him able to sample his own orchestra etc). But that aside, he markets himself well. He puts out his music at the right places, get to know the right people ... Eventually (because he is SO good), sample developers started to get him produce demos of their sample libraries. Then Hollywood started to notice him and tried to get him as well - all these while he was not yet twenty and still in his music school.
I think there's a lot of hard work involved - but that's the same as everything else. I hope these courses has lectures on marketing in them. As teraslasch said, contacts are important!
Ellenshane, no pm leh..
For those contemplating on studying in these courses, my suggestion is plan ahead on your options.
For those already in it, don't fret. I think the most important thing to do is to position and market yourself while you are still studying there. This is important particularly so for the music industry as compared to other careers. Start getting experience, get to know the existing studio people out there (or TCS people) etc - start building your portfolio.
In another forum, there's this young kid in this teens that shocked the sampling community with his skills in sequencing/orchestration/arranging. His pieces are so real that one absolutely cannot tell if it is done by samplers or a real orchestra. He was studying music in college at that time doing things like film music etc. There are a few things that helped him in his situation (like his dad owning an orchestra and him able to sample his own orchestra etc). But that aside, he markets himself well. He puts out his music at the right places, get to know the right people ... Eventually (because he is SO good), sample developers started to get him produce demos of their sample libraries. Then Hollywood started to notice him and tried to get him as well - all these while he was not yet twenty and still in his music school.
I think there's a lot of hard work involved - but that's the same as everything else. I hope these courses has lectures on marketing in them. As teraslasch said, contacts are important!
Ellenshane, no pm leh..
teraslasch
New member
Yea, totally agreed cheez. To survive also must know how to market yourself .. In fact many people get talent spotted or get famous while they are still studying their music stuff, some even before they attend all these kind of courses.
teraslasch
New member
btw cheez, can i have the link of the other forum u mentioned?.. i wanna check out that genius ..
..Cheez said:
I think you are giving a very good, balanced point of view for those who will read.
But lets be wary, we tread the fine line between fact and fiction, reality and dreams.
Even to me, I just want to follow my dreams and play guitar, but sometimes, okay, most of the time, no, its just not the right time and place to do so.
Lets be frank and lets not be overly condesending. Between the real world and the young mind's idealistic paradise, the real world is REAL. And we don't know that, those who are not working, trying to earn their keep don't know that.
I urge people persuing their dreams to sometimes, just... look over your plan, and then life up the blueprints and check if there's anything to fall back on. We are in Singapore, not in USA, where you can just say, okay, if my dreams fail, I'll go work at some guitar shop or I'll market myself in the next state... there's not enough to go round here.
Cheez
Moderator
teraslasch said:btw cheez, can i have the link of the other forum u mentioned?.. i wanna check out that genius
He never put out his music for long - and has now stopped sharing it altogether. But not before I downloaded them into my hard-drive!!! Legitimately of course!
His name is Thomas Bergersen. When I first heard him, he was 17. He caused such a hoo-hah that there were actually people accusing him of bluffing - ie using real orchestra instead of samples. Of course, in the end, he was proved right and his accuser suffered permanent damage to his credibility and never recovered since (that was in year 2000). He has arranged for some films - A Cinderella Story, Garfield, The Skulls 3 etc - remember he is now in his early twenties.
It's hard to dig up all the threads, but you can find his demos on www.soundsonline.com (EWQLSO library) and vsl.co.at (VSL library). He is now making his own samples. Oh by the way, he is a trumpet player.
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