Music students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) can attain a new level of competitive experience with the recent redesign and upgrade of the university’s recording studio.
With the addition of the AVID System 5 Fusion console, the UAB Department of Music is now one of only a handful of programs across the nation to provide this level of professional experience for its students, says University Professor of Music Henry Panion III, Ph.D.
“It is virtually impossible to hear a record by a major recording artist or watch a Hollywood feature film that has not been produced with AVID technology,” Panion said.
UAB also joins an even more elite number of institutions designated as AVID Learning Partners (ALP). With this upgrade and individualized training by AVID, UAB music technology faculty will become AVID Certified Instructors. The ALP program offers students professional-level certification on AVID software and hardware, including industry standard Pro Tools, Media Composer and Sibelius audio, video and notation software.
“Being able to attain certification before graduating is an enormous bonus for anyone seeking industry employment or internships,” Panion said. “Students won’t have to travel out of the state and region to receive the training necessary for placement in the industry.”
Scoring music for film and TV and creating a professional-sounding track to accompany school or church choirs are just two of the ways students can get involved in the studio. The UAB music technology program provides students with the highest level of technical training, alongside traditional music training, by UAB’s world-class, highly distinguished music faculty.
UAB has been a leader in the field of music technology education since the establishment of its nationally-accredited degree program in 1994. Co-directed by Panion and Assistant Professor Scott Phillips, Ph.D., the UAB music technology program offers comprehensive training in recording engineering, computer-based music composition and multimedia production.
| The newly upgraded recording studio, with its complete 7.1 surround-sound capable AVID System 5 Fusion console, provides a boon opportunity for students pursuing music technology training. |
The newly upgraded recording studio, with its complete 7.1 surround-sound capable AVID System 5 Fusion console, provides a boon opportunity for students pursuing music technology training. The studio accompanies other outstanding university facilities for students, including the music technology lab, the digital media lab, the UAB TV studio and the five live performance and recording halls in UAB’s Hulsey Recital Hall and Alys Stephens Center.
“Our focus has been the same since the founding of the program,” Panion said. “That is to enhance the educational and professional opportunities for our music students by equipping them with training on the leading technology in the music and entertainment industry.”