A CAVEAT ABOUT AUDIO RECORDING ('ENGINEERING') SCHOOLS

Thorough musical training is more important than ever in the recording industry.

NEWARK, Delaware, November 11, 2007 - US School of Commercial Music today announced its new Music Production & Engineering Diploma Module with a warning about technical schools. In a recent interview, USSCM Director, John Amaral, had this to say:

"As most people realize, the cost of professional equipment has dropped in fields such as photography, videography and audio recording. This has made it possible for many more individuals to go into debt to purchase quality equipment with the idea of creating a commercial profitable studio, only to find that they lack sufficient experience to operate the equipment or the small business management skills needed to survive. It's a story that often sadly repeats itself, causing good people to leave the recording industry and good equipment to sit unused or to be sold at a loss on eBay. While equipment is more affordable and easier to use than ever, investing in equipment without training can be a costly mistake. USSCM's approach to audio engineering studies is more rigorous than that of other schools; the program is only for the most serious. The result is that graduates have an advantage in the marketplace. This happens three ways:

Number one, the school's philosophy is to train musicians first and engineers second, because engineers who are musicians understand the needs of clients and the intricacies of the medium much better than those who don't play. Secondly, USSCM aims for its students to understand the underlying principles of the sciences of vibration, acoustics and electronics so that they can make informed purchase decisions and acquire the skills to use music technology despite changes in the technological terrain which always progress with time. Thirdly, students are given business studies unique to the recording business which are not covered as business studies in the Schillinger program."

About the US School of Commercial Music
First founded in 1915, US School of Commercial Music continues a rich tradition as the oldest, most trusted name in distance music learning. Beginning in 1995, USSCM was the first institution to offer a college-level commercial music Diploma Program via online technology. Today, USSCM offers Diploma Programs in every major category of commercial music, as well as unique proprietary Certificate Courses with content unobtainable elsewhere. Recognizing that each music student has unique needs, USSCM's Matriculate™ online technology gives students the unparalleled flexibility to design the exact program they need by sequencing seven basic areas called "Modules": Performance & Improvisation, Schillinger System/LineWriting/Music Business, Advanced Improvisation, Melody/SongWriting & Linear Counterpoint, Arranging & Orchestration, Media Composition & Scoring and Music Production & Engineering. Each Module consists of 4 microsemesters of concentrated studies.

At the start of each microsemester, US School of Commercial Music students receive a large package of customized materials covering all their study subjects. Projects are recorded and returned to the college via the internet for rapid feedback. According to Professor Amaral of USSCM, "Choice and flexibility are great reasons to choose USSCM for your commercial music education." He continued, "USSCM has an approach unlike any other:
• It mixes proprietary materials with the best of published materials, which are evaluated and upgraded twice yearly.
• There are no distracting non-music 'academic' subjects, such as English or History.
• There is no internal competition for resources between a 'bricks and mortar' operation versus 'online'
• USSCM has only one agenda: a student's rapid progress on a personal "microsemester" pace, rather than keeping him or her in a too-lengthy "semester" program.
• Students work in all four rhythm section instrumental areas each microsemester.
• Students record homework in each subject.
• Feedback about homework is greatly facilitated by online communication and often seems immediate.
• USSCM tuition is realistic, with generous scholarships and discounts.
• USSCM programs offer students a level of choice and customization very difficult to achieve and manage with a 'classroom' model of course delivery."

US School of Commercial Music is the most economical way to acquire the knowledge and skills a commercial musician needs to compete and 'collect a paycheck' in today's noisy musical environment. USSCM students save considerable money by studying at home, anywhere in the world, and they may actually get a better education than at typical 'bricks and mortar' schools. While there is no substitute for working with fellow students shoulder to shoulder, student peers are seldom professionals. In comparison with many other schools and other approaches to commercial music study, USSCM exposes each student to a higher quality of music information, better accompaniments and professional presentations, because it upgrades materials on a semi-annual basis, with the primary requirement that it be the best information and most effective presentation available. By rising above the typical noise in music education, USSCM saves its students time, money and energy.

At www.usschoolofmusic.com, prospective students may read about course offerings, initiate inquiries, design their program, determine tuition costs, scholarship elgibility, financing options and aid, fill out and submit their application, print their learning agreement for faxing, and much more. Also from the college homepage, students, alumni and industry professionals may access several useful resources: Music Industry News, USSCM News, MI Jobs, USSCM Forum and USSCM Internet Radio.

For more information, please contact
US School of Commercial Music
www.usschoolofmusic.com
info@usschoolofmusic.com
617-666-4839