If you’ve ever dreamed of being a roadie for a rock band, a recording engineer, or maybe producing your own music, Del Mar College college can make that dream come true. We recently paid a visit to the east campus to check out one of Del Mar’s hidden jewels in the Music Department, the Sound Recording Technology program.
Dr. Paul Bissell is the director of the program, and the people jamming with him on dozens of Youtube videos are called "The Coalition of the Willing"… an ever-changing collection of musicians and students who help him explore musical ideas or answer technical questions for the audio engineering classes.
He describes the SRT program as the intersection of musical skills and technical skills. He says, "My job is to take those people who are music-minded and let them understand the technical aspects of the trade, and those people who are technically minded to understand the musical aspects of the trade."
While playing and recording music is fun, it’s also a very demanding program. Andrew Pereiea, a student close to finishing the program says, "Dr. Bissell is a character, so he pushes you to go further than what you think you can, and he’ll always push you like you know you can do this better." And Dr. Bissell agrees, "This program is very focused, it is two years, and that’s all I’ve got them for, but it’s a four-year program packed within two years."
The facilities and the equipment are state of the art. There are two full-fledged recording studios.
There is also a fully equipped teaching lab with all the latest digital software that’s used in the recording industry. And while rock ‘n roll is the focus of the YouTube videos, the recording studios are also linked to Wolfe Recital Hall which provides a whole different set of learning opportunities.
Dr. Bissell says, "We also do live classical recordings, we do live classical recordings because we’re lucky enough to get world-class classical talent up on the Wolf stage.
"Some of the students are allowed to help set up the stuff and see how that is done, and it’s radically different from something that you set up for a rock band," Dr. Bissell continued.
So all of that, combined with Del Mar’s very low tuition adds up to an incredible value. Bissell says, "If you go to a dedicated recording school you’re gonna pay ten or twenty times as much, and if you go to a four-year school you’re gonna pay four times as much." So getting a world-class education for not much money opens a lot of doors.
First-year student Larry Hansen agrees. He says," I want to be doing something similar to what Dr, Bissell is doing, whether it be teaching an audio engineering class or just running a studio or working in a studio… you know that’s my dream."
If you’re interested in the program, it’s always a good idea to register early. And early registration for the 2018 fall semester is underway now through July 11th. To register, call 361-698-1290, email Del Mar College at enroll@delmar.edu , or go to http://www.delmar.edu>.
