Professional Certificate in Music Production
Self-paced
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Full program description
What is the Professional Certificate in Music Production?
The Professional Certificate in Music Production gives you a first-hand look at the tools necessary to successfully create and market your art. The program consists of faculty videos, software screen captures, and infographics designed to be engaging, informative, and a fun way to learn.
Each course module consists of several shorter video lessons that you complete at your own pace. Assignments, quizzes and hands-on projects reinforce important subject matter, help build career skills, and your overall knowledge of the music industry. Students earn a non-credit Certificate of Completion from ASU and 1500 Sound Academy upon successfully finishing the program.
What you will learn in this program:
- You will gain an understanding of the foundations and techniques of contemporary music production.
- You will be able to identify and discuss various forms and structures of songs, as well as their production elements.
- You will gain an understanding of the foundations and techniques of music recording and mixing.
- You will be able to create an artist and brand identity that informs marketing and media strategy.
- You will gain an understanding of revenue streams, performing rights organizations, and marketing strategies in music.
- You will be able to explain the historical development of recorded music.
- You will learn how to identify an individual artist identity for marketing, managing, songwriting and performing.
- You will develop an understanding of various roles and career paths in the music industry.
Student Benefits:
- Certificate of Completion (non-credit) in Music Production from ASU and 1500 Sound Academy
- Learn directly from leading industry professionals
- Individual project-based assignments
- 100% online and self-paced
Meet the Instructors
Seige Monstracity - Music Producer, Sound Designer
Seige Monstracity is an anomaly in the music industry. He rides the fence, providing the contemporary soundtracks for successful commercial artists such as YG, Tyrese, Keisha Cole, and Marsha Ambrosius, as well as producing grimey backdrops for underground artists like Bizarre, Bad Lucc, and Namebrand.
Dave Hampton
Dave Hampton is a 40+ year Grammy Award-winning veteran of the audio recording industry. In addition to engineering, He still consults with manufacturers on new technology, lectures on survival in the industry, and continues to design custom studios and creative spaces for some of entertainments top artists. Dave has authored 4 books for Hal Leonard Music Publishers. In the summer of 2001 Dave was the first engineer to use Pro Tools to live mix a concert in surround sound, for Herbie Hancock’s Future 2 Future World Tour. Dave served as Technical Director of Paisley Park Studios as well as the other residences in California for several years. While at Paisley Park Dave would design and build several special one-of-a-kind machines just for Prince’s use.
Among his list of clients, you will find generations of talent from every genre of music. Marcus Miller, Justin Timberlake, Maxwell, Babyface, NeYo, RZA, Too Short, Chicago, Bill Withers and more. He also serves as Technical consultant for the Estate of Jazz great Miles Davis and is now part of the design team for Volume Ventures
Kosine - 9X Grammy-nominated, Multi-Platinum Producer and Songwriter
Is a notable actor and entertainer, also known as 1/2 of the LA based production duo Da Internz. He's a 9xGrammy-Nominated, Multi-Platinum Producer and Songwriter, responsible for some of the biggest hits for Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Big Sean, Justin Bieber, Nas and more. He's also an On-Air Personality for Apple Music Beats 1, which broadcasts live in over 110 countries worldwide. He's both a graduate and former professor of Columbia College of Chicago and has also given a TEDx Talk at his alma mater.
Born and raised in Chicago, IL Kosine had his first major break in the music industry through his work with Da Internz on Mims’ 2009 sophomore album, “Guilt”. Serving as co-executive producer for the project, placing seven songs, the album’s first single, "Move, If You Wanna", was released in 2008 to rave reviews. Further success came as Kosine received ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards in 2013 for producing, "A$$" by Big Sean and "Birthday Cake" by Rihanna , two of the artists’ biggest songs. In addition to the ASCAP awards, Kosine has had several Grammy nominations for his contributions to classic projects which include “My World 2.0” receiving a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal album in 2011; “Life Is Good”, by Nas, nominated for best rap album; Tamar Braxton‘s “Love And War” for best urban contemporary album; “Love in the Future” by John Legend; and lastly, "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj nominated for best rap song for the 2015 Grammy awards.
In 2018 Kosine broadened his talents and took on the TV world taking on roles as host of the BET show “ManCave” and earning a premiere role as Lil Dini on FOX’s hot show “Star”. He most recently launched his series “Kingz with Kosine” on FOX’s newest streaming channel Fox Soul and has been tapped by the Biden/Harris campaign during the 2020 election to help boost their efforts.
Brian Kennedy - Producer/Writer/Composer
4X Grammy Award winner and musical phenomenon, Brian Kennedy, developed an appreciation for piano music at an early age. With formal lessons at six years old, he established the foundation for the composer he became at eight. Gifted with the ability to hear and memorize scales and melodies, he would take songs and make them his own.
“I always wanted to play from the heart, rather than from something that’s been written. There was no point in playing someone else’s music.”
Kennedy has been on the scene since 2001 and caught his big break in 2006 when he produced and co-wrote "My Love" on Ciara's platinum sophomore album, “The Evolution.” His most popular credits include chart-topping hits “Disturbia” recorded by Rihanna, which she performed while opening the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and “Forever,” the 2nd single released from Chris Brown’s album “Exclusive – The Forever Edition” which was listed as #1 on the Top 40charts.
Kennedy contributed to Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled debut album as a writer and producer. The effort earned him his first Grammy for Best R&B Album at the 2009 awards ceremony. Her hit song “If This Isn’t Love” garnered an ASCAP win for Kennedy as well. Revered as a piano prodigy, Kennedy’s musical genius has afforded him the opportunity to work with several top artists and producers, including Smokie Robinson, Timbaland, Lady GaGa, Rascal Flatts, Kelly Clarkson, Dallas Davidson, Dr. Dre Backstreet Boys, David Foster, Clive Davis, Natasha Bedingfield, legendary songwriter Diane Warren, and many others.
Young Guru - Audio Engineer
An American audio engineer, record producer, disc jockey, and record executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for mixing the album Everything Is Love by The Carters. He has worked with many leading recording artists, most notably Jay-Z, and an April 2015 Wall Street Journal profile called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of hip-hop"
Harmony Samuels - Record Producer
Harmony David Samuels (born 16 May 1980), also known as H-Money or "H", is an English record producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He has produced a multitude of hits for artists such as Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony, Chip, Ciara, Fantasia, Chris Brown, Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo and more.
Bianca "Blush" Atterberry - Songwriter/Artist
Bianca “Blush” Atterberry Is An American Emmy Award-Winning, Multi-Platinum Selling Singer/Songwriter Hailing From Pittsburgh,PA, by way of Meridian,MS.
Blush has been working in the music industry and a part of albums worldwide since the early age of 19. She collectively has sold over 1.5 million records as a songwriter. She had been able to work her way into rooms with Award-winning artists such as Demi Lovato, Mary J Blige, Chris Brown, Meghan Trainor, Kelly Clarkson, Timbaland, DJ Snake, just to name a few. She was born into a prestigious army serving family. Her mother's passion for singing and music was instilled in Blush at an early age and this allowed her to blossom her own passion for music, singing and songwriting.
She’s a true artist songwriting career to the most influential artists in the world. She’s a fierce individual and speaks wisdom of empowerment, She’s a voice of all women and equality.
Jozzy - Musical Artist/Songwriter
Singer/producer Jozzy started out behind the scenes writing songs for much more established artists. After a big break early on when she connected with Timbaland and worked on tracks with the legendary producer, the floodgates opened and Jozzy began writing for and collaborating with everyone from Beyoncé to Chris Brown to Pitbull. In addition to her work co-writing songs with platinum artists, Jozzy also worked steadily on her own music. In the summer of 2018, she released her debut single, "Push Thru," a simmering slice of hard-edged pop and R&B atmospheres.
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Jozzy came up as a songwriter and producer, inspired by '90s R&B acts and golden age hip-hop classics. A big break came in the early 2010s when famed producer Timbaland reached out for her to travel to Miami to work on some new songs together. Jozzy jumped at the chance, and within several months she found herself working with a host of new clients and artists, in particular one of her long-held favorites, Missy Elliott. As the years went on, she scored more and more hits for big names, including Chris Brown, Monica, Dreezy, GoldLink, Usher, and even Beyoncé. In 2018, she collaborated with Diplo on a song titled "Live It Up," which went on to be the official theme song of that year's FIFA World Cup competition.
When it came to releasing her own music, Jozzy took her time. In early 2018 she relocated to Los Angeles in an attempt to focus on her own work. She began working in the studio and released her debut single, "Push Thru," in the summer of that year. In 2019, she was recruited to help write a verse for Billy Ray Cyrus for a remix of Lil Nas X's blockbuster single "Old Town Road." That same year saw her issue the singles "Lemonade" and "Feel So Good."
Sterling Simms - Singer-Songwriter
Born and raised in Philadelphia, R&B singer and songwriter Sterling Simms was heavily coached by his grandfather, a musician himself, to be a performer. He exposed Simms to classic soul artists like Sam Cooke and even helped Simms record his first song at age six. Inspired by new jack swing artists like Teddy Riley, New Edition, and Boyz II Men, Simms moved to Atlanta to pursue his singing career when he turned 14. He seized on the opportunity to work with up-and-coming producers (who were his co-workers at a car wash) when they established their own imprint and landed a deal through Sony. Due to restructuring, however, Sony eventually dropped the imprint, leaving Simms extremely frustrated. He moved back to Philadelphia but was motivated to record again after hooking up with an old contact, '70s Philly soul auteur and producer Kenny Gamble, who offered Simms free studio access.
Returning to Atlanta, Simms formed the songwriting company Knightwritahz with several other writers, since he was more comfortable writing for others in the background than being a full-fledged artist. Through his company, Simms wrote songs for several R&B singers, including Mario and Tyrese. However, after crossing paths with producer Teddy Bishop in 2004, he wanted to perform again, and great opportunities kept coming his way. He first signed with the indie label One Recordings, which led to his demo falling into the hands of Island Def Jam executive Antonio "L.A." Reid. Simms was then picked up by Def Jam and even appeared on rap superstar Jay-Z's comeback album Kingdom Come at 2006's end. Around the same time, his single "Jump Off," featuring rapper Sean Paul of YoungBloodZ, was enjoying regular rotation on urban radio.
Max Gousse - Senior VP A&R/Manager
Producer/A&R of Beyonce's #1 albums BDay and I am Sasha Fierce, Dreamgirls Sdtrk, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, b2k, you got served Sdtrk, barbershop Sdtrk, Cadillac records Sdtrk executive producer of #1 box office hit "You Got Served"
Max Gousse, who heads the west coast A&R department for island def jam music group, has been a very successful A&R exec for nearly 20 years. The Los Angeles-based Gousse expertly works with artists in several genres, including pop, R&B, and hip-hop. He is perhaps best known for handling A&R for two of Beyonce’s biggest albums (I am…Sasha Fierce and B’Day), for discovering and developing the platinum R&B group b2k, and for A&R-ing the multi-platinum Dreamgirls soundtrack album.
In the early ’90s as an A&R exec at Irving Azoff’s Giant records, Gousse has subsequently held top A&R positions with East/West records (a joint venture label deal), Universal Publishing, Epic/Sony Records, Music World Entertainment (Mathew Knowles’ company), and now Island Def Jam. He has A&R’d album projects for Adina Howard, Kelly Rowland, Jon B, Sunshine Anderson, Michelle Williams, Solange Knowles and Michael Speaks. Now at Island Def Jam, Gousse is busy working on three artist projects: rapper YG; teen group n-dubz from the u.k.; and soul legend Ron Isley. In addition, he assists label chairman L.A. Reid on other projects, as well as working in collaboration with the Island Def Jam A&R staff.
Todd Cooper - Tracking & Mixing Engineer
In the past 15 years, Todd Cooper (tracking/mixing engineer) has worked on thousands of songs with artists from all walks of life. A graduate from Expression College for Digital Arts in 2005, he operated Street Symphony Studios in Fremont, CA until he made the move to LA in 2015. Some of his credits include: Travis Scott, Shawn Mendes, Gucci Mane, Pop Smoke, Pitbull, Will Smith, Kiana Léde, Jay Sean, Larry June, Duckwrth, Tinashe, Luke James, Yellow Claw, Snoop Dogg, E-40 and the list keeps going. In 2018 he had the opportunity of meeting James Fauntleroy and they have continued working together. In 2020 he contributed to Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol. 3 which received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Hard work, dedication and respect for the craft have taken him to places he never thought imaginable and is grateful for what the future holds.
Ally Brooke - Multi-Platinum Singer-Songwriter
Ally Brooke grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Following her time in Fifth Harmony, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter kicked off her highly anticipated solo career in 2019 with back-to-back Top 40 charting singles and an impressive resume of genre-bending collaborations including “All Night” with Afrojack which marked her first #1 as a solo artist on US Dance Radio. A life-long entertainer, Ally competed on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars before embarking on her debut headline Time To Shine Tour in early 2020 with scheduled stops including a sold out show at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. With total career streams already in the billions, Ally is only just getting started. She lives in Los Angeles, California
Tuff Morgan
Morgan has over 15 years of music industry experience that includes work as an artist, producer, songwriter, manager, publisher, and A&R rep.
He first joined peermusic in 2014 as Director of Pop & Urban Music, though he worked with the company in a consulting capacity before coming on full-time.
He got his start in music during college when he landed a record deal with KRS-One and Capitol Records. After a Gold album and multiple major label deals, he moved to the West coast where he collaborated with producer Mike City on projects for artists including Dr. Dre, Method Man, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Melanie Fiona and Rihanna.
Morgan’s creative work segued into various development, management and A&R roles with artists including Jheryl Busby (Umbrella Records) and Brian Turner (Melee/Priority Records). Morgan subsequently secured an imprint deal with Def Jam and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music and a joint venture with peermusic. He joined peermusic shortly afterward.