Gilbert, Ariz., Jan. 12, 2016 – The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, will be opening the doors to its Gilbert, Ariz. campus (1205 N. Fiesta Blvd.) to prospective students, parents, and the media on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 10am – 4pm. CRAS will be welcoming back multiple graduates, including Grammy Award winner Jeremy Parker. Parker and others will share their education and real world working experiences with attendees during the event.
“In all, a total of 38 CRAS graduates worked on 2016 Grammy-nominated albums/songs,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “Two CRAS graduates received nominations themselves. We are very proud of all of our graduates, and we will be well represented at the upcoming Grammy Awards. We are also very excited to have Jeremy [Parker], Sorrel [Brigman], and Andrew [Wuepper] attend our upcoming Open House. Attendees will learn a lot from them and their experiences with us, their internships, and how they landed their dream careers.”
At the January 16 Open House, guests will be able to interact with CRAS faculty and get a taste of the curriculum and the state-or-the-art audio gear spread throughout its numerous classrooms as well as its 42-foot mobile broadcast unit. They will also be able to participate in live demos in many of these real world audio recording studios, Live Sound Venue, and labs.
“My experience at CRAS prepared me technically as well as professionally to start my career successfully,” explained Parker, Grammy Award winning engineer and owner of Premier Studios.
Wuepper, 3x Grammy nominated mixing engineer, said, “CRAS created a real world environment for me that allowed me to prepare for, and be able to perform in any studio in the world.”
Added Brigman, freelance engineer and currently owner and engineer at Atomic! Recording, “The Conservatory provided me with the skills I needed to move forward in the audio industry, as well as a realistic expectations of what the industry would be like. It also provided me these skills without crippling debt, furthering my chances of success.”
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.
“We want everyone to see, hear, and feel how our 11-month program focuses exclusively on what a student needs to know to begin living their passion in any one of the many facets of the recording arts,” explained Hamm.
CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings.
“CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades,” added Hamm. “The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.”
The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 11, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment. In 2015, in total, 47 CRAS graduates hold credits for their work with 50 artists or bands that are up for awards in 42 out of 83 categories at the 57th Grammy Awards.
