Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences Grads Work on 11 2017 Grammy Winners

In Total, 32 CRAS Students Worked on 35 Grammy-Nominated Albums & Songs Across 35 Categories

Gilbert, Ariz., Feb. 27, 2017 – The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, is proud to announce that 12 of its graduates worked on 11 2017 Grammy Award winning nominations. In total, 32 CRAS graduates worked on 35 Grammy-nominated albums and songs across 35 categories, of which 11 graduates receiving multiple credits on nominations.

“We could not be more proud,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “It is always exciting to watch the Grammy Awards, but to know that your graduates, who have worked so hard, are being recognized for their achievements on the world stage is indescribable. It also shows our current students that dedication to their craft pays off, and motivates them even more.”

2017 Grammy Award winning titles which include work done by CRAS graduates include:

Tim McGraw – Damn Country Music

Best Country Song – Humble and Kind

– Adam Chagnon – Engineer

Twenty One Pilots – Heathens

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance – Stressed Out

– Alex Gruszecki – Assistant

– Micheal Peterson – Assistant

Adele – Hello

Album of the Year

Record of the Year

Song of the Year

Best Pop Solo Performance

Best Pop Vocal Album

– Ike Schultz – Mix Assistant

– Chris Kasych – Engineer

– Jacob Dennis – Assistant Engineer

Ziggy Marley – Ziggy Marley

Best Reggae Album 

– Jared Hirshland – Engineer

Lalah Hathaway – Lalah Hathaway Live

Best R&B Album

– Best Traditional R&B Performance  – Angel

– Jeremy Underwood – Engineer

Beyonce – Lemonade

Best Urban Contemporary Album

– John Cranfield – Assistant Recording Engineer

– Jordan Stilwell – Assistant Engineer

Maren Moris – My Church

Best Country Solo Performance

– Juan Sevilla – Assistant Recording Engineer

– Morgan Stratton – Assistant Recording Engineer

Also worth noting is CRAS grad Ike Schultz, who received credit on 21 2017 Grammy-nominated albums, songs, and performances.

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.

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. 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 2016, two CRAS graduates won Grammy Awards…Sam Holland for his work as recording engineer on Album of the Year for Taylor Swift’s “1989”, and Justin Merrill for his engineering work on Best Engineered Album, Classical for the album “Ask Your Mama” by George Manahan & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. In addition, 13 graduates received credit for their work on 17 Grammy-winning categories. Overall, 38 CRAS graduates worked on numerous 2016 Grammy-nominated albums and songs across 36 categories.