About the program

Recorded Music is more than the performer and performance. It is the intersection of business and technology. Behind every artist is a team of professionals recording and mixing sound, marketing and promoting the artist to consumers and media; publishers working to expand the music’s reach through other entertainment outlets, and dozens more individuals crafting virtually every aspect of what will be seen and heard.

Drexel’s Music Industry Summer Program is an intensive one-week program for high school students who are serious about acquiring a head start on understanding the basics and the nuances of this incredibly competitive and energetic industry.

Drexel’s faculty of music industry professionals teach the summer program and draw course work from the undergraduate curriculum that addresses music recording, production, marketing, management, publishing and more. Through practical classroom lectures and hands-on experience, students are ensured valuable insight into this one of a kind program.

Program format

Classes will run Monday through Friday.

Students will take classes from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM with a lunch break from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Time).

9:00 AM–9:45 AM, Studio Recording and Mixing:

By exploring the latest recording equipment and techniques, students will be better prepared to record, mix, and master their own music. Topics will include studio design, microphone selection and placement, and mixing and mastering techniques utilizing industry standard Pro Tools software.

10:00 AM–10:45 AM, Digital Audio Workstations:

By analyzing a current popular song, students will get a hands-on experience trying to recreate its production. In addition, students will be introduced to the use various sound effects, vocal techniques, specialized recording methods pertaining to the art of creating music using a Digital Audio Workstation (ProTools and Logic Pro X).

11:00 AM–11:45 AM, Producing Electronic Music With Ableton Live:

You will spark your curiosity in Electronic Music Production through the lens of Ableton Live. Learning the origins of DAW’s in the making of EMP, your will learn how to create beats, craft compositions, and understand how modern electronic music is made. Students will get the chance to both learn and play with the concepts in an inquisitive friendly space that encourages open dialogue and creativity.

1:00 PM–1:45 PM, Inside the Label and Artist Prospective; Music Business 101:

In the ever-changing music industry landscape, artists and musicians need to be up to date on the current emerging technologies. This course will be covering topics that vary from how record labels are finding new talent through strategies such as data analyzation, algorithms, and play-listing, to how you can find your voice in digital marketing and branding, and the importance of live performance and touring from both a DIY and major label approach. The course will cover the essential information for all artists on record labels, publishing and copyright, marketing and promotion, and the concert and touring industry.

From 2:00 PM–3:20 PM, each day there will be a choice of open sessions available for students in order to give you time to collaborate with other students, get feedback on projects from faculty, hear from industry professionals, and work through any roadblocks you may be having with a song/production: 

• Open Lab Time: Open time for students to work on their music and instructors will be there for trouble shooting and advice.
• Pass the Aux: Students present their current recordings and have them critiqued for recording, production, and mix quality by their peers and a faculty member.
• Visiting Artist/Music Industry Professional Series: Each day a different professional from the music industry will host an open format speaking engagement where students will get a 360 degree behind the scenes look at every angle of the industry.

Orientation:

The orientation will be the Sunday before your scheduled session. 

Closing Reception:

The Program is concluded with a reception on Friday afternoon.  

Details to follow.

Housing:

This is NOT a residential program and you will need to find lodging for the week if you are not local. Here is the site with discounted hotels. In addition, there is campus housing available for students doing summer commuter programs. Bear in mind, summer Intern Housing eligibility requires individuals to be over the age of 18, otherwise, must be accompanied by parent/guardian during their stay. If you would like more information, please contact bll42@drexel.edu. 

Course Instructors :

Ryan Moys (Camp Director/ Instructor for Studio Recording) After spending several years as a freelance engineer at recording studios and clubs in the Seattle area, Ryan eventually made his way to Philadelphia and continued his career in the local music scene as the personal engineer for Grammy Award-winning record producer James Poyser (Jimmy Fallon Show, Erykah Badu, Common, The Roots, D’Angelo). Over the years, he has earned an impressive credit list working with renowned artists such as Common, Joss Stone, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Anthony Hamilton, Jazmine Sullivan, Queen Latifah, and Jill Scott. Working at The Studio, the famed Philadelphia recording facility owned by award-winning arranger and composer Larry Gold, he recorded and mixed notable major label and independent client projects, as well as recorded string arrangements for artists such as Kanye West. He has engineered several Grammy Award-winning albums, including Kirk Franklin’s 2009 Best Contemporary RnB Gospel Album “Fight of My Life” and Tye Tribbett’s 2013 Best Gospel Album “Greater Than”. Ryan has also recorded and mixed scores for feature films such as VH1’s “Totally Awesome,” as well as mixing concert TV series for VH1, MTV, and TVOne. 

Ryan currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Producers & Engineer’s Wing of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy. 

Ivan Barias (Instructor for Producing Electronic Music) is a music producer, songwriter, composer and engineer with over 20 years of music industry experience. His introduction to the industry came when he was introduced to DJ Jazzy Jeff and was then invited to be a part of his A Touch Of Jazz producer collective. It was there where he met songwriter Carvin Haggins with whom he went on to form a formidable songwriting and production partnership under the brand of Carvin & Ivan. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his songwriting and production and has been nominated three times for a GRAMMY in the Best R&B Song category. For his production work, he has received an additional nineteen GRAMMY nominations and has been recognized by ASCAP multiple times for his work as a songwriterand composer. He has produced and written music for artists such as Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Jazmine Sullivan, Justin Timberlake, Phony Ppl, Meg Thee Stallion, Chrisette Michele, Keyshia Cole, 2 Pac, Chris Brown, Mario, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Raheem Devaughn, Ledisi, Jaheim, Faith Evans, Freeway, Rick Ross and many others.  
 

As a composer he wrote the theme for the animated series “We Bare Bears” which was performed by Estelle and was also a composer for the film “Unfinished Business” which chronicled the history of the WNBA’s New York Liberty basketball team. Ivan is the former president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy (’12-’15), and also served on the Academy’s Board of Trustees (’16-’20). He recently completed a 4 year term as the Co-Chair of the GRAMMY Producers & Engineers Wing and currently serves on the GRAMMY Songwriters and Composers Wing Leadership Council. In 2011 he was selected as a Creative Ambassador for the city of Philadelphia as part of the city’s GPTMC program and was also an Ambassador for the Philadelphia 76ers community Basketball League La Liga del Barrio. In addition to Ivan's musical achievements he helped establish a non-profit educational initiative called DASH (Destined to Achieve Successful Heights) which teaches high school students music production and songwriting in a partnership with Philadelphia School District.  
 

Ivan believes it is important to bolster the music industry ecosystem by empowering the next generation of music creators and music executives. As a speaker, he has shared his music business experience at many industry related events and has been a guest speaker on several music industry panels (SXSW, Future of Music Coalition, Music Business Association, The Recording Academy, ASCAP) and has been a guest lecturer at various academic institutions (Drexel, New York University, Rowan and University of Pennsylvania).  

Cyrille Taillandier (Instructor for Digital Audio Workstations) After graduating in 1996 from the Ecole Superieure de Realisation Audiovisuelle (Paris, France), Cyrille Taillandier started his professional career as an assistant recording engineer. From 1996 to 1999 he worked at a number of prominent French studios including Davout, Soft-ADS, Miraval, and Le Manoir. As a second engineer for the recording of the multi-platinum and award-winning Essence Ordinaire by the renowned French band Zebda, Cyrille worked side by side with the albums producer Nicholas Sansano and traveled to New York for the completion of the record. He fell in love with the city and moved to Brooklyn in 1999. For the next two years Cyrille worked as a Pro Tools engineer and mix assistant with Tony Maserati on multi-platinum albums including Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor, P. Diddy’s Forever, and Jennifer Lopez’s On the 6. Cyrille has been an independent audio and Pro Tools engineer since 2001. His recent projects include, Le Tigre’s This Island, Lionel Richie’s Just For You, Angelique Kidjo’s Black Ivory Soul, Lenny Kravitz’s It is Time for a Love Revolution and Labelle’s new release “Back to now”. 

Joe Steinhardt (Instructor for Music Business) Joe Steinhardt is the owner of Don Giovanni Records, a label that he co-founded in 2003. The label is best known for developing artists like Mitski, Waxahatchee, Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson, and Moor Mother, as well as fostering geographically diverse community of artists, including Mal Blum, Native American Music Award “Best Artist” winner Keith Secola, Holy Modal Rounders founder, Peter Stampfel, and comedian Chris Gethard.  

Don Giovanni Records remains committed to furthering alternative culture and independent values, providing resources for artists who prefer to work outside of the mainstream music industry.  

In 2016, Steinhardt founded and curated the New Alternative Music Festival, a two-day concert held at New Jersey’s Asbury Park Convention Hall.  

Steinhardt studied at Boston University and earned a Ph.D. in communication at Cornell. He currently resides in Philadelphia, where he is an Assistant Professor at Drexel University’s Music Industry Program. 

Registration

Apply Online Please follow this Link to fill out the application. 

We welcome mature high school students, at least 16 years old, who have completed their sophomore year by July.

All applications will be reviewed upon completion and applicants will be notified within in four weeks of receiving a completed application. Students who are not accepted into the program will receive a full refund of their $300 application deposit. Please pay your $300 deposit at the time you apply via this link.

The $300 deposit will be credited towards the full tuition cost. Upon acceptance, your deposit is non-refundable.

How soon will you hear from us? All applications will be reviewed as we receive them and applicants will be notified within 4 weeks from receipt. Admissions decisions are based upon academic preparation and a commitment to learn. Enrollment is limited and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis upon review and acceptance of the application.

Questions? Email: bll42@drexel.edu