Music & Sound

The MTS Digital Media Academy

provides a music & sound program that is designed to reach students of every ability level with self paced music instructional software that embeds the fundamentals of music and recording. As students advance they have the opportunity to master the art of digital recording. All students are given the opportunity to compose, arrange, record, and produce their own music using real or virtual instruments!

From Video and Screenwriting to Graphics and Music, the Digital Media Academy has it all!

The Music & Sound Program at MTS Digital Media Academy is mainly comprised of four elements.

  • Music & Sound*Music Ace – A self-paced program designed to teach and embed the fundamentals of music theory. Topics in music ace include:  the grand staff, ear training, pitch recognition, scales, rhythm, tempo, melody, harmony, and piano basics.
  • *Garageband – A basic recording studio (digital audio workstation) for Macintosh computers, which can record and play back multiple tracks of audio. It is designed for the non-musician that wants to learn how to begin to record, edit, and mix music. Students are allowed to use Garageband right from the start as long as they complete their daily assignments first.
  • Logic Studio – Logic Studio is a complete set of professional applications that lets you write, record, edit, mix, and perform. It’s also the largest collection of modeled instruments, sampler instruments, effect plug-ins, and audio loops ever put in a single box. So it’s easy to get amazing sounds and amazing-sounding recordings. Now you can tackle any stage of your project yourself — without losing your inspiration along the way.
  • Pro Tools – The industry standard in digital recording – Pro Tools is a professional level digital audio workstation platform comprising hardware and software, which is widely used by professionals in music production, post production, TV and film scoring.

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*New students may test out of Music Ace and Garageband training by completing both a written and oral examination.

Digital Media Academy is now offering basic pro tools courses for all students that complete at least 1 semester of digital music coursework through MTS – or – pass a basic keyboarding, theory & ear training competency examination. The Pro Tools classes offered here are the same classes that are offered at many post secondary institutions throughout the country at a cost of up to $1,500.00. Why pay, when you can learn Pro Tools, and gain the same experience for free while attending MTS Digital Media Academy?

Other opportunities in the Music & Sound program include:

  • Post Production-Audio Class: An advanced class in which sound effects, ambience, music, pre-mix and final mix are prepared and completed within Pro Tools for student created commercials, television shows, and short films. For a more thorough description of this class please see the DMA course descriptions page.
  • Field Experience: Advanced students that demonstrate knowledge and maturity will be eligible to visit and/or intern with seasoned industry professionals at established studios, post production facilities, and mastering facilities throughout the Twin Cities Area.
  • Private Instruction: Students can earn Fine Arts credit by taking private lessons from a state qualified music instructor on the instrument of their choice. Here is a comprehensive list of over 1000 professionally qualified music teachers throughout the state. Please note: Private lesson tuition and expenses are the responsibility of the student and parent/guardian. Semi-private informal instruction is offered on-site free of charge at the DMA on Guitar, Bass, Drums, and Piano.

Jonathan SmithAbout the Instructor:  Jonathan G. Smith

Jon is a graduate of Edina High School and attended both the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the University of Minnesota. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Minnesota in 1996 and began his teaching career later that year. Since then he has held positions as an assistant band director, an elementary general music teacher, and now teaches a successful high school music and sound program at MTS Digital Media Academy.

While he spends his days teaching school, he has been known to spend many evenings and weekends composing, recording, and mixing music for television and film. Some of the clients he has composed for include: Saks, Perkins, Parisian, Carson Pirie Scott, Herbergers, Papa Murphy’s, Treasure Island Resort and Casino, Hood Dairy, Dunwoody Institute, College of St. Mary,  Finnegan’s Irish Amber, Vehix.com, The Ronald McDonald House, Wellmark – Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medical Center of Arlington, and the American Association of Orthodontists.

In the summer of 2007 Jon earned a Pro Tools Operator Certificate from Digidesign by attending classes at Maximedia Studios in Dallas, Texas.

Pro Tools HD 7 OperatorFor more information on the Digital Media Academy Music & Sound Program contact Jon – jsmith@emailmtcs.org – or call us at 612-728-8915.