Sichuan Conservatory of Music Pop Music Academy

Music Production & Recording Engineering

  Music Production & Recording Engineering  

    Established in the year 2001 when the Pop Music School was  founded, the specialty aims at the orientation of cultivating talents needed in society and commerical music markets, based on the curriculum, teaching module and administrative conception inrtoduced from pop music higher education institutions in Europe and the United States. Via systematic education, students are expected to have a good command of traditions of composition techniques, which enables them to compose, analyze and appreciate music while they are also equipped with solid theory foundation , reasonable knowledge structure, and higher level of artistic accomplishment in music production and recording engineering. Upon graduation, the students are to be composers, music editors, plotters, recording technicians and music teachers in music groupes, TV and adio stations, , audio-visual companies or in schools. Notable achievements have been made through the mutual efforts of faculty and students over the years.

 
  Curriculum

  Pop Music School is the first in China to offer undergraduate programs in the field of pop music theory of compostion, with specialized courses as follows:

1. Basic courses

Solfeggio        Chinese Music History    Western Music History  
An Outline of Pop Music   Chinese Folk Song and Music   Piano

2.specialized courses

Harmony         Polyphony     Music Form     Song Writing  
Writing Piano Music                    Music Production    Acoustics & Recording Technology       Pop Music Writing Skills Writing Skills for Graduation Thesis and Work

  Course description
 
    
  1. Two years of  music writing course differs from the conventional course offered to the composition majors, in that th former lays emphasis on the solid composition foundation, but more stress on the style, artistic vision , aesthetic orientation and elemenst of the pop music and commerical music throughout the world. It is our objective to cultivate useful talents of composition and production in pop and commercial music. In the first academic year, song writing is more object teaching for sutdents to have a wider access to the variety of pop music elements and subjects. In the second academic year, piano music writing is designed to nurture students’ability in writing instrumental music, in particular , writing pop instrumental music by means of blending traditional composition skills with some new styles in pop music, through which music creation is standardized and students’s interest and enthusiasm are evoked as well.
 2. Whereas one semester of Pop Music Writing Skills centres around the general introduction of pop music intrumentation, it also attaches great importance to the specific orchestration style in pop music, for students to accumulate varied experience in pop music writing and electronic orchestration.
3. Music Prodction and Acoustics & Recording Engineering are two specialized courses offered for the third-year students. Based on the well-trained writing and orchestration knowledge and combined with the emerging computer music and acoustics, students are able to command the whole process of pop music production in full so as to meet the requirements of the market. Music Production, directed against the popular computer music production , is to let students have a grasp of the basic MIDI music production skills. With the supply of many an electronic sound equipment, students can positively participate in composition and production of pop and electronic music and accumulate richer practical experience in orchestration. Acoustics & Recording Engineering is to provide students with necessary acoustic knwoledge , foster students’ hearing , and regulate the standards for recording and blending in pop music and electronic instruments. Students can enhance their practical ability in post-soundblending of pop music production after they have much access to the actual operation of digital recording.

  Professor Yang Xinmin is in charge of the specialty since the Pop Music School was founded.All the specialized courses are undertaken by senior professors and young etachers. We not only have professors like Zhong Jinhu, Guo Long and Xiao Gang who are experienced in teaching but also in commercial music, we also have young teachers like Lan Hai, Xiang Yang, Li Daiqiang, Nie Jiabei who are talents and devoted to pop music and its development.
Over the years faculty members have been accomplished both in teaching and research as wel las in music creation and production. A number of music works are awarded prizes in different kinds of competitions.
Professor Yang Xinmin has published several high quality thesises, released over ten albums  and eight film and television soundtracks. His works range from vocal music, film music, electronic music, chamber to symphony,of which the song “Blessings” got the grand prize in the 1st Chengdu International Panda Festival 1993 and was designated as the theme song of the festival; the song “ The Flower World” was designated as the theme song of the 6th China Flora Expo and was awarded the grand prize. His electronic music “ Years” got the excellent prize in YAMAHA Electronic Music Competition; Orchestral music “ Orange Annual Ring” was awarded the 2nd prize in 7th “Autumn in Chengdu” Arts Festival composition competition; symphonic tone poem “ Rift Valley Wind” (for symphony orchestra ) got the 3rd prize in the 10th All-China Music Competition (Symphony)2004 sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Culture; mixed chorus“ The Magic Mask” won the 3rd prize in the 11th All-China Music Competition (chorus and chamber) 2005; of his film and television osundtracks, the title song “ The Distant Legend” for the TV series “ All Ends Up”was nominated for the best TV songs in the 2003 Eagle Prize . In the recent years his film and television soundtracks are gaining more and more popularity in media.

  Professor Guo Long composed and produced numerous audio-visual works. His work “ Haze”for Pipa and double string quartet got the 3rd prize in 1993 the 3rd Taiwan Provicial Symphony Music-Soliciting ; “Chinese New Year” for traditional Chinese orchestra was awarded an outstanding prize in 2006 Chinese National Wind and String Association & China Broadcasting National Orchestra Music–Soliciting.

    
  Associate professor Xiao Gang has had quite a number of his music shown on TV.

  Lan Hai ‘s “Big Eyes” got the 2nd prize for originality in the 4th Shanghai Asian Music Festival ( the 1st prize is a vacancy);  “ The Moon’s Waiting” was awarded the silver prize in the 10th TV Singing Competition for Chinese Young Singers( He Lu is the singer); “ Love at the First Sight” was awarded the bronze prize in the 11th TV Singing Competition for Chinese Young Singers ( Group 029 is the singer); “The Moon ‘s Waiting” got the gold prize for originality in the 7th  Shanghai Asian Music Festival; “ Love, You Have Changed” got the 2nd prize for originality in the 8th Shanghai Asian Music Festival.

  Over the past years professor Yang Xinmi、Guo Long 、Xiang Gang have been invited to have their music works performed on the different stages in Korea, America, Canada, and  Hong Kong for the purpose of academic exchanges between the musicians. A very close tie has been established between them and their counterparts in other parts of the world. Their high standard of academy sustains the teaching quality and the expansion of specialties in the Pop Music School.