Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Music Scoring and Composition

Graduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

MFA Thesis Project

• Plan an original portfolio of work worthy of the MFA degree
• Completar una tesis de maestría original que represente un nivel avanzado de logros en el campo de la creación musical para medios visuales.

Listening Skills and Critical Thinking

• Think critically and demonstrate flexibility in creating or editing music for client needs

Music Composition

• Orquestar y arreglar música a nivel profesional.
• Escribir o editar música para diferentes entornos visuales (como cine, televisión, animación, juegos, multimedia y comerciales) a nivel profesional.
• Crear música que apoye o realce los impactos emocionales de las imágenes visuales (o material visual).
• Demostrar una comprensión avanzada del lenguaje de la música: armonía, melodía y ritmo.

Production Skills and Technical Knowledge

• Demostrar dominio de nivel experto con software relacionado con técnicas de producción musical contemporánea.

Professional Readiness

• Present a comprehensive demo reel/portfolio demonstrating professional-level achievement
• Collaborate effectively with a creative team on a given project, such as a film, television shows, animation, game, multimedia project, or commercial

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

• Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
• Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
• Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
• Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
• Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
• Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
• Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

Academy of Art University offers some of the best training and hands-on experience to help accelerate careers in music production. We pride ourselves in doing an exceptional job preparing you to excel in your chosen profession. Our degree programs are designed to equip aspiring music professionals with a comprehensive toolbox of marketable skills that lead to success in the music industry.

Score Composer

Compose original music to accompany narrative storytelling in visual media. Work with sound editors and mixers to balance music with other soundtrack elements, creating the sonic world in which characters live. Drive the emotions of the audience by crafting musical ideas that reflect the unspoken thoughts of a character.

Music Editor

Work closely with a composer to effectively create music scores that drive the emotion of the scene. Create temp scores. Edit music to fit specific cue lengths and effectively create just the right music cues to fit the scene.

Production Recordist

Manage the set and location sound recordings. Quality check all recorded material from set and location. Assist the production mixer in all duties. Maintain equipment.

Re-recording Mixer

The last step in post-production is the final mix. Effectively balance music, dialogue, and SFX into a cohesive soundtrack that supports and enhances visual storytelling. Work on large format audio consoles with hundreds of audio tracks, and craft the sonic world for visual media.

Sound Designer

Be responsible for the overall aural concept of a film, game, or other media. Collaborate with other creatives to develop a cohesive sound and create specific sounds for visual media.

Sound Editor

Edit dialog, sound effects, ambiances, and other sounds to fit with the visual material. Use filters and plug-ins to transform audio for a specific setting. Work with the Supervising Sound Editor to deliver all audio assets for a given project, whether film, game or animation.

Unit Requirements

Degree Requirements

• Successful completion of Final Thesis Project
• A minimum grade of C in all required 63 units
• Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and the following Academic Study requirements:
  • 1 Art Historical Awareness & Aesthetic Sensitivity course
  • 1 Cross-Cultural Understanding course

Curriculum

Semester 1

• GLA 618: Historia de la música cinematográfica: el arte de la banda sonora cinematográfica (Graduado en Artes Liberales)
• MUS 600: Fundamentos de la armonía (principal)
• MUS 602: Soundtrack Industry Overview (Major)
• MUS 609: Producción musical 1 (principal)

Semester 2

• GLA 605: Teoría y estilo cinematográfico (Graduado en Artes Liberales)
• MUS 605: Notación musical y preparación de partituras (especialidad)
• MUS 610: Armonía: Técnicas avanzadas (especialidad)
• MUS 639: Producción musical 2 (principal)

Semester 3

• LEY 640: Movimiento: Creación del Carácter Físico (Optativa)
• GLA 603: Anthropology: Experiencing Culture (Graduate Liberal Arts)
• MUS 625: Orquestación (principal)
• MUS 640: Música para películas (especialidad)

Semester 4

• MUS 635: Orquestación MIDI (principal)
• MUS 800: Directed Study (Directed Studies)
• MUS 819: Tesis de composición musical (estudios dirigidos)

Semester 5

• LEY 640: Movimiento: Creación del Carácter Físico (Optativa)
• MUS 800: Directed Study (Directed Studies)
• MUS 819: Tesis de composición musical (estudios dirigidos)

Semester 6

• MUS 780: Music and Sound Design Professional Practices (Major)
• MUS 819: Tesis de composición musical (estudios dirigidos)
• MUS 900: Internship (Directed Studies)