How Much Are Music Production Courses?

What Do Music Production Courses Cost?

Beginning a career as a music producer typically starts with acquiring an education through music production courses. Although there are plenty of resources online where people can learn how to produce music for free, anyone who is serious about their music career will want access to studios, audio equipment, instruments, and seek professional guidance whenever possible.

Tuition

While some music production courses can be costly, music school tuition is, for the most part, equivalent to that of a traditional four-year university. According to CollegeBoard data, tuition can range anywhere between:

• $8,000 to about $29,000 for each year in a Bachelor’s Degree program, and
• $7,000 to $26,000 per year for Master’s programs.

The tuition will generally reflect:

• the amount of hours you’ll be working with school equipment to produce work for classes
• faculty compensation, and
• facility management.

However, these numbers don’t incorporate the cost of room and board. Students who live on-campus pay much more for dormitories and meal plans than their off-campus counterparts.

Online Courses

Students who would rather receive their education primarily online will generally pay less for tuition. The Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world, offers an entire online Bachelor’s program for about $18,000, which is significantly less than actually attending the school itself.

Other institutions similarly offer equivalent Bachelor’s and Master’s music production courses online. The only downside to studying online, of course, is that students are unable to network while completing their coursework, and have a minimal amount of resources at their disposal.

Certification Courses

Certification courses are music production courses offered through community colleges or university extension programs, and typically cost less than Bachelor or Master’s programs.

Certification programs can range anywhere between $8,000 to $12,000, although tuition will vary depending on the institution offering the program. Although certificates in music production aren’t worth as much in the professional music industry, certificate programs offer plenty of the same advantages that other music programs do, such as networking and mentorship.

Free Courses

In many cases, certain music schools offer introductory music courses for free online. These music production courses may offer minimal learning resources to aspiring music producers, but many of them are extensions of some of the best accredited university music programs.

Music producers can also supplement their online lessons by learning about music on their own at local libraries or reading music literature.

Explore Your Options

If you’re looking for a music production school, it’s important to explore all your options before making a decision. Certain schools focus on a specific type of music or performing art, and you should choose a school that will align with your goals as a music producer.

Obviously, you wouldn’t want to attend a school that specializes in traditional Chinese music if you’re trying to be an electronic music DJ.

Alternative Learning

As a caveat, the benefit of music production courses are not always a prerequisite to becoming successful. You may want to consider learning as much as you can beforehand through cost-effective courses such as those offered by Recording Revolution, or a Masterclass Course so that you can make a qualified decision on a music school.