Yale sound design major

[deck]

I have heard some very excellent things about this program, and know a past professor. It is extremely hard to get much information about it. Does anyone know anything?

 

[chawalang]

Many years ago when I was at USITT I met the head of Audio at the time for Love in Vegas and he spoke at a careers with Cirque workshop and he was an alumni of their MFA audio design program. I have a friend there now getting his MFA as a TD, I could ask him to see what he knows about it, I actually should see him in person today or tomorrow. Where about's in Texas are you? Where do you go to school now? Are there are any specific questions you want to have answered your looking at? Are you looking at audio in the sense of systems design and running FOH or monitors or more of the studio aspect of audio?

 

[deck]

Near Dallas. I am interested in being a sound designer/FOH mixer, preferably in the city with IATSE 1

 

[deck]

I was also wondering what their alumni Are doing now.

 

[chawalang]

First sorry, I forgot to ask him what the graduates are doing now but he had a lot to say. So first if you want to mix FOH he said not to go to grad school there and in fact i agree with him with the second part don't go to grad school at all. His said if that's what you want to do then move to new york and start kissing ass if you want to be in Local 1. Get into a shop and schlep cable for a year and work your way up, or move to nashville and work in some shops and after about a year or two you'll have opportunities to tour. He said Yale does not do musicals so you don't get that kind of experience there, the design program is very artistic based and not really very intense on a technology stand point as a regular point in education. Also they tend to not accept people with a production background, he said like 80% of their students have an undergraduate music background. So if you want in, you better be able to read sheet music, play an instrument and understand music theory. He also recommended looking up where Curtis Craig teaches, he had very good things to say about him as an educator when it comes to FOH audio. His biggest piece of advice was to keep your mind open to possibilities. I agreed with him when he said you should look at Nashville, a huge mecca for touring rock and country shows. Also looking at Vegas for opportunities and Cruise ships.

 

[chawalang]

An after thought I had is that if you really want to get lot of info you should go to USITT in the spring and talk to them face to face. There are a lot of grad schools that go there to make themselves known. Thats pretty much how my friend got into their grad program, he went there, talked to them, did an on site visit and then a year later they offered him a spot at the following USITT convention. He also got offers from UNLV and Florida State out of USITT but chose Yale in the end.

 

[deck]

That's great! I would like to get into local one. I have some associates who mix in broadway musicals. How would you suggest that I get in? Thanks!

 

[chawalang]

You should probably ask said associates who are mixing said broadway shows how they went about being in the position they are in now. I have no clue how to go about getting into local one, I personally have no desire to ever live and work in NY, just not my thing. There are a few members of CB I know who are living and working in that area of the country, they may want to contribute to this thread?

 

[derekleffew]

Move to NYC; and get a job sweeping the floor at Masque Sound, Sound Associates, or PRG-Audio.
See also the threads
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...9153-iatse-local-one-apprenticeship-test.html (Next exam will be likely in 2015.)
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...6-iatse-union-career-college-getting-job.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...-tours-yellow-card-vs-union-vs-non-union.html (Across the country, a couple of our members are Local One; some are other locals; the vast majority are non-union affiliated.)
and the collaborative article
Getting a Job in the Industry - ControlBooth (Substitute Audio every time the article mentions Lighting.)

As for Yale, I believe JohnHuntington is the Drama School's most famous alumni, around these parts at least.
.

 

[deck]

Could you ask them? Thanks

 

[chawalang]

I know a large majority of the Yalee's go to NY once done.

 

[Footer]

I know a large majority of the Yalee's go to NY once done.

Or they go straight into teaching...

Of the people I know who are working professionally doing broadway shows, either in the city or on tour, none of them have an MFA. The one person I know with a sound design MFA is going back to school at age 35 in order to get out of the industry. One of my buddys who is out on tour did so by working at the shop that did most of Troika's tours. He is now ironicly out with a Troika tour but the gear is not from his shop (I think it is Sound Associates who had first refusal). You don't need an MFA to do what you want to do. What you do need is a killer work ethic, a killer network of colleagues, and the ability to be in the right place at the right time. No MFA will do all 3 of those.

The biggest thing you need to do right now is just start working. There is a massive club scene in NYC. In that world you can get expereince mixing just about every type of music and develop your ear. You can also be working at a shop and doing that type of thing. The biggest thing is you don't want to pigeon hole yourself as a "theatre sound guy". When you get into the bigger world that really limits you. There are guys out there who are mixing on Broadway who have never stepped into a classroom in their life... they came up through the music world. So, just something to think about.