Academy: FAQ – Music Alliance Academy

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Turn ‘One Day’…. into Day One

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There are several ways to reach out to us. The FAQ below will help you pursue some of your own answers, but we are always here personally for you. You may reach out by email [email protected]

Admission Process

Just 3 Easy Steps!

1. Application Form Submission
2. Seat Deposit
Pay for the fully refundable seat deposit only after you have been determined as a good fit for the program.
3. Enrollment Agreement and Initial Tuition Payment
This is your official enrollment documentation which when completed by you and reviewed and approved by us, will make it official and set the plan in motion.mission – Just 3 Easy Steps!

Make It Day One

Instead of “One Day”

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

Your team is a coalition of experts. You receive highly specialized development for music artists and producers. We deliver programs globally, from the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas Nevada. We are a power house alliance of top professionals, performers, producers and education leaders. Our success is proven over many years and programs are thoroughly vetted by experts. We are licensed by the Commission for Post-Secondary Education in Las Vegas Nevada.

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FAQ

Music Alliance Academy is a professional music industry school licensed with the Commission for Post-Secondary Education in Las Vegas Nevada. We are a power house alliance of top Music industry professionals, performers and producers, aside seasoned education experts from professional and University education development. Our core curriculum has been evolved over many years by our strategic education partner CAT Center for Arts and Technology. It has been adapted for on-line delivery by Immersa Learning Network Co. and thoroughly vetted by music industry experts. Annual reviews are by our MAA education council. Music Alliance Academy is a world class music industry educational opportunity in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. Yet accessible from all over the world.

Because you have identified that it will take you a lot longer to learn everything on your own and that faster and better is a good thing when you do the math.
• Because you know the difference between “One Day” and “Day One”
• Because you get it, that live instruction in a community of people that share your dream, is actually better than learning from course materials and a help line. Because as much as you might miss the campus party scene, you will not miss the high costs, commutes and parking hassles. Plus you will make up for it when you appear as the headline act at the campus party.
• Because it is all about music for you and all about music for us.
• Because you are focused on one thing (music) and want your partner (that’s us) focused on that same thing.
• Because you are seeking an engaging, relevant, direct path to the expertise, tools and techniques required for making great music.
• Because you already figured out that who you know, is as valuable as what you know. And you want both.
• Because you already know that delivering a hit song is not about getting great marks, it is about making great music.
• Because you respect competence, you want to be competent.
• Because you know that overnight success is for dreamers and that success starts with the first step and a plan. From Music Alliance Academy you will receive an entire integrated development and support plan over 1000 hours of live online instruction over 18 months, within a community of fellow learners and supported by mentors and program coaches. Seven face to face workshops in Las Vegas and membership in a professional community during and after the program completion.

Music Alliance Academys’ music industry partners include EUMM (European Music Market Inc) a professional music artist management and consulting firm, and Studio DMI, a Grammy-nominated mixing and mastering powerhouse whose work includes artists such as David Guetta, J Balvin, Jason Darulo, Play n Skillz, Steve Aoki, Diplo, Major Lazer, Snoop Lion, Dada Life, Morgan Page, Borgore, and Juanes. In February 2019 Studio DMI will launch a new Las Vegas production facility providing 4 studios just 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. Education partners, Las Vegas based Immersa Learning Network and Canadian based CAT Centre for Arts and Technology have been developing and delivering professional music industry education since 1978. Graduates have worked with major artists including Aerosmith, Shania Twain, Adele, K.D. Lang, Bob Rock, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and many other Billboard charting, Grammy Award winning artists.

Relevant Links for your expanded learning:
http://www.eumminc.com/
https://themusicalliance.us/alliance/
https://studiodmi.com/
https://digitalartschool.com/programs/electronic-music-production

You will need your computer, suitable to run stereo conferencing software such as “Zoom” and Ableton Live, and to do so simultaneously. Stereo audio is a major requirement and you will need both headphones and speakers along with an audio interface with at least one mic and stereo line inputs. This is a critical component of your profession, so the Kmart brand is unlikely to be suitable. You are producing music and although you can work around it to a degree, a MIDI keyboard is best practice. Large and potentially multiple screens are extremely valuable. And although our guess is that you do not go to sleep dreaming of it every night, a well thought out ergonomic chair and work desk will pay dividends in terms of how long you are willing and able to work every day. You will need above average internet connectivity as video conferencing and raw audio require this. Your home studio is your responsibility and this is not included in the tuition. But what is included and will commence immediately upon your enrollment, is a comprehensive 1:1 review on your tools, personal background and existing skills. As well as personal help reviewing your home studio set up and environment, with recommendations to prepare you for launch. This is an intensely important space for you that will serve both as learning and professional environment. Understanding and preparing it, will become your initial professional competency.

Here is an overview. Yours is a personal journey. That means you are centric to everything we will achieve. This also means there is more up front work and preparation than a typical enrollment process. We want to understand your goals and career vision and also establish if we are a good fit for being your partner in this. This process involves interviews, academic credit review, theoretical knowledge review, and Personal Abilities and Skills Evaluation (PASE). We may agree together that your path should be different and agree not to move forward. The value of this process is significant and important.

Completing the initial online application will result in scheduling a meeting with a program coach who will share a ton of information with you and ask you a lot of questions as well. This would include a thorough review of our enrollment application, should we mutually agree it makes sense to move forward. Your program coach may refer you to our finance office if you have questions about our financial plans. Unlike the online application, submitting the enrollment application will require nonrefundable deposit fees. Your program would then start with an intensive personal 1:1 program preparation. Included will be personality evaluations, a complete and extensive review of your current knowledge, skill levels, and preparation of your home studio and learning environment. You will work through all this with a personal coach. The main program elements will then commence on schedule.

Music Alliance Academy uses a competency based learning approach. Education is most often structured as time-based, with discipline-specific courses evaluated by traditional testing. This approach poorly supports personalized, rigorous and relevant learning that is engaging and inspiring. Standardized tests also fail to reveal competency in a professional situation. Education regulatory agencies can be slow to adapt to modern education delivery and some still require time based models requiring the program be registered in this fashion. This is why elements of our approach can appear to be time based. Yet they are not. Music Alliance Academy delivers programs based on the Competency Based Education (CBE) model. Learners advance upon achieving mastery. Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable objectives that empower learners. Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning experience. Learners receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual needs. Outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills.

Programs vary. Scheduled class times for our full time Electronic Music Production program are approximately 12 hours a week. Classes are often conducted Monday-Fridays but some weekends will be involved. You do need to work outside of class time to develop your music and review your learning materials. A reality is that you get what you put into it, especially in a competency based system like ours. There is no point cramming new material in your head if you do not put it into play. You are not here to pass a test, but to prepare yourself for an opportunity. But these times will be discretionary with the exception of time you have scheduled with Mentors and/or Career Coaches or other scheduled events.

One of the most important things you have going for you is your work ethic. Disciplined, committed, focused, pragmatic hard work, will make anyone better at anything. Yet we need your inspiration, your motivation, as well as your perspiration. The hard work, tons of hours, failures, all will seem easier, if your love and passion for making music is present. Through coaching, mentoring, standards of excellence and community, we are committed to help find your happy place. But no one can deliver that to you without you being the major part of that equation. We recognize how important your mental health is to your creativity and productivity and will support that in every way possible. You cannot succeed at anything, if you do not try. How hard you try, may well make the most amount of difference. Disciplined, committed, focused, pragmatic hard work will make anyone better at anything. So how bad do you want something and are you prepared to give that?

A mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser. Mentorship is a longstanding tradition of learning directly from a master, an elite professional who has achieved at a high level. Someone who is where you would like to be yourself one day. And this is why it is such a valuable part of the process of achieving your vision.

Throughout our programs you will interact personally, in real time, with industry professionals and instructors, using our conferencing and instruction system. Mentoring and Coaching is built into our program and additional time is available with a variety of excellent professionals that are part of our network. So learners can tailor their learning to their highly unique individual needs. Mentors explore your personal craft and technique undivided by specific course or cohort requirements. Learners can best benefit from Personal 1:1 mentoring when they have reached a level of sophistication and expertise that now begins to need fine tuning and refinement, polish and personal growth. Elite performers almost always incorporate high level coaching and mentoring on their journey, in harmony with other learning methods.

Yes, there are. Sometimes what we reach for, is inches beyond our grasp. We need that special person or organization, to help close that gap. A quality education may present financial hurdles that Music Alliance Academy can help assist you to jump over. We constantly look for ways we can engage others to help. This help is usually identified as a scholarship, bursary or a grant. They are provided for several reasons. Gifts, Memorials, or Corporate Community contributions. We will continue to build this area and to assist our community to afford to pursue their dreams. To explore what may be available currently please view our Scholarship Bursaries and Grants page.

Music Alliance Academy will support your fund raising activities in every possible way including a matching funds commitment of up to $500. In other words if you successfully raise $500 or more through crowdfunding, we will match that up to $500. We will help you deploy your campaign, make suggestions, help you compose your appeal, and potentially raise more than $500. But then we also know that you are a creative and have innovative ideas on your own. Together we are more powerful, so lets us know how we can help Interesting link: https://www.crowdcrux.com/crowdfunding-sites-for-college-and-education-costs/

Music Alliance Academy does not accept Federal Government student loans, but those who are eligible can apply for financial aid offered by the school. This normally is some kind of tuition loan over a term suitable to the program and your needs. Your next step is to set up a conference with our financial officer.

Music and more music. That is who you are. You are never finished. We hope we impress that upon you unquestionably. Careers, and especially artistic careers, will require you reinventing yourself many times. This means learning, adapting and exploring are lifelong commitments. Not only in terms of the technology but in terms of evolving cultural impact, fashion and trends, and many other varied influences evolving human journey through in their lifetime. You need to constantly get better. Finishing our program will set you up in an enviable position to continue learning. To start your professional career. But continue learning you must. Excellence is not a destination, you never arrive at it. Excellence is a pursuit. No matter how great you become, becoming greater is always a possibility. That is known as potential. And that is what got you here.

This business, like most in the creative industries, functions on a project basis. Similar to Film production, acting, music performance, design, architecture, and for that matter large components of construction and other industries. Although there are opportunities to work for others in a traditional way, much of this field is freelance in nature. Your talent, hard work, track record, successes and notoriety will dictate your career trajectory. There is no overnight in overnight success. Your expectations need to accommodate this reality. If certainty was available at Amazon, they would be unable to keep up with the demand.

After you complete the structured part of your Music Alliance Academy program, we will continue to support you as alumni within The ALLIANCE community. The very first thing that you will do, when signing on for this journey, is become a member of our professional community The Alliance. Our Music Alliance is created to help artists and producers overcome obstacles and thrive. Whether searching for the right plugin to add to your chain, gain feedback on your new track, or to collaborate, chat and network. To distribute and market your latest material, listen to master producers and writers share their secret sauce, and to create lifelong friendships and allies. Something special happens when creative people get together. The Alliance is here for you. Alliance membership is provided as part of the 18 month program and for 12 months following your development program completion.

Credibility is the most obvious answer but it is also about our differences. Music Alliance Academy delivers for “You” and this is about “You”. No one would climb Mt. Everest without a high quality competent Sherpa. Credibility and relevance make the key difference for this life/career changing decision. Music Alliance Academy is a partnership between the real world music industry and education. Music Alliance Academy offers a world class educational opportunity operating in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas Nevada. Why that is relevant, in a global village, is that we exist in an environment where working in entertainment is a core aspect of the local economy. And where access to successful artists, employers, and their support posse, is greatly enhanced. Your success will be forged through an alliance of Music industry professionals, performers and producers, with seasoned experts from career development and University level education. As part of its full time program, Music Alliance Academy delivers seven live workshops in Las Vegas. These workshops are conducted in professional environments that both build our online community, and expose students to where their music must make the cut. Initially these will be offered in Las Vegas. So you may have to force yourself to come to Las Vegas. Students unable to attend, can attend virtually through streaming and conferencing technology.Music Alliance Academy delivers professional workshops around the globe partnering with major industry event organizers.

Of course there are a variety of options and approaches, and like every choice there are many considerations. We have tried to provide a reasonable overview for you but are happy to discuss it in greater detail and pleased you are considering several options. It means you are smart and we really like smart people because they are more successful. We know associating with success puts you on the pathway to it. If we choose to be partners on this journey:• You will receive a music production program that is an entire integrated development and support plan.
• You will be delivered 1000 hours of live online instruction over 18 months, within a community of fellow learners.
• You will be supported and developed by your instructors’, mentors, program coaches, community events and interactions.
• You will be delivered programs based on Competency Based Education (CBE) and Project Based Learning (PBL).
• You will be immersed in professional scenarios to develop relevant competencies, advancing only upon achieving mastery.
• You will develop 5 primary competencies/roles- producer, engineer, composer/ arranger, sound designer, and performer.
• You will be achieve 9 key elements within those competencies: speed / efficiency, technical quality, decisions/reasoning/strategy, accuracy and/or thoroughness, knowledge relevant and adequate to outcome, independence, resourcefulness – problem solving, holistic (cohesive synergistic execution of all elements)i, behavior & communication and creative aspects of producing
• You will bring incredible talent and hard work to the table which gives relevance to what we do and meaningful results for you.

We believe in “live”.

Our full time programs are predominantly delivered live and are additionally supported through mentoring, coaching and community. We believe in “live” and we believe in community support as key learning elements.

Many online programs deliver “canned” pre-recorded materials for students to download and work mostly on their own. This approach lacks the interaction, engagement, and community support that helps learners thrive and often results in a high attrition rate (students dropping). Music Alliance Academy delivers 1000 hours of live instruction and interaction in real learning communities. You will not learn in a silo, with pre-recorded materials and a support line.

We are leading you to work in real world situations with other professionals. This requires that you are quickly immersed in professional scenarios so you can develop relevant competencies. As an example, where ground school is essential and valuable to becoming a pilot, it is critical to spend many hours actually flying an aircraft. Our approach will help your music career take flight.

Project-based learning typically has foundation in the following elements: • Role-playing
• Real-world scenarios
• Authentic audiences
• Real-world expertise in the learning environment
• ssessment of multiple skills and competencies.• Requirement for research and comprehension of multiple subjects
• Learner choice and independence
•Collaboration • Multiple methods of communication (writing, oral speaking, visual presentations, publishing, etc.)

Everyone has varying degrees of natural talent. Your sense that you may have talent, may well be what has inspired you to make music professionally. You likely find that you write lyrics, compose melodies and beats in your head, any time, all the time, and any place. It is part of your fabric, who you are. You always wished you could have captured that fleeting inspiration and developed it. The world is your percussive instrument, every ambient entry way your studio. Yeah, we know who you are. We are you! There are practical steps to moving that inspiration outside your head. You are living in the wonder years of technology when it comes to making music, but there are also a ton of non-technology things that are the difference between playing music and getting paid for it, making a career from it. We are here to lead you there.

Anyone that guarantees your success is disingenuous, so much depends on you and what you put into it. But we believe in what we do, we believe we are a most excellent choice to take this journey with you. We also back that up with ongoing support through The Alliance membership and a Program Guarantee. If you are not working in your field 24 months after you complete the program, you may apply 50% of your tuition to an alternative program at strategic Partner CAT Centre for Arts and Technology. One guarantee can be made though. You cannot succeed at anything, if you do not try. And how hard you try, may well make the most amount of difference. Disciplined, committed, focused, pragmatic hard work will make anyone better at anything. So how bad do you want something and are you prepared to give that over? Perhaps the truth is, education is well worth the money, but only if it is well worth your effort as well. Interesting links: www.DigitalArtschool.com

Learning live means that your mentors, coaches, teachers are there with you through most of your learning. That’s a key difference! But in addition to this we have personal coaches and mentors available for you, to get you over those sticky points, renew your inspiration and get you back on track.

It is highly focused, specialized and not bound by large amounts of academic rigor required for degree programs. You can complete our program in 18 months. Certainly building your career will take longer, but spending longer in school actually gets in the way of that. It saddles you with large student loans, it leaves you all in on one opportunity. It leaves you out of time and money at the end. We, like you, are weary of hearing how we should go to a University so we have something to fall back on. In other words, plan for failure. We are told that music should be our second choice or maybe just a hobby, when we know in our heart that is not true. However most would agree, it is wise to know where the fire escape is, even as poetic as burning our ships may sound. Let’s save that for a song lyric and be smart. Music Alliance Academy provides everything you will need to follow your dream. To give yourself a chance, and with enough time and money to fall back on an MBA or Law Degree.

The average price for a piano teacher in the US is $60-$80 an hour. Tennis lessons are about $40 and golf $75-$90 an hour. For perspective, attending the Music Alliance Academy Electronic Music Program is approximately $16.50 an hour. Our instructors are far from typical and our programs come with significant value compared to a typical piano or golf lesson. From Music Alliance Academy you will receive an entire integrated development and support plan over 1000 hours of live online instruction over 19 months, within a community of fellow learners and supported by mentors and program coaches. Seven face to face workshops in Las Vegas and membership in a professional community during and after the program completion

Music Alliance Academy provides interest free financing to help make attending as affordable as possible. We also provide further reductions via our Education Rebate program. Our minimum tuition deposit is $3,000 larger deposits will return 6% interest on the deposit amount, reducing your overall tuition. You must complete the program and not miss installments. The rebate will be issued within 30 days of your program completion. If there are personal limitations not addressed here, students may make an appointment with a school finance officer to explore other options.

Tuition	Deposit	Balance	Down Payment	Balance Due	Monthly Pay (12 Months)	Completion Rebate	Tuition After Rebate
$9950	$1500	$8450	$1500	$6950	$579.16	None	$9950
$9950	$1500	$8450	$2500	$5950	$495.83	$150	$9800
$9950	$1500	$8450	$4000	$4450	$370.83	$240	$9710
$9950	$1500	$8450	$5000	$3450	$287.50	$300	$9650
$9950	$1500	$8450	$6000	$2450	$204.16	$360	$9590
$9950	$1500	$8450	$7000	$1450	$120.83	$400	$9550
$9950	$1500	$8450	$8450 (full)	None	None	$500	$9450

Yes. In addition to Music Alliance Academy’s interest free financing and Education Rebate Program and crowdfunding initiatives, there are third party loan companies and traditional lenders. Perhaps a more innovative approach is the new loan companies such as Upstart and Pave that bring artificial intelligence to play in shopping your financial needs to the world. Also organizations such as Scholar Match that serve this sector well. Interesting links: https://www.pave.com/ ,https://www.upstart.com/ ,https://scholarmatch.org/

Massive Open Online Courses were born to increase efficiency… that way more people could experience bad education simultaneously :>) The truth is, there are lots of ways to learn, some better than others. Your time is money, so spend it wisely. There is tremendous value in in bringing all the learning elements together, as part of a totally integrated master learning plan and being part of a close knit community of people sharing that journey with you.

Our online programs do not require you to attend in person. Learners can participate entirely online. Including the seven live Las Vegas workshops that form part of the program. We would love you to attend the workshops in person but you would require a visitor or other suitable visa, as required by US immigration, for your particular country. Since the workshops are one day events they would normally require only a visitor visa. In every case all immigration is decided by US Customs and Immigration Services and it is strongly advised that you become familiar with the process.

We can help you explore further in several ways. Through webinars, information sessions (both online and in person in Las Vegas), short courses, workshops and events. Most information is on our website but you may reach out and connect at any time as well. Often it helps for someone to hear your story and make specific recommendations. Chat is great but it also presents certain limitations, so prefer communicating via phone or email. Though everyone has their comfort zone and we are pleased to work within yours. Fill out the “Get Answers” form found at the top of our website on the navigation panel to contact us!

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