"No Ordinary Love"

The LA Music Academy has launched a new Studio Production course designed to allow fourth-term students to apply their accumulated music performance skill in a real-world, professional studio environment. The ten-week course covers production budget planning, writing and arranging in a studio environment, and, of course, a survey of the fundamental concepts of recording, both from an engineer's perspective as well as the instrumentalist's perspective.

"We wanted to develop a learning experience that would simulate and illuminate the highest level of practice in the industry's major music centers such as Los Angeles," said Mike Shapiro, Studio Production Instructor.

The students work together to develop musical material that ultimately becomes a song. Armed with this melodic, rhythmic and harmonic raw material, the students are guided through a series of arranging and recording sessions. Performances are critiqued by the producer and their fellow students, and final work is incorporated into the final recording. Guest recording sidemen are brought in to share their insights into the process as well as contribute to the final track.

"The students get a great sense of accomplishment learning and contributing in this way in a real studio environment. Especially since this first class produced such a good track!" Shapiro enthused.

Entitled "No Ordinary Love," it features students from the class of March '06*, as well as cameo appearances by Gary Meek (tenor sax), Ron King (trumpet), and Spencer Nezey (Beatbox).

"This is a killer tune and a great example of what you can do with a bunch of talented people working toward a common goal," added Shapiro, who also acted as producer for the track.

* "Ordinary Love" written by Jackson Allen, Su Ahn, and Stephan Mastnak and performed, arranged, and produced by Jackson Allen, In Fu Chan, Victoria Clemmons, Cesar Galarza, Diane Gallardo, Eleni Kafetzi, Evelyne Kueng, Su Ahn, Max Esquivel, Jeff Francis, Jarrad Lander, Michael Leibetseder, Juan Martinez, Stephan Mastnak, Amanda McAlpin, Dirk Reimann, Jarrod Ridge, Bernhard Sattra, Juan Manuel Trujillo, Osamu Uno, Matthias Wagner, and Chad Whitaker.