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Tisch School of the Arts
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Tisch School of the Arts (known more commonly as Tisch or TSOA) is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University (NYU).
The school was founded in 1965. It has 2,700 undergraduates (in 7 programs) and 500 graduate students (in 10 programs). Tisch is best known for its renowned acting program, and its impressive film program (often called the NYU Film School), one of the most selective film schools in the world.
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Tisch School of the Arts (known more commonly as Tisch or TSOA) is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University (NYU).
The school was founded in 1965. It has 2,700 undergraduates (in 7 programs) and 500 graduate students (in 10 programs). Tisch is best known for its renowned acting program, and its impressive film program (often called the NYU Film School), one of the most selective film schools in the world. The MFA program in film directing accepts only 5% of applicants for an annual incoming class of 36 students. The Tisch undergraduate acceptance rate for the class of 2011 was 23%. Tisch students are sometimes referenced by the nickname "Tischies".
History
The School of the Arts at New York University was founded in 1965 to provide rigorous conservatory training in theatre, film, and dance in the context of a large research university. The School quickly established itself as one of the leading art schools in the country, creating additional departments of theatre design and lighting, and cinema studies within a few short years. The undergraduate Department of Drama was founded in 1974. The establishment of the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) (1979), the Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing (1980), the Department of Performance Studies (1980), the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (1981), the Department of Photography and Imaging (1982), the Department of Art and Public Policy (2002), the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program (2003) and the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music (2003) rounded out an extraordinary period of growth in terms of enrolment and breadth of programs of study. In 1982 a gift from Laurence Tisch and Preston Robert Tisch made possible the acquisition and renovation of 721 Broadway, where most of the School's programs are currently housed; in recognition of the Tischs' generosity, the School was renamed the Tisch School of the Arts.
Currently Tisch is best known for its film, acting, and dance departments. In 2004 the Independent Film Channel followed four graduate film students at Tisch in a documentary series called Film School.
Most recently, NYU Tisch has announced the opening of its first-ever branch campus in Singapore. The Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Singapore Campus will offer an M.F.A. in film production, and classes will begin in the fall of 2007 with administrative and classroom facilities located in its own building in the city’s main business district. This is the first time NYU Tisch is offering a degree outside New York, and it is expected that the program will ultimately enroll some 250 students.
Mary Schmidt Campbell, B.A., M.A., PH.D.; HON.: D.F.A., PH.D., has been Dean of Tisch School of the Arts since 1991. She also serves as Associate Provost for the Arts.
Programs
The Tisch School of the Arts offers BFA, BA, MFA, MA, MPS, and PhD degrees.
Tisch comprises five divisions, encompassing 14 different departments and programs:
- The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television
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- Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
- Department of Photography and Imaging
- Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP)
- Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
- The Skirball Center for New Media
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- Department of Cinema Studies
- Moving Image Archiving & Preservation Program
- The Institute of Performing Arts
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- Graduate Acting Program
- Department of Dance
- Department of Design for Stage & Film
- Department of Drama, Undergraduate
- Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
- Department of Performance Studies
- The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music
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- The Department of Art and Public Policy
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- Department of Art and Public Policy
The school also includes an Open Arts curriculum of Tisch classes available to non-Tisch NYU students.
Dance Department
The Tisch Dance Department is one of the most prestigious and rigorous dance programs in the United States. The program is fashioned in a conservatory style and is extremely selective; on average, thirty dancers are selected per graduating class. The previous director, Linda Tarnay, was a dancer in the Martha Graham Company and all of the teachers have impressive resumes and extensive performing experience with renowned companies from around the world, such as Houston Ballet, Merce Cunningham's Company, and American Ballet Theatre, among others. Many of the faculty have their own companies independent of the dance department, which serve as a springboard to larger companies for many students immediately following graduation.
The current chair, Cherylyn Lavagnino, has an MFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a BA in Philosophy from the University of Southern California. Lavagnino toured nationally as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet performing at New York’s City Center and the BAM. Lavagnino has performed a range of classical repertoire and contemporary work by choreographers including Balanchine, John Butler, Hans Van Manen, and Tere O’Connor, the diversity of these experiences informing the dialogue between classical and contemporary in her work with Cheylyn Lavagnino Dance. Her merits as a performer include work with the San Diego Ballet, Arizona Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Teatro del Espacio in Mexico City.
Lavagnino’s choreography has been presented in New York City by Colloquium Contemporary Dance Exchange, Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church, The Field, Dance Theater Workshop, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo, Dancenow at John Jay College Theater, Ballet Builders at Florence Gould Hall and The Joyce Theatre, Evening Stars. She was resident choreographer at The Yard and recipient of the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation’s Choreography award. Lavagnino received a space grant residency from the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Lavagnino has choreographed over thirty works in the past fifteen years. Many of those works were created in collaboration with composer Scott Killian.
Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance was officially formed in 2000. The company has been presented by Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church (2000, 2004), Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow, The Kaatsbaan International Dance Center and New Dance Alliance Inc. Lavagnino has taught professional ballet internationally and in several NYC studios. She has taught at the Paul Taylor Intensive (NYC), at Bates Dance Festival, at Jacob’s Pillow and taught daily company class for the Lyon Opera Ballet. She has been a full-time faculty member at NYU since 1987 and directed Tisch’s Second Avenue Dance Company for 14 years. In recognition of her superior work, she won New York University’s prestigious David Payne Carter Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003.
A normal day for a first year dance student consists of three morning dance classes (Pilates, ballet, and modern) and academic courses in the afternoon directly followed by dance education classes such as Music Theory, Dance Composition, and Anatomy. After the mandatory classes are finished, many dancers have rehearsals anywhere from two to four hours for performance pieces choreographed by both fellow students, faculty, and guest choreographers. In the past, famous choreographers such as Nacho Duatto, Jessica Lang, Deborah Jowitt, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Complexions, and Alonzo King have set their pieces and created original works specifically for Tisch Dance students.
The program strives to prepare students for the rigorous life of a dancer, preparing them by treating their third year students as a company, also known as the Second Avenue Dance Company. Students graduate in three years, hence the difficult schedule which is accelerated in order for dancers to graduate earlier than their peers in other college dance programs. Because of brevity of the three year program, students attend a six week summer course following their first and second years. During these summer intensives, six different companies come in a week each and teach students their style of movement. This is an excellent way for students to be introduced to companies and have the chance to get noticed and get to know the different companies in an intimate setting. This is unique to the Tisch Dance Program, and is conducive to introducing dancers into the real world of auditions and jobs as soon as possible. Also, a select group of second year students have the chance to study abroad in Salzburg, Austria in lieu of attending the summer program.
The excellent location of NYU makes it possible for students to experience all types of dance performance throughout the city. Dancers can usher at different theatres to get free tickets to shows, and are introduced to different choreographers through a collaboration with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) performance space and the Dance Department, offering students extremely discounted tickets to some of the most famous companies that come to BAM.
Graduates of the program have gone on to join many different contemporary, modern, and ballet companies and had successful careers in choreography and dance production.
Undergraduate Film
Renamed for the benefactor of a large gift to the department in the late nineties, the Kanbar Institute of Film, Television and New Media comprises an undergraduate film program in addition to the famous graduate program. The four year undergraduate program (which admits a mere 250 applicants per year) is designed to give students a broad understanding of the aesthetic, technical and practical aspects of film and television production.
Freshmen in Film & TV are required to take aesthetic colloquiums in both 'Picture' and 'Sound' to better understand how film-makers forge the various elements of a final Hollywood production. Introductory writing classes are instrumental in building the student's personal voice as a creative professional in the industry and are spring-boards to the more intensive Sophomore level script-writing classes. 'The Language of Film' serves to introduce the student to cinema language, theory and history as well as on overview of the inner workings of the industry. Freshman-level production classes include three options, each one runs a full fifteen-week semester in length. 'Sound Image', a production class that provides the basics of audio for film, concentrates on the nuances of sound recording as well as how the auditory can enhance and affect listeners without an accompanying image. In 'Digital Frame and Sequence' students use 35mm still photography to focus on image composition and to test the elements of editing theory. By using still images, sequences are created that lead students to concentrate on the development of meaningful storylines without the use of sound. The third Freshman production option is 'Introduction to Animation'. 'Intro' as it's called by Animation students, serves as an intensive study of movement and form introducing both hand-drawn animation and state-of-the-art techniques.
Sophomore year includes an intensive, year-long writing class to develop students' scripts in a small group that workshops each project aloud using classmates to read the various roles and critique based on their participation as a member of the audience. The elements of storytelling are outlined and students learn how to develop characters and create a dramatic arc with respect to pacing and dialogue. Craft classes begin to supplement the primary film production and history classes with hands-on work in areas as varied as 16 and 35mm camera work, recording audio, producing, preproduction, editing, sound design and special effects make-up. The first chance for students to officially test their mastery of the aesthetic and practical principles is reputed "to be the same as when Marty took it" (referring to Martin Scorsese). 'Sight and Sound: Film', the first production class where students shoot on 16mm film, has been one of the core courses in the program for much of its lengthy history. This first film production class has a rigorous schedule with crews of four students sharing a camera rig (Arri S), accessories, tripod, sound package and lighting package to complete the class projects. The class schedule depends partly on shooting with black-and-white reversal film which saves the additional turnaround time required to have workprint struck from negative film. Another bonus of black-and-white reversal, when exposed properly, is the beautiful images it can create on the big screen. The class schedule dictates completion of twenty such 3-5 minute film projects for each crew over the fifteen week semester (only six weeks in summer) so, for a final grade each student must write, direct and edit five short movies; the first three are silent, the last two projects with sound. Detailed 'production books' with storyboards and/or shotlists, including evaluations of self and 'crew' are also required.
Sophomores are required to take a second 'Sight and Sound: Video' which, in Fall 2006, was recently revised, splitting the old 'Sight and Sound: Video' (more recently 'Sight and Sound: TV') into two new courses: 'Sight and Sound Studio' (studio television, including multiple cameras, live recording, and an acting component) and 'Sight and Sound Documentary' (a video documentary course). Tisch has two small television studios on its 12th floor used for this class. In addition to these mandatory classes Tisch film students are given their choice of many other film courses based on their field of interest, in subjects covering writing, directing, make-up, lighting, film history, editing, producing and more.
A little known fact is that Tisch Film also includes a robust animation department that teaches students in a variety of animation techniques; from 3D animation with Maya - to traditional cel animation, stop motion animation and digital compositing.
Building on the basics of film construction, craft and history learned during Sophomore year, Junior Year culminates in 'Color Sync', a film production class that stresses the importance of professional working methods and meeting specific deadlines. Ideas developed and workshopped in Sophomore year break way to scripts for 'Color Sync' that are the next step towards real-world production. This class requires building not only a script but polishing technical skills (Director of Photography, Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Recordist, Boom Operator and/or Producer or Assistant Director) working on at least the three other members of their class' 'crew' projects. Each student writes and directs their own script for a narrative film project that runs at 8 minutes or less. 'Color Sync' is the first chance students are able to work with professional actors, color negative film stocks, productions with synchronized sound, acquire production insurance, shooting permits and gain experience with professional labs, film vendors and the detailed budgeting and scheduling requirements necessary on a professional production. A final grade for 'Color Sync' depends on 'synched dailies' (sound and picture synched to screen in class, Beta SP or DVCAM) and a 'rough cut' presented to the teacher within one year of completing the class. Each class member receives a 'production allotment' to purchase film, defray the cost of processing and of telecine transfer. Also included in the student's production allotment is a limited amount of production insurance and access to the Production Center's vast camera, grip and sound location equipment facility, with access to Arri SR cameras, Fostex DAT recorders (which replaced outdated Nagra reel-to-reel recorders) as well as the department's Postproduction Center, including Avid and Pro Tools editing and finishing systems (which replaced outdated Steenbeck reel-to-reel flatbed editing tables), screening rooms and a professional recording studio, foley, ADR and Mix room. Students are cautioned not to fret if their 'Color Sync' isn't a masterpiece; it's a learning experience after all. Problematic Color Sync projects many times lead to much better preparation for Senior projects.
Generally regarded as the follow-up course to 'Color Sync', students learn the influence that post-production can make in 'Editing Workshop'. Industry professionals lead small classes using Avid software to produce a 'fine cut' of their film. The 2000-2001 school year was the last that post-production for 'Color Sync' and 'Editing Workshop' used gang syncs, rewind tables and flatbeds. After dozens of years of editing on film, in the Fall of 2001 ten of the Department's fifty-three Steenbecks were removed and converted to fourteen Avid Xpress systems. Soon after, all thirteen Steenbecks for 1st Year Grad Film were also replaced. In Spring 2007 less than twenty-five Steenbecks remain, all devoted to multiple class sections of 'Sight and Sound: Film'. Replacing the aging fleet of Steenbecks for other classes is the largest number of Avid systems under one roof, in the world, as well as over sixty computers with Final Cut Pro and over forty Pro Tools systems.
Senior Year film production classes are likened to a more real-world model where every director must 'pitch' his script and only the best pitches result in an approved production allotment. Junior is the last year students are 'guaranteed to shoot' and must now compete in a more realistic atmosphere, for a limited number of production allotments. Advanced craft classes utilize state-of-the-art technology including a complete 35mm camera rig on long-term loan from Panavision. Senior year helps concentrate students on their particular area of interest through participation in both approved department and professional projects, on campus and on location in NYC. Further preparing students to thrive in the industry the department sponsors multiple workshops, internships and screenings.
The department's 'The Director's Series' features screenings of new and important films and provides the audience with a Q&A with the filmmakers. A film festival open to all Senior and Grad Thesis projects is attended by the general public as well as important industry contacts. The 'First Run Film Festival' is sponsored by the department and held at NYU's Cantor Film Center in April of each year where students compete for large cash prizes as well as the hope of meeting the right contacts. Other screening opportunities organized by the department include the 'Freshman Festival', 'Intermediate Festival' and 'Animation Festival.'
Notable Undergraduate and Graduate alumni include directors Oliver Stone, M. Night Shyamalan, Joel Coen, Ang Lee, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Roman Coppola, Martin Kunert, Nancy Savoca, and more recently, Brett Ratner, Todd Phillips, Marc Forster, and Ryan Fleck. Notable Undergraduate faculty include animator John Canemaker ("The Moon and Son: An Imagined Conversation"), producer/editor Sam Pollard ("Mo Better Blue", "Four Little Girls", "When the Levees Broke"), actor Marketa Kimbrell ("The Pawnbroker"), television producer James Gardner, soundman Chat Gunter ("Law and Order"), director/screenwriter Mo Ogrodnik ("Ripe," "Uptown Girls"), director of photography Tom Mangravite, documentary filmmaker George Stoney ("All My Babies"), editor Lora Hays ("Harlan County, USA"), and director Kelly Reichardt ("Old Joy").
Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
The Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, often simply referred to as the DDW, is one of the smaller departments of Tisch and provides instruction for playwriting and screenwriting. More recently, a third section, television writing, has gained prevalence. Freshman and sophomore years, students are encouraged to learn each form, but by junior and senior year they must declare a "concentration" in one of the three fields. To apply to the DDW, prospective students must submit a portfolio of short writing.
In general, undergraduate students must take at least one writing workshop each semester. In the core freshman workshop, Craft of Visual and Dramatic Writing, students are expected to write a number of short works, but by junior year are expected to work on full-length pieces. Other core classes include Classic and Modern Drama, Shakespeare for Writers, and Film Story Analysis. Students are also encouraged to take classes emphasizing production and performance, and must complete at least one internship over the course of their undergraduate experience. Finally, each student must also take numerous General Education and elective classes to gain a strong liberal arts background.
The department was founded in 1980. In December 2003, the department was renamed to include the names of Rita and Burton Goldberg, thanks to a generous gift to the department.
In general, the department holds about 200 undergraduates and 40 graduates. Notable alumni include playwrights Neil LaBute, Kenneth Lonergan, and Doug Wright. The current chair of the department is Richard Wesley. Its home is on the seventh floor of the Tisch building at 721 Broadway, New York City.
Department of Photography and Imaging
The Department of Photography and Imaging provides an undergraduate program of study that combines course work in traditional and digital photographic processes with those in modern two dimensional design.
'Photo and Imaging' is one of the few undergraduate programs at NYU that has restricted enrollment to a level (only 36 new undergraduate students are admitted each year) that greatly augments the academic experience compared with other programs at Tisch and NYU, some of which are considered 'over-enrolled' to the point that the educational experience and availability of classes suffers. For this reason, among others, 'Photo and Imaging' remains one of the best 'bangs-for-your-buck' at NYU.
Interactive Telecommunications Program
The Interactive Telecommunications Program is a pioneering graduate department focused on the study and design of new media, computational media and embedded computing under the umbrella of interactivity.
Founded in 1979, the origins of the program date back to 1971 when George Stoney and Red Burns created the Alternate Media Center (AMC). ITP grew out of the work of the AMC, and set the stage for the experimentation which would follow as well as the informing spirit of collaboration, and the ongoing emphasis on crafting social applications and putting the needs of the user first. A pioneering center for application development and field trials, the AMC initially focused on exploring the then-new tool of portable video made possible by Sony's introduction of the Portapak video camera.
Red Burns and her colleagues at the AMC came from backgrounds in documentary film and traditional media -- they shared a vision for a freely accessible, grass-roots technology which would enable users to create their own documentaries and distribute them widely. Their efforts led to many significant developments in the field, including lobbying Congress for the creation of what is now public-access television and significant field trials for two-way television in community settings, the use of teletext in major urban centers and communications technologies for the developmentally disabled.
Burns believed that a graduate course of study was needed to train creative, forward thinking, ethical new media developers for what she saw would be a new and growing field. The first 20 graduate students entered the program in 1979 -- and it grew quickly from there. In 1983 Burns turned her full attention from AMC to ITP and was appointed Chair of the department, a position she holds today. In 1996, she was awarded the Tokyo Broadcasting Systems Chair. Under her leadership the department has become an internationally renowned center for scholars and practitioners who are eager to engage the newest technologies and put them in the hands of media-makers.
Michael Mills, former full-time faculty member of ITP, went on to Apple Computer. His group developed the original prototypes that later became QuickTime. Current ITP professor Dan O'Sullivan, during his student years, served as an intern at Apple and created the prototype for the first navigable interactive movies. O'Sullivan also introduced the first widely used interactive television application in NYC, produced and broadcast directly from ITP by way of Manhattan Cable Public Access.
Industry leaders, artists and visionaries who have lectured at ITP over the years include Academy-Award winner, Chairman and CEO of R/Greenberg Associates Digital Studios Robert M. Greenberg, musician and pioneer of immersive virtual reality Jaron Lanier, multimedia artist Vito Acconci, multimedia artist & musician Laurie Anderson, Ethernet creator Bob Metcalfe, CEO of New York Times Digital Martin Nisenholtz, artist Toshio Iwai, and Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger of Antenna Design, to name but a few.
Current ITP faculty members are known for their contributions to the new media field -- Daniel Rozin, Chrysler Design Award-Winning Artist in Residence, has had his work shown in major museums around the world, most recently at the Israel Museum; Dan O'Sullivan and Tom Igoe have just published the authoritative text on physical computing; Jean-Marc Gauthier is the author of several books on interactive 3D applications, and his art installations have been seen internationally; Douglas Rushkoff and Clay Shirky are widely published critics, authors and journalists; Marianne Petit is an artist well known for her interactive stories as well as her work in assistive technologies and social applications; Red Burns has served on many boards and is regularly an invited speaker at industry events -- she is also the recipient of a Chrysler Design Award, for "Design Champion," a leadership award from the New York Hall of Science, the educator award from the Art Directors Club, Crain's All Star Award, the NYC Mayor's Award for science and technology and was the first recipient of the Matrix Award.
The online magazine describes ITP as
"An oversized Greenwich Village loft houses the computer labs, rotating exhibitions, and production workshops that are ITP — the Interactive Telecommunications Program. Founded in 1979 as the first graduate education program in alternative media, ITP has grown into a living community of technologists, theorists, engineers, designers, and artists uniquely dedicated to pushing the boundaries of interactivity in the real and digital worlds. A hands-on approach to experimentation, production and risk-taking make this hi-tech fun house a creative home not only to its 230 students, but also to an extended network of the technology industry’s most daring and prolific practitioners."
Undergraduate Drama
Founded in 1974, the Undergraduate Department of Drama currently holds the world record as the world's largest drama department; approximately 1400 students are currently matriculated there. Boasting numerous alumni in television, film, and theater, it prides itself on a unique blend of conservatory training, theater studies and liberal arts studies. According to the undergraduate drama department's literature, "the program in drama places equal emphasis on rigorous conservatory training and comprehensive theatre study in the most exciting and creative city in the world: New York." The current head of the department is Elizabeth Bradely.
Training culminates in performance. Over one-hundred shows are produced each year in the program including main stage shows, studio related projects, directing projects, and student-run black box productions. The most significant performance spaces are the Skirball Center, Frederick Loewe Theatre, The Abe Burrows Theatre, and The Linhart. Unlike most conservatories where casting is assigned and each class serves as an individual company, casting at NYU's undergraduate level is open to any student in his or her second, third, and fourth year of training.
Conservatory training
The cornerstone of the program is the professional training component. Drama's professional program is a network of unique studios, each teaching an exclusive approach to the craft. Students train intensively in one of eight studios three full days a week in a working environment composed of twelve to eighteen students. Students train intensely for three full days a week, and a typical drama student can expect to spend more than forty-five hours a week in class and rehearsal. All incoming actors are placed in a primary studio where they must train for the first two years. Students are divided and placed into these different studios, based on their audition, interview and personal preference. The studios are as follows:
- Stella Adler Conservatory (Focuses on Stella Adler's Technique and spirit of acting)
- Atlantic Theater Company (Focuses on David Mamet's "Practical Aesthetics" acting technique)
- Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21, focuses on musical theatre)
- Experimental Theatre Wing (Focuses on avant garde theatre through an exploration of varied techniques)
- The Meisner Extension (Focuses on Sanford Meisner's version of Stanislavsky's System)
- Playwrights Horizons Theater School (Focuses on a range of theatrical careers including acting, directing, and design.)
- Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute (Focuses on Lee Strasberg's "Method" style of acting)
- Technical Production Track (Focuses primarily on design, but also features theatre management)
After their first two years of education, undergraduate actors have the ability engage in an internship or to audition for an advanced studio. Placement in these programs is open only to juniors and seniors and acceptance is offered only after a successful artistic review. These studios are as follows:
- Classical Studio (This studio is dedicated to the study and performance of Shakespearian text.)
- Experimental Theatre Wing Transfer Track
- Stonestreet Studios Film and Television Acting Workshop
- Playwrights Horizons Practicum
- CAP21 Transfer Track
- Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute Practicum
Theater studies
All Students must take a minimum of seven theater studies courses. The first two are introductory courses: Introduction to Theater Studies (ITS) and Introduction to Theater Production (ITP). To fulfill the rest of their theater studies requirements, student's can choose from dozens of upper level theater studies courses, with topics ranging from avant-garde to Broadway, or from classical texts to modern American drama. There are also a series of honors seminars in theater studies, with varying topics from semester to semester.
Graduate Acting Program
In May 2008, the Dean announced that Mark Wing-Davey had been named chair of, and arts professor in, the School’s Graduate Acting Program.
Some of the most prominent alumni include Debra Messing, Billy Crudup, Michael C. Hall, and Peter Krause.
Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music
Founded in 2003, the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music is the only program of its kind. The Department of Recorded Music offers a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree that is designed to educate students in all aspects of contemporary recorded music, with a special focus on the art of producing music, identifying and cultivating musical talent, and developing creative material within the complex range of recorded music technologies. The program is the first of its kind to provide artistic training toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to aspiring music industry leaders. It recognizes the music producer as a creative artist and entrepreneur in his or her own right and musical recording itself as a creative medium. The course of study is a four-year, 58-credit progression of courses structured around a series of practicums in the recording studio, where students are expected to become proficient in a range of recorded music practices. Students investigate the cultural impact of recorded music and the history of a number of musical genres, including, but not limited to, rock, hip-hop, R&B, and pop. Concurrently, students examine business and legal enterprise in a variety of courses focusing on the specialized needs of the music industry.
During the first year of study, students are introduced to the recording studio as a creative laboratory, as well as the business and administrative aspects of running a studio. They study a diverse range of recording techniques and songwriting and music theory and learn about the history of the recording industry from its initial stages in the beginning of the 20th century to today’s bustling marketplace of mass-produced images and sounds.
In the second year, students have the opportunity to study the historical evolution of the performing artist in popular music; and in the studio, students consider how material for an artist is selected and arranged and how a complete album is constructed.
The third year focuses on the business of recorded music, including artist development, marketing, imaging, and publicity. Students may take advanced courses in engineering and production as they learn more about distribution, retail, and promotion. Students may choose to study abroad in one of the many Tisch and NYU Study Abroad programs. The final year culminates with a required internship and a capstone project in which students develop a full creative plan to launch a new artist roster or record label.
As is the case with all Tisch programs, professional training is combined with a solid liberal arts education. In addition to the 58 credits taken within the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, students are expected to earn a total of 44 general education credits in courses offered by Tisch (including courses offered through the Department of Art and Public Policy) and the College of Arts and Science. Students will also earn 26 credits in elective courses taken at Tisch, the College of Arts and Science, the Steinhardt School of Education, and the Stern School of Business for a total of 128 credits.
Admissions to the program is highly competitive. Approximately 300-350 applications are received each year, and 28 are accepted.
Facilities
Designed to serve as a professional-quality state-of-the-art recording and teaching facility, the Dennis Riese Family Recording Studio on the 5th floor of 194 Mercer Street can accommodate 30 students in its control room, and 65 students or 35 musicians (in orchestral format) in the studio. The live room features sound absorbing interior wall finishes with wood accent panels and adjustable acoustical doors, diffusive ceiling elements for sound absorption, and an acoustically treated wood and slate floor designed to eliminate noise transmission. The control room is equipped with a professional 48-channel API Vision recording console, capable of stereo and 5.1 surround mixing, computer and analog based recording, and an extensive array of sound processing equipment.
The smaller of the two studios, Studio 505 allows for an intimate recording and teaching experience. The control room is equipped with an SSL K series console and is capable of stereo or 5.1 surround mixing. Like our larger API-based studio, it is fitted with computer and analog based recording equipment and an extensive array of outboard processing gear. The live room is the perfect size for small bands and overdubbing of any instrument.
The Pro Tools Production Lab is available for use by students of all levels. The Lab is equipped with 14 stations and a teaching position. Students learn the art of beginning music production in the Lab, as well as advanced music production and programming. In addition to the Lab, there are two personal edit suites available for student use. The Pro Tools systems in the suites are equipped similarly to the studio’s computers.
See also
External links
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