The objective of this program is to prepare students for entry–level jobs and for self–employment in the entertainment industry in the areas of audio production, recording, live sound engineering and as broadcast and audio equipment technicians. The certificate and first year of the AAS degree provides a basic understanding of the music technology/audio engineering field. Students learn principles and procedures of studio recording live sound reinforcement, location recording, basic principles of synthesis and MIDI technology and gain a thorough understanding of the delivery formats used in music production. Students also receive training on state of the art digital audio workstations. Starting the first year and again in the second year of study, each student completes a major studio-recording project that involves recording, editing and mixing a student or professional band and culminates in developing an audio portfolio for inclusion in their professional resume. The first year also includes basic music theory, functional piano skills and study of the business aspects of the music and entertainment industries.