Technical Skills Curriculum
Career Skills Curriculum
Paid Internship Program
North Los Angeles County and Westside Regional Center clients have the opportunity to receive comprehensive music and video production, publishing, and employment/career based training services through YIC’s community partnership with 1500 Sound Academy. While participating in the YIC Program, students will complete a 6-month accredited certificate program free of cost through 1500 Sound Academy, receiving the training they will need to pursue careers within the entertainment industry.
The typical occupations for individuals receiving this training include Sound Engineering Technicians, Audio/Video Technicians, Broadcast Announcers, Radio Disc Jockeys, Music Directors, Music Composers, Musicians, Singers, and other related entertainment workers.
YIC Program participants will have the opportunity to learn from working industry professionals led by GRAMMY®-winning R&B/pop singer/songwriter James Fauntleroy (Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J. Cole, Vince Staples, Big Sean, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande), GRAMMY-winning producer/musician Larrance “Rance” Dopson (Ella Mai, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton, Nipsey Hussle, Usher, Khalid, Jay-Z, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Migos, Rick Ross) from 1500 or Nothin', and GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter/musician IZ Avila (Usher, Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani).
Additionally, YIC Program participants will be able to hear directly from industry artists and professionals through YIC’s guest speaker sessions. Fauntleroy and Dopson (Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Ella Mai) and Timbaland (Justin Timberlake, Aailyah, Missy Elliott) are among the guest lecturers slated for the next sessions.
While enrolled, YIC Program participants will receive a free Roland Cloud subscription and have access to industry tours and internship opportunities through YIC’s Paid Internship Program.
Production and Engineering
• Production covers the foundations of digital music production including drum sequencing, music theory for producers, and studio etiquette. Production is taught in Ableton Live.
• Engineering covers vocal recording techniques, digital audio fundamentals and recording templates. Engineering is taught in Pro Tools.
* 80 Instructional Hours
Songwriting and Business
• Songwriting covers lyric and melody writing, song structure, and song analysis. More advanced aspects of music theory are also discussed.
• Business covers the foundations of managing a music career including publishing, copyright, contracts and taxes.
* 80 Instructional Hours
Mixing and Artist
• Mixing covers the fundamentals of music mixing including balancing levels, vocal production and creating space, as well as current mix delivery requirements. Mixing is taught in Pro Tools.
• Artist covers branding, marketing, song distribution and online presence for music artists, producers and other industry professionals.
* 80 Instructional Hours
Employers and human resources teams look for applicants who balance both hard skills (technical) and soft skills (social) because these well-rounded candidates are valuable in a variety of positions. 21st century skills are considered by industry leaders, HR professionals, and educators to be the knowledge, work habits, and character traits necessary for workers to succeed in today’s rapidly changing work environment.
While 21st century skills are often discussed in terms of a wide-ranging body of knowledge and skills, researchers agree on ten critical areas for development: 1) Adaptability; 2) Analysis/Solution Mindset; 3) Collaboration; 4) Communication; 5) Digital Fluency; 6) Empathy; 7) Entrepreneurial Mindset; 8) Resilience; 9) Self-Awareness; and 10) Social Diversity/Awareness.
YIC Program participants receive career skills training with YIC’s Masters level, credentialed instructors online covering all of the 10 critical areas of development listed above. Through YIC’s community partnership with College of the Canyons, all YIC Program participants will register with College of the Canyons and career skills training will be conducted by YIC instructors utilizing a Learning Management System called Canvas, which will be used to access all course materials and assignments including videos, discussions, grades, and other course activities.
Once YIC Program participants complete their training in each of these skills, participants will earn a printed certificate of completion from College of the Canyons and a digital badge that will be displayed on their LinkedIn profile that participants create while in the YIC Program. This will increase your value to future employers, giving you something to show for all your hard work, and strengthen your resume and/or LinkedIn profile!
With the YIC Paid Internship Program, participants are able to gain paid work experience through internships within the music/entertainment industry. Participants and employers are matched based on the employer’s need and the participant’s individual abilities and career path interests.
YIC helps participants learn job skills through the modeling of appropriate work behavior and social interactions, and through the encouragement of participants to develop working relationships by learning how to effectively communicate with co-workers in order to foster greater independence.
Completed during the YIC Paid Internship Program, the participant’s occupational skills and work behaviors are assessed through a situational assessment, including capacities and competencies to perform essential job duties of specific competitive employment positions.
The situational assessment is designed to assess participants skills and abilities while performing job tasks in real work environments under real work conditions. Participation in a variety of situational assessment situations across work settings provides insight for the participant into his/her employment preferences, as well as skills and abilities.
Participants performing real work in multiple work environments also provide YIC staff information about the participant's work characteristics, interests, skills, and abilities, learning style and workplace support needs. Real work settings are used to enable the participant to explore vocational aptitudes, to demonstrate the types of support services needed to enhance optimal performance, or to assist the participant to acquire specific skills and abilities.
This on-the-job assessment considers what has been learned and how; what aptitudes are demonstrated; and what training and support strategies are necessary for developing competencies. The need for supported employment services is also assessed before participants transition onto an employer's payroll.