Message from the DAT Director

Prospective students to Cogswell College, when they apply for admissions, write an essay explaining their intentions in coming to Cogswell. It is not uncommon for me to read in these essays that Cogswell is the only four-year degree granting college that offers what the student is looking for in an audio program.

One of the assumptions that we have about DAT students at Cogswell is that they already have some kind of “product”. In other words, the typical DAT student is a songwriter, is a DJ, has a band, or composes film or videogame soundtracks, to name a few. Students come to the DAT program to learn how to use the powerful new tools of the audio industry to wield their “product” like a professional, turning an aspiration into a career in the audio industry.

The DAT program has well-defined courses of study in studio recording, digital orchestration, music theory and the conceptual foundations of audio production. In addition, students have three portfolio classes in which they produce and market their own work. In fact, we conscientiously have tried to include all the stages of the concept to delivery pipeline, the sequence of steps from the moment someone first has a creative idea all the way to the delivery of a finished product to a customer or client. Starting in Fall 2007, we will offer a specialization track in Transformative Music, which considerably expands our range of music and audio applications and allows us to enter a dynamic and rapidly growing field with its own industry of recorded products.

In addition to album production and distribution, Cogswell College offers exceptional opportunities for producing soundtracks. We have programs in animation, motion picture production and videogames. Every student in those three programs must create original works and every one of those works requires a soundtrack. Physically, Cogswell College is housed in one building and all Cogswell students participate in the same General Education classes, so there are built-in opportunities for networking among students. Our emphasis on collaboration and team effort is a core value.

Finally, a Cogswell education goes well beyond technical instruction in any of the industries we serve. With one third of our curriculum dedicated to General Education studies, we strive to prepare our students for a lifetime of learning and to participate in what is increasingly becoming a global marketplace. Our scale is small and there are many opportunities for Cogswell students to receive individualized instruction. We have many alumni in the audio industry as well as other professional contacts and relationships that constitute a network of opportunities within the industry.

Feel free to contact me directly if you are interested in learning more about the Digital Audio Technology program. I am particularly interested in talking with musicians with unusual interests or skills in music and audio. Diversity is, after all, what the world is about these days.