Behind the Music: Carroll’s New Program Turns a Passion for Sound into Real-World Skills

When you listen to your favorite song or see a band perform live, the musicians may be the ones in the spotlight, but they are only part of what makes the music happen.

Behind every sound recording and concert is a team of people capturing, shaping, mixing, and delivering the audio audiences hear.

“Think of the last song you listened to, the last concert you attended,” said Eric McCullough, Director of the Music degree program at Carroll Community College. “There’s a whole team of workers who make that possible, who help those artists realize their artistic vision.”

Carroll’s new Music Technology & Sound Recording program is designed for students who want to become part of that creative process. The 60-credit Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree program combines a traditional music education with training in audio engineering, studio recording, music production, and live sound, preparing students to transfer or pursue a range of opportunities in the live music and audio recording industries.

The result is a program designed to develop not simply technicians, but well-rounded music professionals who understand the technology, the music, and the people behind every recording and performance.

Where Music Meets Technology

The Music Technology and Sound Recording program is so diverse that if you love music and love creating music, there will be something in the program that will resonate with you.

Students in the Music Technology and Sound Recording program won’t spend all their time sitting in a classroom learning about sound. They’ll also be making it.

Students explore everything from audio engineering, acoustics, and signal flow to Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), synthesis, MIDI, mixing, and audio effects. They also participate in collaborative recording sessions and live event management while developing critical listening and production skills.

“What makes the Music Technology and Sound Recording program different from a traditional Music degree would, of course, be the technology emphasis,” McCullough said. “It opens up a whole new avenue for creativity, allowing students to apply what they’re learning in their other Music courses through a different lens. Via collaborative and creative projects, they gain hands-on experience working in both studio and live sound environments.”

Students first build foundational knowledge in areas such as acoustics and sound theory before putting those concepts into practice. They’ll work with an analog console, microphones, MIDI keyboards, and other equipment while learning everything from microphone placement to mastering audio.

This hands-on experience is especially important in a field where knowing what a piece of equipment does is very different from knowing how to use it effectively.

You Can’t Learn Everything from YouTube

Tony Correlli knows firsthand that audio engineering can’t be mastered from watching online videos. A producer, engineer, studio owner, and member of Carroll’s Music Advisory Board, Correlli has spent more than 25 years working in sound recording. His advice to aspiring engineers is simple: eventually you have to get your hands on the equipment.

“If you’re learning something, you really have to apply it,” Correlli said. “If you’re reading something or watching a video on something, you really need to get your hands on it to understand it.”

For Correlli, that means learning to capture actual sound, not simply manipulating sounds that already exist inside a computer.

“If you really want to make music, you’ve got to know how to put a microphone on a physical sound source, how to get it into your system, and how to make it sound good,” he said.

That philosophy helped shape Carroll’s new Music Technology and Sound Recording program. Correlli has advised the College on what types of equipment, hardware, software, and experiences students need to develop practical skills that reflect how audio professionals actually work.

“Tony has been really instrumental in helping bring this program to life,” McCullough said, “letting us know everything we need to be able to provide that real-world experience.”

More Than Knowing Which Knobs to Turn

Technical ability, however, is only part of becoming a successful audio engineer.

Recording is a deeply collaborative process. Engineers work with artists to solve problems, make creative decisions, manage sessions, and ultimately help performers do their best work.

Correlli learned that lesson early in his career.

“When you’re recording somebody, you are producing them, even if you’re not thinking of it in that way,” he said. “If it’s only you and the artist in there, you are directing the artist and you’re managing the recording session.”

That means an engineer must know more than microphones, compressors, and EQ. Correlli said keeping artists comfortable and the creative process moving can be equally important. “A lot of it is intangible, interpersonal skills that you just learn with experience,” he said.

That human side of audio engineering is another skill students can begin developing at Carroll, where collaboration is built into the program through projects with classmates, faculty, musicians, and clients.

“That’s something that you won’t get working in your bedroom on your laptop,” McCullough said. “You’re going to be able to develop those interpersonal skills. How do you work with artists? How do you work with clients in ways that connect? Communication is really everything.”

Become a Musician While You Become an Engineer

Unlike a program focused exclusively on recording technology, Carroll’s Music Technology and Sound Recording program remains grounded in musicianship. Students continue developing performance, critical listening, keyboard, and other foundational music skills alongside their technical training.

That combination can make a significant difference in the studio.

As an engineer and producer, Correlli draws on his understanding of chord progressions, harmonies, rhythms, arrangements, and individual instruments to recognize problems and help artists solve them.

“I think to do this well, you do need to be a musician,” Correlli said. But students shouldn’t be discouraged if they are just beginning to develop those skills. “You don’t have to be a musician right now. Become a musician while you become an engineer.”

McCullough agrees that understanding the language of music helps engineers communicate with the artists they record.

“An engineer who is knowledgeable about music, who is a musician themselves, and who knows music theory is able to speak that same musical language, and it makes communication so much better,” he said.

Turning Connections & Coursework into a Career

In a creative field where opportunities often grow from both what you can do and who knows your work, Carroll’s Music Technology & Sound Recording program helps students build skills, a portfolio, and professional connections. They learn from faculty who are active as working musicians and music industry professionals. According to McCullough, these relationships can provide more than instruction; they can become part of a student’s professional network.

“Having that pulse on the industry is everything,” he said. “Giving your all in an academic program, networking with your faculty members and also your peers, can really take you far.”

Carroll helps students begin building that path before they graduate. During their final semester, they complete a creative capstone project and assemble a professional portfolio showcasing their work. The portfolio can then be used when applying to four-year schools or pursuing employment.

Audio engineering doesn’t lead to just one type of job. Students can apply their skills in sound recording studios, concert venues, podcast studios, event spaces, and other environments. Potential career paths include recording engineer, sound designer, sound technician, music composer, and other creative roles.

Find Your Place in the Music

But Carroll’s Music Technology & Sound Recording program isn’t just for students who already know they want to become recording engineers. It’s also designed for musicians and creators still discovering where they fit within the industry.

Carroll’s music community includes students with different backgrounds, ages, interests, and experience levels, from beginners just picking up an instrument to longtime musicians looking to take their skills further.

“A lot of times you don’t know if something is for you until you dive in and try it,” McCullough said. “The Music Technology and Sound Recording program is so diverse that if you love music and love creating music, there will be something in the program that will resonate with you.”

Whether their passion ultimately takes them behind the mixing console, backstage at a concert, into a recording studio, onto the stage, or to a four-year Music program, Carroll gives students the skills, experience, and connections to take their next step.

For Correlli, the appeal of the field can be summed up even more simply. “Working in engineering and production is an opportunity to do music for a living,” he said. “If you love music and you can produce it for your ‘day job,’ that’s living the dream!”