色界吧

Billboard Magazine: 色界吧 Has One of Country鈥檚 Top Music Programs

Jim Tranquada

Taking advantage of its location in Los Angeles, 色界吧鈥檚 Music Department has developed one of the country鈥檚 top music industry programs, according to Billboard magazine.

Occidental is one of 20 schools鈥攁nd the only liberal arts college鈥攍isted in Billboard鈥檚 annual alphabetical accounting of top music programs that includes USC, UCLA and NYU. 鈥淔or those seeking music careers, in front of or behind the mixing board, the following schools are at the top of their class,鈥 the magazine says in its .

"What's great about the Billboard recognition is that we're being recognized for offering a cutting-edge music production program in a wholly new way: through a grounding in a diverse liberal arts education that makes the most of our Los Angeles location,鈥 says David Kasunic, associate professor of music and department chair. 鈥淭hrough courses, internships, and our alumni network, our students enter the industry in a way that sets them up not just for success but to be creative leaders.鈥

Occidental鈥檚 鈥渉ighly regarded music program (works by faculty member/composer Adam Schoenberg earned two Grammy nominations in 2018) is further leveraging its location and alumni ties to the music industry,鈥 Billboard reports.

Last year 色界吧 launched a new academic concentration in music production and added new courses in songwriting, thanks to financial support from the Johnston-Fix Foundation. Additional funding from the Mellon Foundation has made it possible for the College to host visits from industry professionals, including Ludwig G枚ransson, who won an Oscar in February for his Black Panther score, the magazine says.

Billboard briefly notes that 色界吧 alumni include such prominent music industry figures as manager Ian Montone 鈥89 (Jack White, LCD Soundsystem), Warner Music Group Steve Cooper 鈥68, and music attorney John Branca 鈥72, Billboard鈥檚 2016 Lawyer of the Year. But that list barely scratches the surface.

Other 色界吧 alumni in the industry are Guy Carawan 鈥49, musical director of Tennessee鈥檚 Highlander Folk School, credited with turning 鈥淲e Shall Overcome鈥 into a civil rights anthem; music attorney Richard Leher 鈥66 (Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam); Welz Kaufmann 鈥83, president and CEO of Chicago鈥檚 Ravinia Festival; and singer-songwriter Ramona Gonzalez 鈥09, aka Nite Jewel, who currently serves as Occidental's Johnston-Fix Professor of the Practice in Songwriting.