Today’s fast-paced entertainment industry isn’t bound by rules — and neither are we. This hands-on, interdisciplinary program turns the studio into your classroom. Make sonic magic alongside real producers, studio owners, audio engineers and sound designers in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include three TV studios, a film sound stage, a live audio recording studio and a Foley studio. You’ll build a professional portfolio of work that will prime you for success in any corner of the industry, from audio recording and music production to film and TV work.
Students will take classes in Music Recording, Digital Audio Production, Songwriting, Music Technology, Sound Design for Film and Television, and much more. Additionally, students can choose to participate in a variety of music ensembles that focus on popular music, electronic music, and other styles.
This program helps all students to develop a professional portfolio of work — a key to future career opportunities. Faculty working in the Recording Arts and Production degree program will work with students throughout their time at Montclair State University to develop a digital portfolio of work that includes examples of music creation, music recording, collaborative projects, written papers from periodic assessments, and examples of sound design for various media. This portfolio will be curated collaboratively between the student and faculty as part of the capstone experience, so that students have high quality examples of their work to show potential employers.
Students in the BA in Recording Arts and Production will have access to a variety of high-quality internship opportunities. Past placements in the audio field include world class recording studios (Sound on Sound), smaller music production studios (The Den, Architekt Music, Audio Pilot Studio), music and media businesses (The Music Playground, Connoisseur Media, The Missing Piece Group, Audible), and audio post-production facilities (Warner Bros. NY).
The Recording Arts and Production degree program prepares students for robust careers across a wide range of fields in music recording, live sound, sound reinforcement, and sound design/production audio/mixing for film and television. This program will prepare students for careers as studio recording engineers, live audio engineers, sound designers, system technicians, broadcast technicians, field audio recordists, backline technicians, film mixers, Foley and ADR engineers, among many others.
The BA in Recording Arts and Production is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between the John J. Cali School of Music (JJCSoM) and The School of Communication and Media (SCM), both housed in the College of the Arts. Courses will make use of exceptional facilities, including three television studios and control rooms, a film sound stage, a live audio recording studio, a Foley studio, several computer labs complete with video and audio editing software (including industry standard audio tools), state-of-the-art performance venues, and several technology-equipped classrooms.
The BA in Recording Arts and Production is coordinated by two full-time faculty members.
David Sanders
Professor, School of Communication and Media
973-655-7974
sandersd@montclair.edu
Morehead Hall, 129
David Sanders is currently a tenured Professor in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Before joining the MSU faculty, Dr. Sanders was Director of the Music, Business, & Technology Program at New York University and Dean of the Audio Arts Division at Center for the Media Arts in New York City. He has also served on the faculties of the City University of New York and The New School University.
Dr. Sanders brings great depth of audio experience to his teaching. A musician and composer, he has written electro-acoustic scores for film, television, commercials, modern dance, and multimedia. As an engineer/producer, he has worked on an eclectic mix of projects ranging from classical to R & B. As a product specialist/artist endorsee for Korg keyboards, he has been involved in research and development as well as marketing for the company?s line of synthesizers and MIDI products. In addition to his duties as producer of Inside MSU, a weekly campus television news program, audio supervisor for Carpe Diem, the MSU Broadcasting Department’s award winning weekly cable show, and faculty advisor to WMSC, the MSU campus radio station, Dr. Sanders currently teaches courses in television production, audio production, multi-track recording, sound design, computer music, MIDI, and music technology at Montclair State University, Mercy College, and New York University.
Dr. Sanders has been the Director of the National Music Council since 1994. The National Music Council was founded in 1940 to provide a forum for the discussion of the nation’s music affairs, to act as a clearinghouse for the joint opinion and decision of its members, and to work as a force to strengthen the importance of music in our lives, culture, and education systems. Operating under charter from Congress granted in 1956, the Council has a membership of some fifty national music organizations, encompassing every form of professional and commercial music activity.
Extremely active in the music and entertainment industries, David Sanders attends several national and international conferences each year, including Arts Advocacy Day, the Audio Engineering Society, and MIDEM. He produces the National Music Council’s annual Leadership in Music symposium and American Eagle Awards in New York City and Nashville, and is the United States representative to the International Music Council of UNESCO.
David Sanders teaches all of the audio related classes in the Department of Broadcasting. His area of expertise centers around music and audio for media. He is the audio supervisor for the Department’s award winning cable show Carpe Diem, and regularly teaches Audio Production and Sound Design courses. His work with the National Music Council focuses on intellectual property issues which have major impact on both the music and television/film industries.
Bryan Powell
Associate Professor Music Technology/Education, Cali School of Music
973-655-7279
powellb@montclair.edu
Chapin Hall, 348
Dr. Bryan Powell is Associate Professor of Music Education and Music Technology, and Coordinator for the Recording Arts and Production degree at Montclair State University where he teaches classes in music education, music technology, popular music, and directs the Montclair State University popular music ensemble. Bryan is also the Chief Program Officer for the non-profit organization Music Will. Prior to joining Montclair State, Bryan worked as the Director of Programs for Amp Up NYC, a partnership between Berklee College of Music and Little Kids Rock. A former NYC public school music teacher, Bryan has served as the Executive Director of the Association for Popular Music Education since 2013, an organization dedicated to promoting and advancing popular music at all levels of education.
Dr. Powell is the Past-Chair for the National Association for Music Education’s Special Research Interest Group for Popular Music Education, and is a current member of the International Society for Music Education’s Committee for the Popular Music Education Special Interest Group. Bryan is an in-demand clinician, having delivered modern band and popular music workshops at over 50 colleges and universities across the globe, as has presented at over 100 music education conferences, including providing keynote addresses at the 2015 Research in Popular Music Education Symposium in Huddersfield, England, the 2018 Mountain Lake Symposium, and the 2019 Iowa Music Educators Association conference. Bryan is also in demand as a modern band ensemble director, serving as Director for the 2022 NAfME All-National Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2023 NAfME All-Eastern Division Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2022 New York City All-City Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2022 PMEA District 7 and 2023 PMEA District 8 All-District Honors Modern Band Ensemble, the 2023 Missouri MEA All-State Popular Music Collective, the 2024 New Jersey honors Modern Band, the 2024 Maryland All-State Commercial Music Band and the 2024 New Hampshire All-State Honors Modern Band. In 2025, Bryan directed the 2025 Oklahoma All-State Collective Ensemble.
Bryan is a widely published researcher and author. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Popular Music Education, a peer-reviewed, academic journal. Bryan has co-edited several books including the Bloomsbury Handbook of Popular Music Education (Bloomsbury), Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education: Perspectives from the Field (Intellect), Teaching Instrumental Music: Perspectives and Pedagogies for the 21st Century (Oxford University Press), and The Modern Band Handbook (OUP). Bryan also co-authored multiple books including Popular Music Pedagogies: A Practical Guide for Music Teachers (Routledge) as well as The Music Learning Profiles Project: Let’s Take this Outside (Routledge). He has published over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed journals including: International Journal of Music Education; Journal of Music Teacher Education; International Journal of Community Music; Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education; Research Studies in Music Education, Music Education Research, Journal of Music, Technology and Education; Journal of Historical Research in Music Education; Update: Applications of Research to Music Education; Visions of Research in Music Education; @IASPM Journal; Education 3-13; Music Educators Journal; Arts Education Policy Review; and Action Critique and Theory in Music Education. He also has authored multiple chapters in Oxford and Routledge Research Handbooks.
Bryan has a Bachelor of Music degree from Pepperdine University, a Master’s degree in Teaching from Chapman University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. His research interests include popular music education and music technology education.
Adjunct audio faculty in both the School of Communication and Media and the John. J. Cali School of Music also teach courses in this program. They are all working professionals with a vast amount of experience in their respective areas of audio and production. They provide invaluable connections to the industry, current and emerging professional practices, and technical resources for our students.
Phil Clifford
Production Manager, Cali School of Music
cliffordp@montclair.edu
Chapin Hall, 120
Shane Furst
Shane Furst is currently a professor in the School of Communications Audio Department. He is an alumni of the School of Communications Television Digital Media and Sound Design program. His audio experience spans engineering, recording, mixing, mastering, and producing. Alongside this he works events and shows doing live sound. He began his audio career during his undergraduate years as an assistant to Eric Bennett at Lakehouse Studios. Since then he has worked at Electric Lady, The Den, and Smacktone Studios. Now, he owns his own commercial studio located in Woodland Park, New Jersey called Cloud Factory Recording. In his free time he is a touring and recording musician with several bands such as Royal Blush, Savnt, The Burning Young, and Nolan. He enjoys collaborating with others to help bring their ideas to life whether it is engineering or acting as a session musician.
Bill Lacey
Bill Lacey is an award-winning sound designer • re-recording mixer • mastering engineer and composer. He has extensive experience in post-production sound mixing, sound design, mastering, and restoration for the film, television, radio, advertising, and record industries. He is a Wwise Certified Instructor. Bill has written for the esteemed British publications “Resolution” and “Sound On Sound”. Recent award-winning work includes a Gold Telly Award for “The First Lady”, a ProMax Silver Award for “Halo – First Look Trailer” and a Clio Gold Award for “Good Lord Bird”. He has mastered over 300 CDs, including the Grammy Award-winning “Heifetz Collection”, the Grammy-nominated “The Song Is You” and the twice Grammy-nominated “Toscanini Collection”. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has an MFA in Video Game Music and Audio from Chichester University, UK. He is currently a Senior Sound Designer • Re-Recording Mixer at Showtime Networks/Paramount+.
Nina Ossoff
Nina Ossoff is a multi-genre, multiplatinum songwriter. USA releases include songs recorded by Daughtry (#1 selling Grammy-nominated multi-platinum record), “Halestorm” (single “I Get Off” went to #9 on the rock charts), Theory of a Deadman, the Temptations (50th single on their 50th record), Patti Austin, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Irma Thomas, the Cheetah Girls, Hillary Duff, Lizzie Carter, Shinedown, the Maine, Emphatic. International releases include Judy Cheeks (#1 dance single UK), Kumi Koda (#10 single, largest-selling artist in Japan), Jonathan Butler (single was South Africa soccer anthem), Louise, Erire, Sondra Polop (single/Spain’s Idol winner). And Love to Infinity, Nina (Philippine Idol), Christian Bautista. Movie and television credits include the theme from the Powerpuff Girls movie, the Barbie Diaries, the Bratz, Miss Congeniality, Center Stage, Barbershop, the Hot Chick, Cadet Kelley, the Young and the Restless, all my children, MTV’s American Mall, Soulfood, Lizzie McGuire, NFL football, Legos, Entertainment Tonight. Bring It On 1 & 2. Recent releases include Through Fire, Citizen Soldier, Analiese, Plush (single on debut CD), Erich Bergen, Anthony Nunziata, Carolyn Miller, Kathy Kosins (single).
Rod Shepard
Rod Shepard, is a guitarist, songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and arranger. A certified ProTools Operator with Expert-level training, as the 25+year owner/operator of a hybrid 24-track analog-digital commercial-project recording studio. His expertise is in recording and music production, with ProTools as the central hub of the studio. The studio features digital recording and production, as well as various analog tape formats hosting types of projects that range from midi production to recording and arranging for bands of various configurations.
Shepard’s technical performance work experience includes live sound, live recording, wiring and installations, as well as audio production for studios, radio and television (ESPN, TLC Channels). Work also includes band production and arranging for stage and studio, 25 years as Music & Audio Technology instructor at High Tech High School, Secaucus, New Jersey, director of the instrumental ensemble program, jazz band director, and the school’s award-winning Musical Theater program’s music director.
Paul Vitolins
Paul Vitolins graduated Berklee College of Music with a Bachelors in Film Scoring and Music Production/Engineering. Since then, he has worked in both Los Angeles and New York as a re-recording mixer, sound editor, and sound designer for TV, film, and podcasts. He has also recorded and mixed hundreds of artists through his work on Spotify Sessions.
Teaching Audio Production, he brings his experience to the classroom, and provides perspective to students on what is expected as a modern audio professional. www.Audiography.com or www.paulvitolins.com
Matthew Wilson
Matthew, who earned his MFA in Production Design and Technology from Ohio University in 2013, joined the Department of Broadcast and Media Operations in 2019 following 4 years as an Adjunct Instructor of Audio for Film and Television in the School of Communication and Media. Matthew specializes in Audio and Lighting for entertainment and architecture carrying nearly 20 years of experience in the field. Prior to teaching at Montclair State Matthew served as the Technical and Facilities Manager for the National Opera Center in NYC, Technical Director for The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater in NYC, and was an Engineer at the Peterson Sound Studio in Athens Ohio.