At MI College of Contemporary Music, we’re proud of how far some of our audio engineering alumni have made it and want to take some time to recognize some of their accomplishments.
Appu enrolled in our audio engineering program in 2005. Shortly after graduation, he went off to work alongside songwriters on Christina Aguilera’s album, was the songwriter for “Christmas Time To Me” for Jordin Sparks, and has had several collaborations with notable artists like Billy Ray Cyrus, The Jacksons, and more. We even had the opportunity to welcome him back as an instructor from 2009 to 2015.
After Kevin finished his Associate of Arts degree in Keyboard Technology and Audio Engineering, he went on to work with big named artists like Big Sean, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, John Legend, Ty Dolla $ign, J.Cole and more. He said a most valuable lesson he learned at MI was, “I learned…to network, network, network. I can attribute my foundation for my success to the relationships I have built at MI.”
As a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum mix and song engineer with many Billboard #1s to his credit, we are proud to say Ariel started with a degree in Recording Arts Technology.
After coming to MI to study Guitar and Audio Engineering Sound Production, Gabbs established herself in the music industry by touring with singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham and the Grammy-winning band la Santa Cecilia. After that, she worked with five-time Grammy and 10-time Latin Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys.
During his time with us at MI, Larry started as an intern at Fever Recording Studios in North Hollywood. After graduating, he was promoted to Chief Engineer and continues to work with producers and musicians in all genres.
After attending MI in 2006, Reuben was hired in the same year at Lurssen Mastering, a mastering studio owned by Gavin Lurssen. In November 2010, Reuben won a Latin Grammy for his contributions to Diego Torres’ album “Distinto.” Shortly after that in 2014, he received a TEC Award for his work on, “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams. Reuben has taken his passion for music and turned it into a reality, working with big names like Bruno Mars, Incubus, and Edward Sharpe.
Troy graduated from MI in 2008 and went straight into the music business, working as a keyboardist for Stevie Wonder and India Arie during Stevie’s House Full Of Toys Benefit Concert. In 2013, he grabbed the gig of a lifetime as Ariana Grande’s Musical Director.
Chances are, you’ve probably heard at least one of Lucas’ catchy jingles. After attending both the Guitar and Audio Engineering programs at MI, Lucus was able to work for several commercial clients like Coca-Cola, HSBC, and Volvo by writing original music for corporate clients and television. Outside of his work, he uses his passion for music to focus on getting Brazilian Rock and metal out in the world.
After Arturo graduated from MI, he went off to work for Lola Recordings Studios, a private facility in Hollywood Hills run by Winton Morro of Avalon Designs, who’s one of the most respected studio equipment manufacturers in the business. The equipment Arturo trained on at MI provided him with tremendous value. Since he was already well-rehearsed and trained on two of the consoles he needed to use, he had no problem transitioning into the professional world of music.
Set out with a goal to become a professional audio engineer, E.Scott Kelly secured a career at Westlake Recording Studios shortly after graduating from MI, providing him with exposure to artists like Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Nine Inch Nails & many others. The combination of his hard work, skills learned at MI, and networking hustle in the right place helped get him where he is today. He even went on to say, “Between the internship and the curriculum at MI, my knowledge base of Audio Engineering and Music Production has continued to expand.”
After graduating with a certificate in audio engineering at the top of his class in 2010, David Kim set out to land an internship at Chalice Recording Studios. He later turned that internship into a full-time position as the head engineer.
Derek landed his first internship through MI at Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins’ Studio in Hidden Hills, CA. Which later led him to his first Grammy Nomination for Chromeo’s “Head Over Heels”. Derek shared that MI not only taught him the fundamentals of engineering but it taught him how to build connections and make use of the tools the school had to offer. “I am grateful for all that I have gained through MI, as it has served and continues to serve as a gateway to the numerous opportunities that lie ahead.”
Every audio engineer alumni at MI has a story, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be part of their journey in some way.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and to find a job as an Audio Engineer, we highly recommend taking some time to look into some of our highly renowned programs. Our instructors are here to help you reach your goals, expand what you know, and grow you into a recording studio professional.
You never know where your future in music might lead you next. Who knows, you might be the next one we add to this list.