Guitar Institute of Technology
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Former names
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Guitar Institute of Technology Musicians Institute of Technology |
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| Type | For-profit education |
| Established | 1977 |
| President | Donny Gruendler |
| Dean | Thomas Engfer Dean of Compliance and Assessment |
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Academic staff
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450 |
| Students | 1,425 |
| Location |
6752 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, California, United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www |
Musicians Institute (MI) is a for-profit college of contemporary music that offers a variety of educational programs in Hollywood, California. MI students can earn Certificates and — with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College — Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor of Music Degrees in either Performance or Composition. The School of Performance Studies includes Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keyboard Technology and Vocals; while the School of Entertainment Industry Studies features Audio Engineering, Guitar Craft, Independent Artist and Music Business. Founded in 1977, MI is focused on building creative skills and providing all the tools students need to develop careers as musicians and music industry professionals.
Musicians Institute was founded as The Guitar Institute of Technology in 1977 as a one-year vocational school of guitarists and bassists. Its curriculum and pedagogical style was shaped by guitarist Howard Roberts (1929–1992). Pat Hicks (né Patrick Carroll Hicks; born 1934), a Los Angeles music industry entrepreneur, was the co-founder of Musicians Institute. He is credited for providing the organizational structure and management that rapidly transformed Howard Roberts' educational philosophy into a major music school.
At the time of its founding, formal education in rock and roll at institutions of higher learning was limited mostly to universities and conservatories offering jazz studies, which were few. At the founding of the Musicians Institute, Jazz studies was, and is today, a strong component of the curricular offerings. In early days of the Musicians Institute, the demand for musicians and music industry professionals with comprehensive collegiate credentials in the field of contemporary music was low. Yet, the demand for contemporary music professionals was high. Roberts, when he founded the school, wanted to give aspiring rock and roll musicians a conservatory experience. Nowadays, comprehensive music education in higher education, from bachelors to doctorates, covers rock and roll from several perspectives, including literature, musicology, history, performing arts, technology, business, and law. For musicians working towards degrees in performance, proficiency in rock and roll is standard, particularly for aspiring session musicians.
The rise of contemporary musicians holding comprehensive academic credentials over the last 50 years is partly the result of more universities offering programs in the field, which, in turn, has increased the demand for contemporary oriented music educators with academic credentials at universities. Because the Musicians Institute was an innovator in rock and roll in higher education — and twenty-two years ago began offering bachelor of music degrees — its alumni are well-represented as educators of contemporary music at institutions of higher learning.
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