Loyola University will soon be expanding its academic program to offer undergraduate degrees in Urban and Electronic Music Production under the umbrella of the College of Music and Fine Arts. The one-of-a-kind Bachelor of Science degree will give students the opportunity to develop their production skills and master new music technology under the instruction of renowned industry professionals. The new degree program will be tailored to prepare aspiring producers, studios engineers, rap artists, singers, and other musicians for the modern music industry.
“It’s been 45 years since the birth of hip-hop, so it’s exciting to finally see academia focusing on the genres at the forefront of modern American pop,” said Lovell “U-P” Cooper, a New Orleans-based and Grammy-award-winning hip-hop producer and Loyola faculty member. “The great thing about this degree is that we make sure that the students not only get involved in performance and being creative with their music, lyric-writing, and productions. We also focus on their business skills and their learning the true business side of the music industry, while giving them a deep understanding of the hip-hop world and its lifestyle, history, and culture.”
According to Loyola’s website, the degree is designed to immerse students “in the worlds of modern hip-hop, R&B, and EDM” from the very first semester. The requirements for graduation include multiple business, music production, and live performance courses in addition to Loyola core courses. The campus’s four audio recording studios will accomodate students in the program.
“Creative expression comes in many forms, but they all have one thing in common: self-expression creates rights that create businesses that create revenue. The economy of the imagination is a real thing – almost one third of the GDP of this country flows from the monetization of intellectual property. It creates jobs, commerce, and culture,” said John Snyder, chair of the Department of Film and Music Industry Studies.
For more information on the program, the first of its kind, click here.
