Is music a huge part of your life? Do you dream of performing, composing or arranging? Wouldn’t you like to find a way to really make a living doing what you love?
Cedar Valley College offers a unique opportunity to turn your love of music into a profitable career with its Commercial Music program. It’s a great way to get a realistic view of the local performing and recording industries, associate with professional musicians and gain valuable working knowledge — all at an affordable price.
Cedar Valley offered the first commercial music and audio engineering program in the state of Texas when the college opened in 1977. The plan was to prepare students to work in the music industry in two years, focusing on developing musicianship as well as technical skills in four program areas.
Thirty years later, Cedar Valley Commercial Music graduates perform and are employed around the world as professional artists, composers and arrangers, studio and live sound engineers, radio and television staff and music retailers and marketers. Our program has been replicated by community colleges across the state. Program instructors think ours is the finest program in the state, as do the more than 160 students who enroll in the program each semester.
We invite you to tour our facilities, including the three fully equipped audio recording studios and our MIDI sequencing lab. Our faculty — all professional musicians with a wealth of experience in the music industry — will be happy to answer your questions about turning your music dream into a career reality.
Commercial Music Degree and Certificate Options
Cedar Valley College offers specialized study programs in four Commercial Music program areas:
Arranger/Composer/Copyist
Music Retailing
Performing Musician
Recording Technology
Recording Technology is our most popular track, accounting for about 60 percent of the Commercial Music program’s students, and includes:
Other Degree and Certificate Options
The Dallas County Community College District offers nearly 350 career and technical degrees and certificates, plus 36 academic degrees. For more information, see a chart of our degree plans by location.