Musicians Institute (MI) is a privatefor-profitmusic schoolinLos Angeles, 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 college was founded in 1977.
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),[2][3][4] 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.[5][6][7]
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-nine years ago began offering bachelor of music degrees – its alumni are well-represented as educators of contemporary music at institutions of higher learning.
Japanese businessman Hisatake Shibuya (born 1937)[8] bought the school in 1994 and Musicians Institute began developing new programs to keep abreast of the modern music industry. Programs added under Shibuya include:
2000: Independent Artist Program (IAP)
2000: Audio Engineering
2000: Guitar Craft Academy (GCA)
2002: Music Business Program (MBP)
2016: DJ Performance and Production (DJP)
2016: Associate of Science in Music Business (AS.MB)
2017: MI Online (MIO)
2018: Artist Producer and Entrepreneur (APE)
2018: Master in Music Degree (MM)
On 25 August 2007, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution declaring 25 August 2007, "Musicians Institute Day in the City of Los Angeles" in recognition of its achievements over three decades during its 30th anniversary celebration. The resolution was presented by Eric Garcetti, seconded by Tom LaBonge, and passed by a vote of twelve to zero out of fifteen, three being absent.[9]
^"MI Musicians Institute™," United States Patent and Trademark Office Reg. No. 3630659, 2 June 2009 Reg. No. 3630655, 2 June 2009 Reg. No. 3380297, 12 February 2008 Reg. No. 3380290, 12 February 2008 Reg. No. 1598974, 29 May 1990
In 1992, new musicologistRobert Walser cited the Musicians Institute as one of the best-known schools for guitarist, one that has flourished outside the ivory tower, offering students broader professional training.[14] But a trade-off, according to a review in the October 2012 issue of Performer Magazine, is that a lack of academic accreditation – specifically from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – can make it challenging for students to transfer credits from MI to academic institutions.[15] To meet the academic criteria for a Bachelor of Music Degree – 45 quarter units or 30 semester units in liberal arts – the Musicians Institute has a partnership with nearby Los Angeles City College (LACC) to study English, mathematics, natural science, social science, and humanities. LACC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges[a] The Carnegie Foundation has designated the Musicians Institute as a "Special Focus Institute in Music."[16]
MI began in second floor rooms above Hollywood Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard. When MI celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007, its facilities included over 75,000 square feet of studios, performance venues, classrooms, and practice rooms across several blocks in central Hollywood. In 2013, the Musician's Institute Stage was added as a venue for the Annual Mayhem Festival and The ESP Company, LTD, unveiled plans to expand its Campus Hollywood complex of schools in Los Angeles. From 2010 to 2013, ESP invested $47 million in new property with plans to expand its facility to exceed 180,000 square feet of adjoining buildings on or near Highland Avenue between Hollywood Blvd. and Sunset Boulevard as part of a reorganization and upgrade of existing Campus Hollywood properties that accommodate the Musicians Institute, Theatre of Arts, International Dance Academy, and Elegance International. The new facilities were planned to include a performance venue, student dormitory, and parking lots.[17]
Constituent institutions of Campus Hollywood, Inc.:
Musicians Institute
Theatre of Arts, an acting school founded in 1927
Elegance International, a school for professional makeup artists
The Musicians Institute Press is a division of the Musicians Institute, and is focused on instructional publications – print and video – by instructors of guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and film editing, audio engineering, composition, arranging, musicology, music theory, sight reading, sight singing, and the entertainment business. The publications are distributed by the Musicians Institute and Hal Leonard Corporation Performing Arts Publishing Group.[18] Since 1997, the publishing imprint has been the "Musicians Institute Press." Before that, from about 1982 to 1997, the imprint was "Musicians Institute Publications."
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(October 2023)
^Herring, Jimmy (2008). "Biography 1980". Official Jimmy Herring Website. Blueback Music. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
^Trading Fours: The Golden Years of Musicians Institute, by Pat Hicks (né Patrick Carroll Hicks; born 1934), Sedona, Arizona: Crystal Sky Books (2011); OCLC875427203
