Oregon Music Technology School
• Music Technology Seminars •

Q) Why are you offering the Music Technology Seminars?

•The PSU Music Department offers some good courses in music technology to its music students. In an effort to provide instruction to those who want to learn music production at a rigorous level Oregon Music Technology School created these music techology Seminars.

•The Seminar configuration consists of three basic courses offered in consecutive terms over a college school-year plus several supplemental courses offered concurrently. See below for details.

•These non-credited seminars do not require admission to PSU, though a tuition discount for the 100-level courses is available to PSU students.

•Students completing all three 100-level OMTS courses plus a single supplemental 300-level course receive OMTS Certification.

Q) Do I need to be a PSU student to take part in the OMTS Seminars? Are the Seminars open to PSU students?

•The courses are open to anyone age 18 or above (for students younger than 18, please contact us to request an age waiver).

•The courses are open to PSU students and non-students alike but do not carry college credit.

Q) Do the Oregon Music Technology School Seminars require an application? Are there pre-requisites?

•No application is necessary to register for OMTS Seminars. Courses are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For some seminars, class size is limited. In the case of over-enrollment, we may offer additional sections or refund deposits.

•100-level courses have no pre-requisites. Other courses require previous OMTS Seminars or equivalent training. The courses may be taken in any order assuming pre-requisites are satisfied.

Q) I've registered for the afternoon section of the Saturday class in a particular term. It says there is an enrollment requirement. What does that mean?

•On the registration form for that term, you are asked for a section preference.

•We will guarantee that the morning section that term will be offered, and that the first 15 students who register for either sections will be guaranteed a spot. If total registration exceeds a certain minimum we will offer both morning and afternoon sections, and your preference will be honored.

•If you register for the afternoon section, and are among the first 15 registrants, and for whatever reason that section is canceled, you will be offered a spot in the morning section. If you are not able to switch to the morning section, your deposit will be quickly and cheerfully refunded.

If the afternoon section is canceled and there is not room for you in the morning section, your deposit will be refunded.

Q) Do OMTS Seminars carry college credit?

•No. The purpose of the Seminars is to provide non-credit seminars to interested participants.

•Under certain circumstances, college credit may be available at an additional cost to those completing a Seminar . Contact us for details.

Q) How do I register for Oregon MTS Seminars?

•Currently registration is by mail only. Information can be found on our Seminar Information page.

•Since the seminars do not involve college credit, you cannot register through PSU or the PSU Music Department.

Q) Do I need to pay when I register? Are any discounts available?

•Students may reserve a place for any term with a $50 deposit, payable with the registration form. A single deposit will cover multiple courses for a given term.

•Students paying tuition in advance (generally about two weeks before the term starts) receive a 5% discount.

•For the 100-level courses, students who pay in advance and are registered at PSU for 8 credit hours in any given term receive an additional 10% discount.

Q) Can I pay for OMTS Seminars with Financial Aid? Are there scholarships?

•At the present time, you cannot use financial aid to directly pay for Oregon MTS Seminars.

•Though we are exploring the possibility of scholarships in the future, there aren't currently any scholarships available.

Q) If I register and can't participate, or have to drop out during the term, can I get a refund?

•Since enrollment is limited, registration reserves a spot in a given course, and funds paid with registration are not refundable.

•If you have paid only the deposit and decide not to participate, you will not be billed for the balance of the course cost assuming you let us know before the first class.

•If you pay the full cost of the course (and receive a 5% discount) and decide not to participate, those funds are not refundable.

•If you do take the course, any tuition balance is due the first day of class.

•The courses are designed so that each class session "stands alone" and every effort is made to help students bridge the gap for any classes missed. However, no refunds are provided for any classes not attended.

•If we cancel a course for any reason, any advance deposits or other payments will be immediately and cheerfully refunded.

Q) What is the course configuration of the OMTS Seminars?

•OMTS Seminars consist of three basic (100-level) courses offered in consecutive terms over a college school-year (fall, winter, and spring terms), plus supplemental (300-level) courses offered concurrently.

•The 100-level courses are designed to give students a basic grounding in modern music production.

•The 300-level courses are meant to offer supplemental training is targeted areas of music production.

•The courses may be taken in any order, and many are offered without pre-requisites. The recommended configuration is that students would take two years of courses in fall, winter, spring terms: MTS 111, 112, 113, 311, 312, 313 but this is not required, only recommended.

•Certification is offered to students who successfully complete all three 100-level courses plus any single 300-level course.

•More information can be found at the course configuration site.

Q) When I hear the word "seminar," I think of a lecture. Are the seminars just classes where we listen or are they more "hands-on?"

•We use the term "seminar" just to differentiate them from "courses" offered by PSU.

•All seminars are very "hands-on." For many of the class sessions, students work at their own computer work-stations, with guided assistance by the instructor via in-class projection.

•Course work often consists of projects that mirror the type of work one might find in "real-world" music production situations.

Q) Do the Seminars provide Certification?

•Yes. Oregon Music Technology School Certification is given to those completing all three 100-level courses plus any single 300-level course.

•The courses may be taken in any order.

•OMTS Certification is not currently associated with any college or professional organization, however those associations are currently being explored and updated information will be provided to students and graduates.

Q) Where are the Seminars held?

•Through summer 2010, all classes are held at Portland State University in the Extended Studies Building room 259, the PSU MIDI Lab.

•The Extended Studies Building (XSB) is at 1633 SW Park, the corner of SW Montgomery and The Park Blocks, just across from Lincoln Hall in downtown Portland. Room 259 is on the second floor.

•Starting in Fall, 2010, classes will be held in the Music Department MIDI Lab in the newly remodeled Lincoln Hall. Room number and location will be available soon.

Q) How can I get information on transportation and parking?

•Please see our parking info page for information on parking challenges at PSU.

•PSU provides some information here--

Basically, parking is tricky. You can sometimes find metered parking on nearby streets, some of which can be paid with a credit card. You can pay to park in lots 1 or 3 (see map).

Q) Are there textbooks required?

•For each course, we will "highly recommend" one or two textbooks, and a supplemental selection of reading material will be provided.

Q) Do I need to do work outside of class?

•The Seminar courses are designed so that all coursework can be done in class. No additional lab work, either in our lab or at home, is required, though projects are available online for that purpose.

•PSU students may use the MIDI Lab outside of class by showing their PSU ID.

•Under certain circumstances, seminar students who are not otherwise enrolled at PSU may make arrangements to use the PSU MIDI Lab outside of class on an individual basis.

Q) Are there tests? Will we be graded?

•No tests are required, nor are students graded in the traditional sense. Student work will be periodically evaluated on an informal basis.

•To receive OMTS certification, the required courses must be completed in a "satisfactory" manner.

Q) Do you take attendance? Are students penalized for missing individual class sessions?

•We occasionallly take attendance informally to track student progress, but students are not penalized for missing class sessions.

•Students will benefit from good attendance. However, all classes are designed to "stand alone," and "current" files will be provided at the start of all class sessions.

•Instructional materials for each class are posted online, and students may use these materials to catch up after missing a class. They will also be available for at least a year after the courses are completed.

•Feel free to check out an online example class project.

Q) How do I find a job during or after completing the Seminars? Do you do job placement?

•We don't do formal job placement. We do maintain a strong relationship with local studios and related businesses. We often will alert our students to job openings, and will sometimes recommend students for internships or employment.

•Students enrolled in Seminars have access to our local studio data base and career development web pages.

•We devote class time to business and career concerns in each term of our program, especially in Music Production for Film & Televeision, MTS 311.

Q) Will we have access to the extensive tutorials and other resources on the PSU Music Technology and OMTS websites?

•Students participating in Seminars will have access to the PSU Music Technology website for the term of the Seminar. There are many lessons, tutorials, and other resources available there.

•Students obtaining OMTS Seminar certification will have access to the password-protected websites for one additional year (and longer if request is made annually).

Q) Do I need to buy my own equipment? Can I do assignments on my computer/equipment at home? Can I get a student discount on equipment?

•We encourage students to begin strategizing on how equip themselves for professional work, and we provide online resources for that purpose.

•OMTS Seminar assignments are completed in class and no additional lab work outside of class is required, though assignments are provided online for that purpose.

•We will provide documentation of student participation at student request, which can often be used to obtain an education discount at places like the Apple Store and some online music technology sites.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at this email address: info@oregonmts.com