Gain new skills & get a headstart on your career!
Come join us in San Francisco or Los Angeles for a hands-on experience with face-to-face sessions aimed at boosting your audio skills.
What is WAM Academy?
A formalized, hands-on training program comprising two courses, Level 1 and Level 2, designed to help you acquire new skills and jumpstart your career in audio. In Level 1, you will learn audio fundamentals like signal flow, microphone mechanics, and even learn to solder your own XLR cables! In the more intermediate Level 2 class, you will gain hands on experience recording in world class studios (WAM Studio in San Francisco and Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles), and study the anatomy of mixing in Pro Tools. By the end of the program, you’ll possess the knowledge and skills needed to craft professional-grade audio recordings and mixes.
Upon completion of the program, participants will possess the knowledge and skills essential to any audio career path, whether it be on stage, in the studio, or even just to improve the quality of your own personal projects. These courses are taught by qualified recording engineers and aim to equip students with the necessary knowledge of audio production, recording, mixing, and truly understanding the science behind it all in a way that is fun and accessible to all skill levels. WAM Academy is offered in-person only.
Spring Academy – *Registration OPEN NOW
For those who are hungrier for more, you can easily combine WAM Academy with our Pro Tools Fundamentals 101 and 110 classes.
If you have any questions, or for member discounts, feel free to email us at education@womensaudiomission.org.
Scholarship Opportunities (Bay Area Only)
WAM is offering a limited number of full tuition scholarships for individuals who qualify to have the costs of Academy covered for the Summer Intensive program. Applicants must be women or gender expansive, BIPOC, and local to the Bay Area to qualify. CLICK HERE to apply now!
Level 1: Basic Audio Production Course
Uncover the fascinating realm of sound through our comprehensive foundational series. This course provides a solid foundation for understanding the physics and science behind sound, ensuring you gain essential skills for basic recording, production, and digital technologies.
In this 8-class series you will:
- Gain an understanding of the physics and science behind sound
- Learn basic recording techniques, signal flow and the basic recording chain
- Learn how microphones work and microphone selection
- Get an introduction to Pro Tools, the industry standard DAW
- Learn how to solder and make your own cables!
We recommend taking Level 1 as a prerequisite to all other WAM classes.
Level 2: Intermediate Studio Recording & Mixing Course
Unlock your recording potential and put your skills into action in WAM’s professional recording studios. Immerse yourself in the art of studio consoles and processors while surrounded by a supportive and encouraging community. This intermediate-level course is designed to take your recording and mixing expertise to new heights in a professional studio setting. If you’re already familiar with signal flow, microphone types, and basic recording and mixing, this course is the perfect opportunity for you to take your skills to the next level.
This 9-class series covers:
- Large Format Console Signal Flow & Patchbays
- Auxes & Inserts
- Advanced Microphone placement and techniques for mic’ing instruments
- A real, student-led recording session!
- EQ, Dynamic, and Time-based processing
- Editing, Vocal Comping, and the anatomy of a mix in Pro Tools
Level 2 Prerequisites:
Academy Level 1 or equivalent basic recording training and some experience with DAWs is strongly recommended. Attendees should understand signal flow, types of microphones, and a basic understanding of recording and mixing going into this course.
Instructor Spotlight: Meet the WAM Academy Instructors
Bri Holland (she/they) is a vocal producer, audio engineer, singer, songwriter, and music educator based in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from southwestern Pen
nsylvania, Bri developed her passion for music through school choir and community theater. She later studied at the University of Chicago, gaining recognition in a cappella communities as a director, arranger, and engineer.
Notable career highlights include vocal engineering for the 2023 Grammy-nominated Broadway revival cast recording of Sweeney Todd, vocal production for animated series like DreamWorks’ Trolls: TrollsTopia and Madagascar: A Little Wild, and engineering for films such as tick, tick… BOOM!, Dear Evan Hansen, and Vivo. Bri was nominated for a 2022 MPSE Golden Reel Award for her sound editing work on tick, tick… BOOM! Her diverse portfolio also includes projects with artists like Jennifer Nettles, Sadie, and the cast of AZUL. Bri’s vocals have appeared on projects such as The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, American Pie: Girls’ Rules, Vivo, Wednesday, Minx, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, and more. Her songwriting has been featured on numerous episodes of Nickelodeon’s Alvinnn!!! And the Chipmunks.
As an educator, Bri has worked as a Teaching Artist with the Young Musicians Foundation, as a Fellowship Mentor and Engineer with the LA LGBT Center, and as the Music Artist in Residence with the Archer School for Girls. Rooted in abolitionist pedagogy, she is committed to amplifying the voices of girls, women, gender-expansive individuals, and creatives of all marginalized identities and backgrounds.
Minji Will (she/her) is an educator, musician, and audio engineer from Chicago. With a degree in music education, she has experience teaching in public schools, at The People’s Music School, and music directing at various community theaters.
Minji believes music production and audio engineering are expansive and transformative tools for self-expression and collaboration, and she has dedicated herself to learning the craft. She has experience as a staff engineer, and studio manager at Gravity Studios in Chicago. Minji is excited to merge her educational, administrative, and technical background to support WAM’s mission.
Sammie Wallinga (She/Her) is a producer, recordist, and mix engineer with a deep love for all things heavy and heartfelt, Sammie is always chasing the rough edges and happy accidents that make a song feel real.
She’s a classically trained percussionist and self-taught guitar shredder who grew up gigging in punk and jazz bands. Over the years, she’s played everything from experimental art-rock to sludge metal, and still plays live whenever possible.
Originally from Chicago, Sammie spent nearly a decade in IT infrastructure and software engineering before making the financially questionable but spiritually correct decision to go all-in on music. A former WAM intern, Sammie honed her craft as a house engineer at the legendary Record Plant in Sausalito.
As Studio Manager and Staff Engineer at WAM, Sammie keeps the sessions smooth, the gear humming, and the interns happily over-informed. She’s especially passionate about supporting queer artists and creating a recording environment where everyone feels safe turning up and pushing the bounds of their creative imaginations.
Lien Do is a Sacramento-born multi-disciplinary media artist living in the Bay Area. They hold a double bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis in Music and Design. Their expertise extends to a wide range of fields, including record engineering, ADR, music composition, production, editing, and mixing. Since 2015, Lien has been serving as the co-owner and co-head engineer of Different Fur Studios in San Francisco, alongside Grace Coleman. They are also the co-founder of LIEMA, a post-audio and film production company, and a core member of the queer Vietnamese media collective, Sunkissed Productions.
Lien is a professor of post-production film audio for the MFA Graduate School program SOCDOC at UC Santa Cruz. They have also delivered guest lectures at various institutions, including UCLA and other community groups. Also, they were featured as an artist in residence at SFMoma’s Open Space, where they presented a physics sound installation that explored the potential of harnessing Sympathetic Resonance through future climate change and its impact on communication.
Lastly, they are a music producer who operates under the name Leviathe working with various artists. Throughout their work, Lien demonstrates a deep commitment to accessibility, diversity, and inclusivity in the arts.
About the Organization:
Women’s Audio Mission courses focus on increasing the gender balance in audio production and technology sectors since fewer than 5% of the population employed in these sectors are women and gender-expansive individuals. There are limited spots available in WAM classes, and they often sell out, so we ask that if you are not woman-identified (cisgender or transgender), nonbinary, or gender-expansive, you reconsider enrolling in the class. We will not turn anyone away, but please be mindful that if you take up a seat in the class, that is one less woman, non-binary, or gender-expansive individual that we can serve. We thank you for your understanding in advance and for joining us in our mission to advance women and girls in music production and the recording arts.
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