FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ex’pression College for Digital Arts Students Place in the 7th Annual Shure Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition

Sound Arts Students Collaborate with Local Artist Jesus Diaz and Receive Honorable Mention

(EMERYVILLE, CA – April 15, 2011) – Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, one of the premier schools of its kind in the United States, is pleased to announce that a team of five Sound Art students placed third, receiving an honorable mention, in the Fantastic Scholastic 7 Competition sponsored by Shure Incorporated, innovators in audio electronics. This national collegiate-level recording competition challenged students to record and produce a live ensemble, using only the provided Shure microphones and equipment.

The Ex’pression College team was comprised of Sound Arts students Jonathan Barnes, Brandon Burns, David Moncayo, Jr., Dan Stillwell, and Daniel Varela. Supervised by Sound Arts Program Director John Scanlon, this team recorded and produced a song entitled “Tumbao Cubano” by local Bay Area artist, Cuban born percussionist and vocalist, Jesus Diaz (www.bombomusic.com). The team was notified in late October that they had been randomly selected as one of the ten schools eligible to compete. The Shure toolkit and equipment arrived in November and submissions were due in early February for judging.

Listen to the song, “Tumbao Cubano”

View the project log here.

“We are grateful to industry leaders and innovators, such as Shure, who continue to support audio education and the student experience through programs like the Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition. This competition really challenged our students to work creatively within defined guidelines to best capture the essence of Jesus Diaz and his music. Shure microphones, as always, met the needs of this project with ease, and I was proud to watch and listen to our students rise to the occasion and execute an outstanding piece of work,” commented Scanlon on the experience.

Diaz, known for his Latin and Cuban style dance music, said, “in this industry, collaboration with other engineers and musicians is critical, so we were thrilled to be a part of this project and we were impressed with the quality of the track we recorded. We had a very positive experience recording at Ex’pression - and the entire team was very knowledgeable and carried themselves with an extreme amount of professionalism.”

Submissions were judged based on the following criteria: clarity of sound, microphone technique, mixing technique and performance/production. Judges included music producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Ben Folds Five), Grammy winner audio engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Elton John, Beck, U2, Tori Amos), audio engineer David Cole (Steve Miller, Richard Marx, Bob Seger), and Grammy winning producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner (Van Morrison, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, R.E.M.).

About Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

Founded in 1999 by the late (2008) Dutch entrepreneur Eckart Wintzen and audio engineer and educator Gary Platt, Ex’pression College for Digital Arts is an accredited digital arts college. Ex’pression College teaches and grants Bachelor’s Degrees in seven programs: Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Filmmaking, Game Art & Design, Interaction Design, Motion Graphic Design, Interactive Audio, and Sound Arts. Ex’pression utilizes a professional, accelerated program, and students live and learn in the culture of digital arts production for about 2.5 years. Class sizes are limited to ensure hands-on learning, instructor attention, and access to gear and equipment. Students learn and work with professional-grade equipment and studios. Ex’pression College maintains close ties with industry professionals to provide students with client projects and mentorship opportunities, as well as career development assistance, which is available to all graduates. Ex’pression College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).

Ex’pression College for Digital Arts is located in an imagination-inspiring 100,000-square foot facility just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco in Emeryville.