He’s got a twinkle in his eye and a smile for almost everyone he meets and that’s even after putting in long hours of class and labs required for Expression’s Sound Arts program. Jeff Parsons graduated on 8.25.06, and, like many Expression students, was excited about getting out in the “real” world, but had mixed feelings about leaving the universe he inhabited for the past 2 years. Like many other Expression students, the dream didn’t become completely clear until after he spent some time doing other things.
Jeff had grown up in a musical family, with grandfathers, aunts and uncles as jazz and classical musicians, and a mother who was a singer. Although they all tried putting instruments in his hands as a youngster, nothing took. That is, until he began playing drums at age 13. He started in marching bands and eventually went on to drum and bugle corps. This wasn’t just your average marching band type stuff. Think “Drumline”! Jeff played with the Modesto Valley Fever, the Concord Blue Devils—bands that competed nationally and won.
He aged out of competitive drum corps at 21, spent some time teaching the instrument and then eventually got invited to hang out with, of all things, a bagpipe band. “The guy had been bugging me to play with them for about six months,” Jeff recalls with a smile. “After that long I just ran out of excuses.” This led to what might be the penultimate bagpipe band experience: competing in the Bagpipe Band World Championships in Glascow, Scotland. His band, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Pipe Band won second place in their class worldwide.
Jeff didn’t think he could make his living as a musician, but the love and aptitude for technology that he had honed in the automotive field got him thinking about the possibility of a career in professional audio. He researched Expression when it first opened. “At that point they didn’t even have graduates yet that I could talk to about placements,” Jeff recalled. He did a lot of research on schools that taught audio and felt like Expression would be the best for helping students succeed because of the equipment, the teachers and the “deep curriculum.” It also didn’t hurt that it was in the Bay Area. “From the very first day, and each day forward, it’s become very clear that this is where I belong and what I should be doing,” said Jeff.
He was little nervous at first about being somewhat older than a lot of his classmates but he quickly found that it was exciting to be around the energy of people that were motivated, despite age. Jeff volunteered for school events, got involved in Expression’s Audio Engineering Society (AES) student chapter, and even got chosen to go to New York City, attend the AES conference and work Mix Magazine’s prestigious TEC Awards show. Another extra project highlight for Jeff was getting to be part of a small team of students that put together a DVD project for a Samoan choir. The project was done at Skywalker Sound under the supervision of internationally renowned engineer and producer Leslie Ann Jones. According to Jeff, it was “amazing to work in her presence” and to be in a facility like Skywalker.
When asked about his favorite aspects of the program and where he thinks he might want to land after graduation in August, Jeff laughs. “Unfortunately, I like it all!” Jeff says there are challenges throughout the program and encourages students who enroll to make the most of them. “You can just go for good grades, or you can get help from the teachers to challenge yourself even further.” Audio post-production classes were really challenging for Jeff, but equally rewarding. He also loves recording bands and is looking forward to a session he has coming up that’s a 10-piece band in the Expression’s SSL 9K suite on the school’s largest console.
Jeff has begun meeting with Shiloh Hobel in Career Services as he gets closer to his August graduation. “Shiloh is fantastic,” says Jeff. “She knows just how to support you and make you feel comfortable. Then she gives you the kick in the pants you need to get moving.”
“One of the most lightening rod experiences was my first session recording a band alone in a studio for the first time. It was a band I had found outside the school. When everything is your responsibility it’s a lot of pressure. But it’s a great feeling when you get it all to tape.”
What is Jeff’s advice for people going into the Sound Arts Program at Expression? “Dive in! Even if it’s not something that excites you—check it out. When you find something that you are excited about, dig deeper.”
