South Plains College instructors and students described how the college’s Sound Technology and Live Sound tracks prepare graduates for jobs in the audio industry, emphasizing semester-long lab work, on-campus performances and a mixture of studio and live-sound training.

The programs give students repeated, graded opportunities to mix live performances that are open to the public. “We do the throughout the semester the different music ensembles will have live performances,” said Dolph Guardiola, an instructor in the Sound Technology department. Guardiola said students mix lunchtime and Thursday-night shows and that many students mix multiple bands: “I think each one of my students is mixing three, three bands.”

The hands-on work is paired with classroom fundamentals. Guardiola said Audio Engineering I covers “the fundamentals” — “learning about the physics of sound, learning about how the microphones work” — and that students then move into studio routing and professional session workflows in Audio Engineering II. Live-sound coursework covers monitor and front-of-house engineering, system design and optimization, and practical assignments on campus systems.

Student Lizzy Corley, a live-sound major, described the program as a mix of “art and science.” Corley said students begin with Live Sound I (basic concepts and electricity) and progress through monitor engineering (what musicians hear) and front-of-house instruction (what the audience hears). “We have classes like sound system design and optimization,” she said, “how do we build systems? How do we make them look good with prediction softwares and the science and all of the nitty gritty stuff?”

Both instructor and student highlighted career mobility. Guardiola and Corley said many graduates find entry work immediately at churches, clubs, touring rigs or regional sound companies; Corley said graduates have pipelines into vendors and employers such as concert venues and larger service companies. Guardiola also noted students can earn Pro Tools certification as part of the studio-production path.

On-campus performances are presented to campus and the public. Guardiola said lunch shows are promoted campus-wide and Thursday evening shows are free and intended to attract community audiences. Corley said the creative-arts building is “never quiet” and that constant rehearsals and shows give students frequent real-world practice.

The program’s practical focus extends to grading and assessment: live mixing on campus systems during Fest Week is part of students’ coursework and evaluation. Guardiola and Corley both described the pre-tuned systems and structured assignments that let students concentrate on mixing and stage workflow rather than troubleshooting untested rigs.

Contacts for the Sound Technology program were provided on-air; Guardiola gave his email and said Chris Veil (program coordinator) is a departmental contact. Students and prospective applicants can also find program details on the college website.

Less critical details: Guardiola noted that studios and ensembles expose students to multiple genres — country, a cappella, rock — so students learn to mix styles they might not otherwise encounter. Corley said potential career paths include touring, working on cruise ships or taking school-district audio-support positions. The program combines classroom theory, industry-standard tools and repeated live practice to prepare students for hiring markets in audio and live production.