It's not just about the music, but the experience behind it for some Austin Community College District (ACC) students who were granted a unique hands-on learning opportunity at this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. In partnership with ACL University, approximately 70 ACC students dove headfirst into the world of event production, artist management, and live sound engineering, according to a report from ACC Newsroom.
Perry Crafton, Dean of ACC's Arts & Digital Media, noted the significance of this initiative for the students. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to get first-hand exposure to the dynamic and fast-paced world of large-scale event production,” he said. They didn't just observe, however; these students were integral to the festival crews, working alongside seasoned professionals and contributing to the success of one of the most significant music celebrations of the year.
One such student, Jillian Masters from ACC's Audio Technology program, shared her Saturday, October 5th, experience at the Honda Stage. "It was a super great experience! I got to shadow Bryan Woodall from LD Systems. He had a lot of great information to share with me. Audio can change based on temperatures and humidity. I learned how they set up stages, PA systems for outdoor/festival settings, and certain things to look out for when doing sound in such a large space. It was nice to learn from all of his years of experience as an Audio Engineer," Masters recounted in an interview with the ACC Newsroom.
ACL University is not a newcomer to the festival scene, having started its journey at Bonnaroo in 2018 and subsequently expanding to Lollapalooza in 2020. The program, a collaboration between ACC, C3 Presents, and Jeff McClusky & Associates, aims to educate students on the festival’s impact on the local music scene, learn production fundamentals, and interact with industry experts. For those looking to explore creative pathways, the ACC's Arts & Digital Media Division offers a range of programs in audio engineering, and music, and more information can be found on their website, ACC highlighted in a news release.
