| NEWS & HAPPENINGS |
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| LAST CHANCE TO AUDITION FOR FALL SEMESTER! |
| The last set of audition dates have been set for JULY 22nd, 23rd, and 24th to major in Commercial Music Performance on Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Piano, or Vocals. Auditions will be held at the Performing Arts Center on campus. This is the last opportunity to audition for the Fall semester so call now at 409.984.6520 to schedule your audition. For information regarding what you need to prepare, please click on "Audition Information for Performance Majors" at the bottom of the page. |
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| New Degree in Commercial Music Performance! |
| Lamar State College-Port Arthur Commercial Music Department is proud to announce the offering of an Associate of Arts Degree in COMMERCIAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE with a specialty in SESSION MUSIC, beginning in the Fall of 2008. This opportunity is open to musicians and vocalists. If you have pretty good chops on guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, or you sing up a storm, this may be the opportunity you've been seeking! Call 409.984.6520 for more information.(Admission by audition only - See "audition information for performance majors" link at bottom of home page) |
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| LSC-PA Studio Facilities Offer Multiple Platforms |
| It is primary to our mission here at LSC-PA that our students graduate into the real world with hands-on knowledge of a wide variety of recording platforms. Studio A is oufitted with a Mac-based Pro Tools and Nuendo control. Studio B offers PC-based Pro Tools and Cubase 4. Studio C avails our students to 10 IMac workstations with Pro Tools LE. Finally, Analog has joined the family of LSC-PA Recording Studio platforms with the addition of a MCI-JH24 Analog 24 Track Tape Recorder, a MCI-Autolocator III, and a Peavy AMR 1600 Audio Console. Students now have the opportunity to learn how to record by tape, and digitally via Pro Tools (both Mac and PC), Nuendo, and Cubase 4. |
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| Aaron Horne Joins Commercial Music Faculty |
| We are proud to announce the addition of Aaron Horne to our full-time Commercial Music faculty! Aaron comes to us with a long list of credits as an Audio Engineer, Editor, Sound Designer, and Film Composer. We are thrilled to have Aaron on board! |
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FACULTY
 Mike Judy
Director of Music Programs
As Director of Music Programs at Lamar State College - Port Arthur, Mike Judy is the head administrator for both the academic and commercial music programs.
Mike comes to us with over twenty years experience in the music industry. He has composed music and lyrics, arranged, and written original shows for a number of international clients, including Universal Studios Japan, Opryland Productions, Disney World Company, Disneyland Paris, Warner Brothers, Time Warner Six Flags Corporation, Hualien Sea World in Taiwan, and a number of independent producers.  Television credits include “Hats Off to America” for CBS-TV and “Bob Hope’s Christmas Special” for NBC-TV. Mike has also written and musically arranged shows, Princess Cruises, American Hawaii Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Raddison Seven Seas Cruise Lines, Premier Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and the Queen Elizabeth II (Cunard Line). One of his most recent projects before joining the faculty at Lamar State College - Port Arthur, was a contract as show writer, arranger, and composer for all the shows at the newly opened Science City at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. His original musical play, “After Dark” with co-writer Dustin Sparks, starred the legendary Myra Taylor of Count Basie fame and enjoyed a long run at Union Station.
As an independent orchestrator, Mike’s credits include the Broadway bound “Sleeping Beauty” for Paul Blake and the Muny Opera in St. Louis, collaborating with Tony award-winning orchestrator Ralph Burns; and legendary songwriter Hugh Martin of “Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” fame. In addition, Mike has orchestrated and arranged music for Bob Hope, Vikki Carr, Lee Greenwood, Louise Mandrell, and several other celebrities. In 2003, Mike orchestrated music for a concert by Vikki Carr, Arturo Sandoval and the San Antonio Symphony, and in the same year his original symphonic work “Pangea” was premiered by the Dallas Symphony for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions annual convention.
In another life, many years ago, Mike was an actor in regional theaters along the Eastern seaboard states. Roles include Pseudolus in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in four different productions, Bobby in “Company”, Bud Frump in “How to Succeed…”, and King Arthur in “Camelot”, Mr.Bumble in “Oliver”, as well as 17 other roles. Mike also pit conducted and directed many musicals in this incarnation.
In the administrative arena, Mike served on the charter administrative staff that opened a state-of-the-art musical theme park in San Antonio, “Fiesta Texas” in 1991, managed by the Gaylord Corporation, featuring over 450 singers and 150 musicians in 20 musical revue shows. Besides the staff position as Music Administrator, he co-wrote, arranged, and orchestrated many of the shows, as well as composing a significant amount of original songs and lyrics.
Prior to his work in the music industry, Mike served as Assistant Professor at Indiana State University Evansville, and Director of the Old Gold Singers at University of Iowa. 
 Jeff Sturms
Chief Audio Engineer, Staff Producer, and Instructor
Before joining the staff at Lamar State College - Port Arthur, Jeff performed in front of millions of people both in the United States and abroad for ten years as an instrumentalist for George Strait and the Ace in The Hole Band. While playing with George Strait, Jeff performed with such notable artists as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, and many others. Jeff also served as musical arranger for the Ace in a Hole Band and earned two multi-platinum album credits, and a multi-platinum DVD credit while performing with George Strait.
During this same span of time Jeff served as Band Leader/ Arranger/ Guitarist/ Keyboardist for Tommy Shane Steiner. He created the opportunity for Tommy to ultimately acquire a record deal with RCA records which culminated in a number 2 single on the billboard charts.
Jeff’s career also includes credits as Band Leader and Pianist at the Merv Griffin Casino Theater, Staff Arranger/ Keyboardist for the Air Force Band of the West, Music Director of Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Staff Arranger for the Riverbend Church in Austin, Texas. His resume includes professional appearances in a wide variety of musical situations including work in radio, television, recording studios and concert haslls with such outstanding artists as Kelly Clarkson, Ted Nugent, Al Jarreau, Max Roach, Stan Kenton, George Jones, Ray Price, Brad Paisley, Lonestar, Jimmy Buffet, Cixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Larry Gatlin, Willie Nelson, and many more.
As an Educator, Studio Owner, Engineer, and Technologist, Jeff’s credentials are as impressive as his performance credits. As Instructor for Songwriting and Production at MediaTech Institute, Jeff brought a lifetime of experience, from the vantage point of being at the top of the music industry, and having worked with the best musicians, producers, writers, and arrangers in the business. It is the same qualities, along with giving nature and a compassion to mentor young artists and technicians, that makes Jeff such an invaluable asset to the Commercial Music program at Lamar State College - Port Arthur.
Jeff is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, as a voting member since 1996, the American Federation of Musicians, the Country Music Association, and the American Country Music Association.
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