ESL Pathway & Academic Success Program预科
Your Journey Begins July 17, 2023
TOEFL, IELTS and DuoLingo scores are only one aspect of your success in the music industry. Success requires a deep understanding of culture and how to communicate academically and professionally. Our 9 week Bridge to Success program (8 course weeks, 1 exam week), will give accepted and conditionally accepted students the skills needed to earn higher grades during your first year by using music content to teach academic english skills.
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Program Benefits
Program Structure
Prep for: Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts
Program Length: 9 Weeks (8 course weeks, 1 exam week)
Credits (13 credits total): Intensive English Program (10 credits), Musicianship (3 credits/transferrable to the degree), Optional Music Prep Modules (students may enroll individually)
Academic Writing & Grammar
Academic Writing & Grammar is an Intermediate level course designed to give students the academic writing skills needed to succeed in an American university and be prepared for the academic and/or professional world. Students will learn the writing process for essays and research papers. They will learn the importance of academic integrity and cover essential writing skills such as paraphrasing, direct quoting, citing original sources, summarizing, and synthesizing. Assignments cover major components of academic writing, including various rhetorical organization and styles such as summary, cause- effect, compare-contrast, reaction, and argumentation. Students will review basic grammar and develop advanced grammar and sentence skills with an emphasis on error identification. This course runs for 3 hours.
- Learn the process of academic writing (brainstorm, outline, rough draft, edit, revision)
- Write strong thesis statements and supporting ideas
- Write texts in different genres (e.g., summary, compare-contrast, argumentation, etc.).
- Learn strategies to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty
- Practice paraphrasing and synthesizing from multiple sources
- Learn correct citation style
- Increase written academic English vocabulary
- Use standard written English conventions of grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Write academic essays and produce an original academic research paper
Academic Reading & Vocabulary
Academic Reading and Vocabulary is an Intermediate course designed to give students the academic readings skills needed to succeed in an American university and be prepared for the academic and/or professional world. Students read about selected soul/funk/R&B artists and film composers from a variety of sources, including excerpts from academic texts and articles. Through these readings students will improve their academic reading comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources. The course will teach reading skills, such as identifying the main idea and supporting details, distinguishing facts from opinions, making inferences, understanding unfamiliar vocabulary words in context through word analysis and contextual clues, and drawing conclusions. Students will also increase their academic and professional vocabulary through vocabulary building activities. This course runs for 2 hours.
- Understand the main idea and supporting details in reading excerpts
- Learn to make inferences and distinguish facts from opinions
- Understand unfamiliar vocabulary in context through word analysis and contextual clues
- Learn critical thinking skills
- Practice drawing conclusions from reading materials
- Practice synthesizing information from a variety of sources
- Build academic and professional vocabulary
Listening & Speaking Lab
Listening and Speaking Lab is an Intermediate level course designed to give students the listening and speaking skills needed to succeed in an American university and be prepared for the academic and/or professional world. Students will learn and practice listening and speaking skills through interviews and documentaries of soul/ funk/R&B artists and film composers. The course will teach listening skills such as listening for the main idea, identifying supporting details, recognizing speaking cues, distinguishing facts from opinions, and recognizing repetition. Through the listening assignments, students will also practice note-taking. The course will teach speaking skills to enhance speaking fluency, focusing on vocabulary development, pronunciation, and key grammatical structures. Students will development listening and speaking skills through informal conversations, formal discussions, and class presentations. This course runs for 2 hours.
- Practice listening for the main idea and supporting details
- Identify speaking cues, facts vs. opinions, and repetition
- Practice note-taking
- Increase spoken vocabulary and improve pronunciation
- Use a variety of grammatical structures in oral communication
- Develop fluency and confidence in formal academic discussions and informal conversations
Theory and Ear Training 1
Theory and Ear Training 1 (T/ET-1) is the first section of a 4-quarter tiered course designed to bring music students to the skill level expected of a working professional. Classes are a combination of lecture, demonstration and drilling. The information is presented and in class assignments are given to help prepare the student for 3 exams and 8 quizzes/homework assignments. This course consists of a weekly one-hour lecture and two one-hour labs.
The Bridge to Success program provides a head start for degree seeking students in the fundamentals of musicianship. Theory, Ear Training and Keyboard Skills are required subjects for all majors. Students enrolled in Bridge to Success take the first level of the four-quarter course while studying English.
Keyboard Skills 1
Keyboard Skills 1 is designed to complement and reinforce all the theory and ear training components from T/ET-1. Students will learn to use the piano as a tool to better comprehend the content of T/ET-1 as it relates to the piano keyboard. Students will learn proper body and hand position. Students will learn the piano keyboard and its correspondence to the grand staff with regard to pitch and register. Both major and minor scales up to two flats and two sharps with proper fingering technique will be covered as well as the intervallic, melodic and rhythmic requirements of T/ET-1. This course consists of a weekly one-hour lecture.
The Bridge to Success program provides a head start for degree seeking students in the fundamentals of musicianship. Theory, Ear Training and Keyboard Skills are required subjects for all majors. Students enrolled in Bridge to Success take the first level of the four-quarter course while studying English.
Optional Modules
The Private Lesson is designed to reinforce and compliment the information disseminated in the department’s curriculum. The private instruction will be both structured and pliable. In addition to supporting the curriculum, the private lesson also allows the student the option to explore other techniques/topics in depth at the discretion of both instructor and student. An emphasis on the expansion of musical vocabulary as it relates to each individual on his or her chosen instrument/discipline is also addressed. Additional material will be presented to address the strengths and weaknesses of each student and afford the student opportunities to investigate other areas of interest related to their individual goals.
A successful producer must truly know the tools used in production, and this course introduces students to the primary building blocks used in signal processing. Topics include compression/limiting, reverb, pitch-based effects, and delay/echo. This course consists of a weekly, three hour lecture.
FAQs
Students participating in the Bridge to Success program are eligible to stay at our partner student apartment building, The Cadence. More information on the Cadence accommodations can be found at www.cadencestudenthousing.com, or you can email the Cadence Manager at housing@lacm.edu.
Apartment availability is subject to change, please contact the Cadence Manager for availability.
The LACM Bridge to Success program may be right for you if you can answer ‘yes’ to one or more of the following questions:
- Do you want to jump start your college/music education?
- Do you want to immerse yourself in LA culture prior to taking on a full college schedule?
- Do you want to improve your English language speaking/writing skills?
- Did you score below the required LACM minimum on your English proficiency test?
- Do you want to meet other International Students?
Minimum scores to enter the program:
Duolingo: 80
TOEFL iBT: 50
IELTS: 5
Because Bridge to Success is currently offered to Accepted and Conditionally Accepted students, LACM will proactively invite students to enroll in the program. If you have not received a DocuSign Enrollment Agreement for the Bridge to Success program and would like to attend, please contact your admissions counselor or request info below.
Bridge to Success students will enter the USA on an F-1 Student Visa. Step by step instructions will be sent to you once accepted into the program. An I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, will be emailed to you after completing all the required documents. After you receive the I-20, you can make an appointment at a US Consulate to apply for the F-1 Student Visa. Visa appointments can take some time, so please start early.
Here is a link to check for Visa Appointment Wait Times in your country.
Students eligible to attend the Bridge to Success program must meet one of the below qualifications:
- Accepted into one of LACM’s programs
- Attend during the summer before you graduate high school
- Have been accepted into another College/University’s music program.
The Bridge to Success program is a 9 week, quarter-long program. Students will be charged a prorated amount of the 11 week quarter tuition charged to degree seeking students. Please see our tuition and fees page, www.lacm.edu/tuition-fees, for more info.
For students conditionally accepted or fully accepted, awarded scholarship amounts will not apply.