Success in College Begins with a Summer in Los Angeles
Did you know there’s a way to get an early start on your journey at Los Angeles College of Music?
Bridge to Success (BTS) is the perfect way to enhance your LACM experience. BTS is a Summer program that combines English language courses, music classes, cultural immersion, and exciting field trips to ensure you have fun while you learn. The program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to excel during your degree program here at LACM. You will work on your English language skills, your understanding of LACM as a whole, and build up both comfortability and confidence before the Fall quarter begins.
Our comprehensive program covers academic reading, writing, grammar, music, and more! Not only will you get ahead academically, you will have a blast spending the Summer in Los Angeles and exploring this vibrant city. You’ll also gain access to career development workshops, industry events, and networking opportunities offered by LACM.
2025 Bridge to Success: July 7th to September 19th
Email [email protected] for enrollment guidelines and additional information.
Program Benefits
Students participating in Bridge to Success can stay at our preferred student housing complex, Lorenzo.
Program Structure
Prep for: Associate, Bachelor, and Master-level students
Program Length: 11 Weeks
Academic & Language Courses
Intensive English Program
Academic Writing & Grammar – 6 units
Listening & Speaking lab – 2 units
Academic Reading & Vocabulary – 2 Units
Music Courses
Musicianship
Music Theory & Ear Training 1 – 2 units
Keyboard Skills 1 – 1 unit
Private Lessons in Concentrated Field (Optional)
Introduction to Signal Processing (Optional)
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
Bridge to Success is currently offered to Enrolled, Accepted, and Conditionally Accepted international students only. If you would like to enroll in Bridge to Success, please email [email protected] to obtain your Bridge to Success Enrollment Agreement.
Bridge to Success 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 Los Angeles 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?
- Do you want to move to Los Angeles and into Student Housing early?
Students participating in the Bridge to Success program are eligible to stay at our preferred student housing partner, Lorenzo. For housing questions please reach out to: [email protected].
Minimum scores to enter the program:
Duolingo: 80
TOEFL iBT: 50
IELTS: 5
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.
The Bridge to Success program is an 11 week, quarter-long program. Students will be charged the amount of the 11 week-quarter tuition for degree seeking students. Please see our tuition and fees page, www.lacm.edu/tuition-fees, for more info.
Awarded scholarship amounts will not apply.
