Riverside City College Live Sound Students Take Their Skills on the Road

Each summer, Riverside City College (RCC) students completing MUS-P11: Live Sound I take their classroom learning into real-world production environments, thanks to the dedication of RCC Audio & Music Technology Associate Faculty member Sean Sheldrake.

This year, several Tigers gained hands-on experience by working on a professional summer concert series in Temecula’s Wine Country, which wrapped up last weekend.

Working in partnership with Heyday Events, a full-service event production and management company based in Temecula, students became part of a live production crew—loading and setting up sound systems, assisting with soundchecks and live mixes, handling stage changes, managing entry gates, and supporting lighting and laser effects.

The summer series spanned multiple weeks and venues, giving students the chance to experience the rhythm of touring-style concert production. This externship provides valuable skills that translate directly into employment. Some students are hired by Heyday Events, while others use the experience to launch careers with major venues and organizations including Disneyland, Yaamavà Resort & Casino, Morongo Casino, houses of worship, and other live-event settings.

"Our students prove every summer that they can handle the demands of a professional crew,” said Sheldrake. “They’re out there earning respect and experience that translate directly into career opportunities. I could not be more proud of how they rise to the occasion.”

Taryn Bagwell, a current audio and music student explained, “The opportunities that I’ve been offered from my Prof. Sheldrake and Prof. Amaya by taking the Audio and Music Tech classes at RCC have provided me with hands on experience that allow me to feel confident in my abilities.  It’s also helped me discover new avenues of work that I previously never considered.  I’ve been able to get paid jobs and gigs through my experience at Heyday’s externships, as well as meet and work with a lot of very talented and dedicated people.  I am eternally grateful for the experiences I’ve been able to be a part of alongside Sheldrake, Amaya, and Robert of Heyday this past summer, and hope that future students have as much fun as I did in getting to learn with real-world application.”

“We are blessed to have an associate faculty member as dedicated to our students as Sean is,” said Professor Jennifer Amaya, who oversees the Audio & Music Technology program. “It’s because of him that they have these externship opportunities that lead to actual employment. It’s difficult to find opportunities for young people to gain hands-on experience in live audio and production, so a huge thank you also goes to Robert Rankin Walker of Heyday Events for opening this door to our students.”

Amaya continued, “Our location gives us a unique advantage. Here in the Inland Empire, we can prepare students for real opportunities in event production with Live Nation, casinos, Temecula Valley wineries, outdoor concert venues, and more—without competing with other programs. Very few colleges or universities teach live sound or event production, and even fewer offer the kind of real-world experience that Professor Sheldrake provides. Many of our students are leaving RCC with actual employment, and we’re able to connect alumni with additional opportunities once they complete their bachelor’s degrees. It feels great to see our students following their passions and being employed within our local communities.”

RCC Audio & Music Technology has recently expanded its offerings by adding Live Sound II to the curriculum and welcoming a second Live Audio instructor, Melissa Feild—an RCC graduate who rose through the audio ranks at Disneyland. She will begin teaching in Spring.

These externship opportunities—combined with RCC’s many other hands-on learning experiences—make the Audio & Music Technology program an outstanding starting point for students pursuing careers in audio and live event production.