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Free Music Classes in Boston | Sound Engineering, Music Production & Business | TRC Academy
TRC Academy TRC Academy | 960 Mass Ave, Boston
Free to start · Boston, MA

Learn The Work. Not The Theory.

Free 6-week programs in Sound Engineering, Music Production, and Music Business. Taught in the actual studios where Boston's music gets made.

  • No experience required — start where you are
  • Taught by working professionals, not professors
  • Three tracks. Two levels. One clear pathway.
  • 94% of students finish what they start
Enroll Free → See the programs
94%
Completion rate
Free
To start — no catch
3
Tracks available
2010
Building Boston's music
Start here
101
6 weeks. Free.
No experience required.
→

We built TRC Academy because there's a gap between what music programs teach and what the industry actually needs. We fixed that by running training inside working professional studios — the same ones Boston's independent music scene runs on.

The 101 is free — six weeks, no experience needed, taught by people currently doing the work. The 201 goes deeper for students who finish 101 and want to turn those skills into a real career or income stream. You don't have to commit to anything. Start with the 101 and see what happens.

Three tracks. Two levels.

01

Sound
Engineering

101
Free · 6 Weeks

How a recording studio actually works, what an engineer does, and how to get through a session without breaking anything.

  • Studio signal chain fundamentals
  • Basic session setup and teardown
  • Communicating with artists
  • Intro to Pro Tools / DAW basics
  • What a real session looks like
  • How engineers get paid
No experience required

Advanced engineering. Run complex sessions. Deliver a finished product that gets you hired again.

  • Advanced signal routing and patching
  • Tracking, mixing, and mastering workflow
  • Live session management
  • Client relations and business
  • Real studio projects with feedback
Requires 101 or equivalent
02

Music
Production

101
Free · 6 Weeks

Go from making beats to making music that sounds finished. Real workflows, real tools, real standards.

  • DAW setup and core workflow
  • Arrangement and song structure
  • Drums, bass, and melody fundamentals
  • How to actually finish a track
  • Basic mixing concepts
  • Getting your music heard
No experience required

Professional-level production. Release-ready tracks. Producing for other artists. Building a catalog worth owning.

  • Advanced sound design and sampling
  • Professional mix-ready production
  • Producing for artists (not just yourself)
  • Sync licensing and placement
  • Real release projects with critique
Requires 101 or equivalent
03

Music
Business

101
Free · 6 Weeks

Stop losing money you've already earned. The financial and legal basics every working musician needs — and almost nobody teaches.

  • How royalties actually work
  • PROs, publishing, and registration
  • Basic contracts and what to watch for
  • Invoicing, taxes, and getting paid
  • Streaming economics explained
  • How to price your work
No experience required

Advanced business strategy. Build a sustainable music career. Manage other artists. Turn what you love into something that lasts.

  • Deals: label, distribution, publishing
  • Artist management fundamentals
  • Building a catalog as a business asset
  • Grant funding and nonprofit structure
  • Revenue diversification strategy
Requires 101 or equivalent
"I was making beats for years but didn't know how to actually finish a track. Now I'm producing for other artists and getting paid for it."
— TRC Academy Graduate, 2024

Who this is for

Start with 101 if you're…

  • New to the technical side of music
  • Curious but not ready to spend money
  • An artist who wants to understand the process
  • Someone who loves music but doesn't perform
  • A student wanting real-world skills alongside a degree

Move to 201 when you're…

  • Ready to work professionally in music
  • Building a second income stream from music skills
  • Done with free content that doesn't go deep enough
  • Committed to turning this into a career
  • Someone who finished 101 and wants more

What makes it work

🎛

In the actual studios

Not a classroom. 960 Massachusetts Avenue — TRC's professional recording studios where Boston's independent music gets made. You'll learn in the same rooms where the work happens.

🎧

Taught by people doing it now

Working engineers, producers, and music business professionals active in Boston studios right now. Not professors. Not consultants who used to work in music.

📅

Built for people with lives

The 101 is six weeks, three hours a week. We're not trying to take over your life — just give you enough to decide whether you want to go deeper.

Common questions

Is the 101 really free?
Yes. No cost, no catch. We want you to experience the training before you decide to commit to the 201. If you finish and don't want to go further, you still walked away with something.
Do I need experience to start?
No. All three 101 programs are built for people starting from scratch. Sound Engineering, Music Production, and Music Business are designed so anyone can walk in and immediately get something out of it.
How long is each program?
The 101 is 6 weeks — about 3 hours per week. The 201 is more intensive; details are shared with 101 graduates.
Can I do more than one track?
Yes — many students take more than one 101. They're designed to complement each other. A producer who understands music business is a lot harder to take advantage of.
Where do classes meet?
960 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. In our professional recording studios, onsite.
How is this different from Berklee?
We're workforce training, not a degree program. Six weeks in the studios where the work actually happens — not four years in a classroom. The 101 is free. The 201 is a fraction of the cost of a semester anywhere else.
What do I get when I finish?
A TRC Academy Certificate of Completion and, more importantly, the ability to actually do the work. The 101 gives you fundamentals. The 201 gives you career-level skills.

Start for free.

Enroll in a 101 — no cost, no experience required.
Next cohort starts soon.

Enroll in 101 → Learn about 201

TRC ACADEMY — A program of The Record Co.

960 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118

Operating Boston's music infrastructure since 2010

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