Jules Gondar

Course Director
Vocal Production

Jules Gondar began his career in the music business as an audio engineer, working with many of Miami’s up-and-coming rock bands. Jules then formed a production team with producer/songwriter Desmond Child, working with artists such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Hanson, Hall & Oates, and Ricky Martin. Jules made history by engineering the first all-digital recording to hit the top of the Billboard Charts with Ricky Martin’s “Living La Vida Loca,” earning Jules a reputation as one of the top Pro Tools engineers in the U.S. He has since worked with Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Hillary Duff.

Darren Schneider

Course Director
Session Recording

Over the past 18 years, Darren Schneider has worked as a producer/engineer on several RIAA-certified Gold, Platinum, and Diamond projects by artists such as Britney Spears, Deep Purple, Patti La Belle, Outkast, Aerosmith, and Snow Patrol. Outside of album production, Darren also does audio for broadcast on the Arts & Entertainment channel, Dick Clark Productions, Fox Network, ABC in Concert, and MTV. In addition to his love for both music and producing, Darren is also an accomplished songwriter.

Brian Smithers

Department Chair
Workstations

Brian Smithers is a classically trained musician, conductor, composer and recording engineer who has been performing and teaching music technology for over 25 years. For several years, Brian conducted the world-famous Walt Disney World Band, and his work as a music technology writer has been featured in magazines such as Electronic Musician, Music & Computers, and Keyboard.