Since the day he picked up the trumpet in the fourth grade, Colin Grant has traversed a vast musical landscape. Far before questions concerning his higher education and career choice ever entered the conversation, he was living a life filled with musical discovery. Growing up in southern New Jersey, he established music as a priority in his life in both performance and consumption, playing in his high school's orchestra, symphonic band, jazz band, and marching band. Music from all manner of genre, multimedia sound design, video game music—it was all a part of him.

Before coming to SFCM, Grant attended the University of Pittsburgh, double majoring in music and communications. At Pittsburgh, he played in the school’s African and Carpathian ensembles, exploring a sea of repertoire and style fit for his curiosity. He even took Western African percussion and dance. But it became clear that there was one component in his education that had not been properly tapped. He needed to get out there in the real world and see how the music industry worked.

In light of his ambition, Grant seeked out internships and side jobs that allowed him a taste of life among music professionals. He edited programs for local classical radio station WQED, he worked with Pro Tools helping out a Pittsburgh-based audio company, and served as an intern for rapper/singer-songwriter Kellee Maize. After all this and more, Grant felt he was on the right track, and that’s when he took a look at SFCM’s Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) program.

“I felt like I really wanted to hone in on music tech, so I wanted to find an MA or one-year degree or an MFA that would help me with that,” says Grant. “One of the criteria that I was looking for was a school that would let me continue my sound design, as well. At first, SFCM was on my radar just because a few years ago at my school Mason Bates actually came and gave a talk. And I thought, ‘I want to see what he’s doing.’”

Digging deeper into SFCM’s courses and curriculum, Grant discovered TAC and took on the one-year professional studies diploma program, recently graduating this past May. And with the pieces falling into place, he landed one of the most sought-after internships in the video game industry just as he was finishing up his degree: a summer internship with Sony Playstation. Working specifically with the music production team, Grant feels this is the opportunity of a lifetime for someone who wants to work in the video game industry.

“It’s an opportunity to see every facet of what they do in production,” he says.