BURLINGTON, Mass. and WASHINGTON, March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beginning this September, educators can start high school students on the exciting path toward becoming skilled video and audio creators through the new Avid Learning Academy Program. Combining the strengths of media technology provider Avid® (Nasdaq: AVID) and book publisher Rowman & Littlefield, the Avid Learning Academy offers solutions for K-12 media arts educators to train and officially certify students on the Avid creative software tools specified by college media studies programs and employers in the media & entertainment industry.
The Avid Learning Academy includes everything educators need to elevate their current arts and media programs, or rapidly launch a new program from the ground up: texts and courseware for instructors and students with hands-on exercises and supporting media; Avid’s free creative tools software (Media Composer | First for video editing and Pro Tools | First for audio creation); online and reseller support; plus online tutorials. By the close of the 2021-22 school year, participating high school educators will be able to certify their students as Avid Certified Associates on the same technologies relied on by the editors, producers and other creators of the world’s most popular music, movies, TV shows, sports and news broadcasts.
Avid Learning Academy courses designed by education professionals and aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (U.S.) introduce students to video and audio media creation and build skills through topics such as:
- Introduction to Filmmaking
- Stages of Video Post-Production
- Framing and Composition
- Solving Problems with Effects
- Audio Basics & Terminology
- How to Record and Edit a Podcast
- How to Add Ambiance to a Mix
The Avid Certified Associate credential is designed to put students on a pathway to industry-recognized Avid Certified User and Avid Certified Professional certifications, available worldwide through Avid Learning Partner institutions.
Avid’s global education ecosystem supports more than 600 Learning Partner institutions and has trained and certified tens of thousands of people working in education and media today. By joining the Avid Learning Academy, K-12 educators will also tap into this global community throughout post-secondary education who train students on Avid as well as thousands of highly accomplished film, broadcast and music professionals who continue to earn new Avid certifications throughout their careers. Prominent university partners will offer professional development and certification classes for media arts teachers interested in adding the Avid Certified Associate credential to their program.
“Avid Learning Academy easily starts kids off at a younger age to understand how the popular music, movies, TV shows, digital media and news broadcasts they love are made, while growing into enthusiastic storytellers with a solid command of video and audio creation,” said Kathy-Anne McManus, Avid’s Chief Customer Experience Officer. “With colleges looking for media-savvy students and the professional community eager to welcome future generations of skilled media creators, educators can use Avid Learning Academy to add a valuable new curriculum that expands a student’s skills today and sets them up to have promising career choices for their future.”
In 2019 Rowman & Littlefield acquired most of the trade titles previously published by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group, a leading independent publisher for the performing arts. Its catalog offers the largest collection of books and digital content for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more. This content, added to Rowman & Littlefield’s own robust music publishing program, situates the publisher as an ideal program partner for the Avid Learning Academy.
“Rowman & Littlefield is excited to partner with Avid to launch the Avid Learning Academy, sharing our extensive educational networks and publishing know-how to train the next generation of content creators,” said Julie Kirsch, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Rowman & Littlefield. “We look forward to supplying both students and educators with everything they need for a successful certification program—from self-assessment quizzes and targeted study recommendations, to a comprehensive curriculum guide and exam-creation wizard.”
Sean Temple, TV production instructor at Riverdale High School in Jefferson, La., a longtime Avid Learning Partner, said, “There’s a crucial distinction between Avid and any other media technologies that students could learn. As a broadcaster, I learned on Avid tools and now I’ve been teaching on them for 10 years, challenging my students to build their own stories like the pros do. It’s a lot of fun when they get back in touch after graduating to tell me that they’ve got a big jump on their college courses because they know how to use the tools that have been the standard in professional media for the last 30 years.”
Educators can email learning@avid.com today to discover the full potential of the Avid Learning Academy Partner program.
About Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
Rowman & Littlefield (R&L) is one of the largest independent book publishers in North America. Based near Washington, DC with offices throughout the US and UK, the company has strengths in scholarly titles, reference, professional guides, government, K-12 educational publishing, association publishing, and trade publishing in lifestyle, outdoor sports and recreation, and regional and local interest. R&L also owns National Book Network (NBN), a book sales, marketing, and distribution company.
About Avid
Avid delivers the most open and efficient media platform, connecting content creation with collaboration, asset protection, distribution, and consumption. Avid’s preeminent customer community uses Avid’s comprehensive tools and workflow solutions to create, distribute and monetize the most watched, loved and listened to media in the world—from prestigious and award-winning feature films to popular television shows, news programs and televised sporting events, and celebrated music recordings and live concerts. With the most flexible deployment and pricing options, Avid’s industry-leading solutions include Media Composer®, Pro Tools®, Avid NEXIS®, MediaCentral®, iNEWS®, AirSpeed®, Sibelius®, Avid VENUE™, FastServe®, and Maestro™. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, connect with Avid on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, or subscribe to Avid Blogs.
© 2021 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Avid, the Avid logo, Avid NEXIS, FastServe, AirSpeed, iNEWS, Maestro, MediaCentral, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Avid VENUE, and Sibelius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice.
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