You've probably heard about MOOCs at some point, they are getting really popular. The acronym stands for Massive open online course. It's a really great way to extend your knowledge, even in fields that are not directly related to your bread and butter. Some courses give you a certificate, some don't. They are working towards building courses that even give you credits for university.
I've completed 2 courses of the type and audited a couple of others. They are free. The system is pretty interesting, but it is still being improved on. Free education and equal access is an amazing concept and should be fully embraced. It also has its downsides, of course, but that's not what my post is about.
Recently, Coursera have added Berklee College of Music, Emory University, Wesleyan University and University of Florida to their list of partners. They offer courses on music and sound and I thought it might interest some of you.
Introduction to Music Production
Berklee College of Music
SongwritingLearn about the music production process—including recording, editing, and mixing—and the tools available to you to create contemporary music on your computer.
Berklee College of Music
Introduction to GuitarLearn an efficient, effective process for writing songs that express your ideas and emotions, including a range of tools that revolve around the concept of prosody—the matching of lyrics and music to support your underlying message.
Berklee College of Music
Introduction to ImprovisationLearn an efficient, effective process for writing songs that express your ideas and emotions, including a range of tools that revolve around the concept of prosody—the matching of lyrics and music to support your underlying message.
Berklee College of Music
Introduction to Digital Sound DesignLearn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo.
Emory University
How Music WorksSounds and music are embedded in almost every aspect of daily life. This course will provide an overview of the fundamental principles of sound and the factors that determine our audio perception. It will also explore techniques of recording, mixing, processing, synthesis, sampling, analysis, and editing of digital audio.
Emory University
The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and ColorHow Music Works is an exploration of the mechanics of musical composition and expression, examining the internal workings of music to uncover how and why music impacts the human psyche.
Wesleyan University
So pick a couple (or even all of them) and settle in for a ride.This Film History course explores how fundamental changes in film technology affected popular Hollywood storytelling. We will consider the transition to sound, and the introduction of color.
Here's a catalog of all the courses that Coursera has: link. Maybe you'll be interested in something else entirely. I know I am.
Coursera is not the only platform that offers such courses. There's Udacity, edX (MIT and Harvard are behind this one) and etc.
Have fun.
