If you are super rich and don't have to worry abou...

If you are super rich and don't have to worry about money then this doesn't apply to you...

I was there in one of the first classes. The time in class was awesome, however, I would not recommend it for beginners. Extremely high end audio equipment and in depth conversations about complex audio technicalities will leave any beginner to mid level student completely lost. If you have thousands of dollars to spend on an "experience" where well known musicians and engineers come by and speak for an hour once a month, then this is the place for you!

My main issue was with the process after graduation. You are welcomed to work for free as an intern at the studio, but shouldn't expect to be treated as you were when you were a student. Not to mention, there are very few opportunities available for those who aren't in the top 2 students of the class. Even at that, your best bet is becoming an intern, working for free hoping that you will be paid some day after spending $20k+ on your 6 month education.

Interning at Blackbird was a nightmare when I was there. There was a man named Rich who was in charge of the interns and treated us poorly. Funny enough, Rich later filed a lawsuit against the studio (an easy google search will find this info) although he was in fact one of the worst people there. I was once denied a HUGE opportunity because Las Palmas made a mistake on an order that I gave to John McBride. To hear that I missed an opportunity to meet with a super producer seeking an assistant because a restaurant didn't add extra queso made me the most angry I've ever been in my life.

John and Martina seem to have good hearts, but I can't help but think this is a money grab. There were too many red flags to list. I wish I would have gone for a month and met everyone then saved the rest of my money and spent it on studio equipment for my own studio.

I must mention this - Mark Rubel is one of the most sincere and informative people I have ever encountered. He is truly the highlight of the program.

I can honestly say that I regret spending the money that I did on Blackbird.