Throughout the halls of an old makeup factory drifts the sounds of music. At first the cacophony seems to attack the ears all at once, but on closer listen, separate sounds can be sifted out. Walking through the aging halls of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, one can get lost in the music the school has been teaching for the past quarter-century.

Jeff Buckley, Rivers Cuomo and John Frusciante all walked these halls and upon graduation made an impact on the music scene. As one of the top music schools in the world, Musicians Institute has not only produced name players in the past but continues to strive for excellence when it comes to giving a top quality musical education to all of its students.

"We’ve been here close to 27 years," says Coko Johnson, director of marketing for Musicians Institute. "It started out as a guitar school but then they added bass, keyboards and recording."

The school also teaches guitar crafting, where students can learn to design and construct guitars, and has a music business program for students that want to be working professionals in the music industry. Additionally, the school continues to expand as technology grows.

"Our film program started in January and [it teaches] music video and commercial production," says Johnson. "Currently we only have a few students enrolled, but we’re possibly going to expand the program."

Musicians Institute has three different programs for students to be a part of. The school offers a Bachelor of Music Degree Program, two Certificate Programs and the student-personalized Encore Program.

Musicians Institute is open all hours of the day for students to come and practice their instruments, however, all classes are finished by 10 p.m.

Not only is Musicians Institute set up around music, but much of the faculty that teaches the students plays a part in the music industry as well.

"I like the level of musicianship here and the teachers honestly care," says guitar student Corie Walker. "There’s just a lot to learn."

Dallan Beck, a director and teacher at the school, says he enjoys working with the students because the experience at Musicians Institute is a shared one.

"Most of this stuff is all hands on," says Beck. "It’s not like just teaching lectures. We’re actually working the gears and I’m learning as they’re learning."

To accommodate the educational experience, the school houses a library that mainly consists of music media, "drum dorms," which hold a student’s drum kit so that he or she may practice, and dozens of rooms that are available for spontaneous jam sessions.

Johnson says surrounding the students with music makes for an exciting atmosphere and educational opportunity.

"Many students stay here for a long time because they finish one program and then they want to learn different aspects of music and the music business. They want to be 100 percent self-contained musicians."

For more information on Musicians Institute, please call (323) 462-1384 or visit www.mi.edu.