Existing Career Skill Programs for Classical Music Students
As noted in my previous entry, I'm beginning to research what various conservatories and schools of music are doing to equip their students to "create their own careers," as my DePauw students and I have come to phrase it.
Curtis Institute: Curtis requires all BM and Diploma students to take “The 21st Century Musician,” described on its website as, “This class examines career-oriented topics such as obtaining a job, management, orchestra life, medical matters and record-keeping.”
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music has not quite the best-designed website in the world; it's hard to determine from it what, if any, career development services are offered. It's not far from where I live, though, and I haven't heard about anything through the grapevine. It does offer an “Introduction to Music Business” course which I understand is quite popular
Eastman School of Music: Eastman, among other resources, hosts the Institute for Music Leadership, with a fascinating array of programs for performers, arts administrators, etc., including an Entrepreneurship in Music program.
Juilliard: Juilliard offers Career Development Seminar (MSMUS 505) and Business of Music (GRMUS E610; students must complete one of them to be placed on the schools Professional Artists Roster. Juilliard also has a Career Planning Services office, which offers Individual Career Consultations, Career Seminars and Workshops, Speaking Up! (a weekly public speaking club), and Performing Resume Software. Juilliard also offers Greg Sandow's course "Breaking Barriers: Classical Music in an Age of Pop," which inspired much of my first-year seminar work this fall and seems quite groundbreaking in looking at creating a new paradigm for performing art music.
New England Conservatory: NEC has what looks like a fabulous program: the Career Services Center. It's run by my former Stony Brook cello classmate Angela Myers Beeching, who wrote Beyond Talent: Building a Successful Career in Music, and who teaches a four-course "Professional Artist Seminar" sequence. Here's a conservatory taking post-school life seriously. Looking at the table of contents and an excerpt from Angie's book on Amazon, I think I can say that it is a book every aspiring classically-trained performer should read, and I've ordered it--both for myself and the DePauw library.
Oberlin has an Office of Career Services, but I don't see where they offer any courses or workshops in career building, entrepreneurship, etc.--so someone correct me if I'm wrong.
More to come! And please feel free to send me other links and descriptions.
1 comment:
This is much better research than some I could mention...
Seriously, the venture that Eastman is making with the Kaufmann foundation looks great.
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