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  • Music Schools in Transition, VI, ii

    I am frequently asked if a school should add co-curricular programs, and if so, of what nature. To work toward an answer to this question, let me go through a process. To my way of thinking there are 4 factors that influence students’ choices about admissions: faculty, core curriculum, price and location/facilities. Depending on each…

  • Music Schools in Transition, VI.i

    There’s a bit of a scramble on: to create co-curricular programs and to add value to the BMus by facilitating double (even triple) majors and double degrees.  Part of the reason for these developments results from the undergraduate degree in performance being so tightly packed, and with so many other needs have been identified, that…

  • Music Schools in Transition, Part VI

    Many music schools have added valuable co-curricular programs. A working definition of co-curricular would be that these programs offer non-required credit for courses, a certificate for participation and completion of a set of expectations, or experiences or courses that significantly pair with a curricular requirement (and designed as such).   The latest spate of these…

  • Music Schools in Transition, Part V

    The term, professional school, has always puzzled me. Taken literally, it must mean that the school prepares you for a defined profession. And when there were, more or less, stable professional opportunities for musicians, the idea of strong, focused professional training combined with substantial courses in the liberal arts made sense. Now, however, with music…

  • Music Schools in Transition, Part II

    Below I’ve copied my post from last week, as then I was not connected to Facebook and Linkedin, but now am. There are short-term approaches to present challenges to music schools, and long-term, more radical ones.  For now I will concentrate on short-term ones, then later on the others.  Also to note: I will not…

  • Music Schools, in Transition…

    Over the past several months I have received a number of calls – for assistance from higher ed music school leaders, to help them with their admissions issues and challenges.  The repeating theme centers around declining undergraduate admissions numbers, and among applicants, declining preparedness (or quality, as it is referred to inside). There are a…

  • Arts Entrepreneurship, A Story, Interlude

    So, for those interested, here’s an interlude to the story of my new site.  I’m presently at the University of Maryland where I lead the National Orchestral Institute, a gathering of the most exceptional young orchestral players, artist faculty and conductors.  This year’s group has already demonstrated exceptional artistry, as well as intelligence and sophistication. …

  • Arts Entrepreneurship, A Story, Part III

    My students have a penchant for ignoring market feasibility for their projects.  From my observations and experience with them, I have found that they tend to fall in love with their ideas and when involved in market feasibility study, can ignore, or not hear the most potent data and feedback.  My challenge for my venture…

  • Arts Entrepreneurshp, A Story, Part II

    So I made the decision to create a website and found that essential decisions had to be made: one in particular, that of ‘just what the heck I was doing it for?’ Defining this would then help me get into answers to the next line of questions. At the most global level my motivation is,…

  • Arts Entrepreneurship: A Story, Part I

    Admittedly my experience as an arts entrepreneur has been in the not-for-profit sector.  As such I have relied on other people’s money to make my entity a reality.  In fact, as I assessed the viability of each entity I did so based on an intelligent estimate of just what could be raised.  Yes, there was…