A growing number of colleges, universities and other educational institutions are giving students the opportunity to learn about the music business with hands-on experience and classes taught by teachers from the industry. And those schools are increasingly responding to the changes shaping both education and the music business. For a report on Music Business Education in our Sept 27 issue, Billboard surveyed a sample of these schools. We’ve featured CU first, then the rest are arranged in alphabetical order. [This article has been truncated. Please check it out online for more info about each featured school.]
The University of Colorado Denver (Denver, CO)
The university features a music and entertainment industry studies department that includes courses in concert promotion, music publishing and music business in the digital age, as well as a student-run label, CAM Records. The school offers one of the few singer-songwriter programs in the country. Students collaborate across all programs, creating a real-world experience of the music industry while in school, and building a supportive community of musicians, managers, and engineers.
CU Denver communication program director Cynthia Barringer notes some of the concerns within the music business education community including: the absence of music education in K to 12th grade schools, the need to increase musical literacy, the cost of music technology, and the importance of offering more courses in aspects of the music business including business, law, finance and economics.
Berklee College of Music (Boston)
. . . . . . . . . .
“Current music business students must focus on acquiring the knowledge to build their own DIY businesses and opportunities rather than seeking employment with one of few remaining major labels,” says Don Gorder, chair of Berklee’s music business/music management department. “And the possibilities are endless. ”
The College of Saint Rose (Albany, NY)
. . . . . . . . . .
“The main factors shaping the music business today are the development and ownership of new creative work, collaborative writing, and entrepreneurship,” says associate professor Sean McClowry. “Students who successfully make the transition to the professional music and entertainment industry [leave the college with] a foundation in musicianship and the creative process, and an ear for a commercial sound.”
Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business at Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
. . . . . . . . . .
“A lot of the faculty, including myself, do our best to incorporate experiential learning, getting students to replicate what happens out in the work field, while still in a safe [academic] environment. Internships are highly available due to the school’s location in central Nashville.”
Schrieber also acknowledges how the changing demands of the music business workplace are changing the school’s approach, while other things remain constant.
The Harris Institute (Toronto)
. . . . . . . . . .
“Music business education today needs to have a stronger emphasis on entrepreneurial skills training—business plans, raising funds, marketing, etc.,” agrees institute founder and president John Harris. “Most graduates will start new companies instead of working for large companies as in the past. Music business programs need to be taught by people who are currently active in the field due to the rapidly changing nature of the music industry. Music business programs also need to cover all aspects of the industry,” he says. “The era of specialization is over.
Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN)
. . . . . . . . . .
“We are constantly examining our curriculum to make sure that we provide students with the necessary foundation while preparing them for the changing music and technology industries,” says Keel. “Our curriculum is being shaped by the industry’s rise of the entrepreneur. In the past, most students wanted to work for major labels or publishers, whereas now many students want to start their own businesses.”
New Jersey City University (Jersey City, NJ)
. . . . . . . . . .
The music business program provides students with a cooperative education experience, arranging for internships at major record labels, talent agencies, cultural arts venues, publishers, artist management firms and other areas of student interest.
New York University, The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (New York City)
. . . . . . . . . .
As a department within NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, one of the nation’s leading arts institutions, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music boasts a distinguished faculty — all of whom are active members of the music industry – and also access to many of the music industry’s leading entrepreneurs, artists, and producers.
Syracuse University, Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries (Syracuse, NY)
. . . . . . . . . .
Established four years ago with the support of Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/CEO Martin Bandier, the program is limited to about 25 student per year, who benefit from the a “community of experts,” an extensive network of music business alumni and friends. The program “brings the industry to Syracuse” through a lecture series and special events, says program director David Rezak. From the program’s first three graduating classes, 90 percent of the students are working in the music industry, he reports.
William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ)
Twenty miles from New York, the school recruits top music industry executives as faculty and guest lecturers. Offerings include an MBA in music management and an innovative integration of the music department’s pop music and sound engineering programs with the university’s pre-law program.
The University of Miami (Miami, FL)
. . . . . . . . . .
“To prepare the next generation of professionals, programs must educate students on the music business of the old, the current, and the future,” she says. “The old — because students need to understand the reasons for how and why things have been done a certain way in the past, because some of the challenges that have led to current ways of doing things are not going away any time soon. The current — because students need to be well versed and skilled in how things are done today to bring immediate value to their employers. The future — because we are preparing students for their careers, not just their first jobs, and they need to be prepared as the business evolves.”
This article first appeared in the Sept. 30th issue of Billboard.
By Thom Duffy and Cathy Applefeld Olson
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6259155/top-music-business-schools-colleges-programs
“You have taken the dream and moved it to another level,” Clive Davis told those involved in the 10-year growth of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (Nate “Igor” Smith)
[Thanks to Storm Gloor, a prof at CU Denver, for passing this article along!]