Career Innovation in Music and the Performing Arts (360-0-1)
Instructors
Gavin Paul Chuck
g-chuck@northwestern.edu
Meeting Info
RCMA 1-160: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
Today's successful musician must embody entrepreneurship in career-making alongside the artistry of music-making. Students who enroll in this course will learn about various career models in music and the performing arts. Besides covering basic knowledge about conventional career paths, this course will facilitate and encourage students to imagine how they might innovate such conventions, taking advantage of the fast-changing environment of professional musicians in today's dynamic culture. Specific practical skills relevant to performing-arts careers will be complemented by open-ended exploration of what it means – and could mean – to be a performing artist. In the final analysis, the course will prepare students to begin work on building a career with the same discipline and creativity they apply every day to their musicianship.
This course is a hybrid seminar-practicum. Class discussions will drive thinking about unconventional performing-arts careers while team-based work on projects will develop practical skills necessary for launching an innovative arts venture. In the process, students will gain an understanding of how the performing-arts field operates so that you can take professional advantage of a variety of opportunities and create opportunities for yourself and others. Guest speakers representing various career types and innovations will also familiarize students with basic know-how to offer current models of effective change.
Along the way, the course will cover skills and topics that affect all performing-arts related careers, drawn from business-related fields including: fee and contract negotiation; artist and booking management; fundraising and grant-writing; communication, marketing and public relations; social media; organizational and business structures; intellectual property rights; business model generation; arts advocacy; diversity, equity and inclusion; and community engagement.
Class Materials (Required)
No materials required for purchase.
Class Attributes
SDG Decent Work & Economic Growth
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Restricted to Music Undergrads/Grads