Director of Entrepreneurship at the College of Music, Jeffrey Nytch, talks about the New Venture Challege and this year’s winners, Sarah Wood and Joseph Howe.

The Summer Music Academy at the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Music, is an exciting opportunity for high school and middle school band, orchestra and jazz musicians from Colorado and around the country to receive world-class instruction in a one-week summer session.

2012 Session Dates and Fees

Middle School Music Jr. Academy:  June 17-22, 2012

$550 residential (2011 rates) $320 commuter (2011 rates)

High School Music Academy:  June 24-29, 2012

$700 residential $470 commuter

Jazz Academy: July 8-13, 2012

$550 residential $320 commuter

We are still accepting registrations for all camps!  Please note that the High School Summer Music Academy requires an audition.

Full Camp fee is due by June 1^st

The CU College of Music is proud to congratulate Tesla Quartet members Ross Snyder (violin), Michelle Lie (violin), Megan Mason (viola) and Kimberly Patterson (cello) on this fine achievement!

A large selection of grands, baby grands, digital player grands, vertical (upright) pianos, digital pianos, keyboards, orchestral strings, acoustic & electric guitars will be available. This event will feature instruments from such famous makers as Steinway & Sons, Yamaha, Pramberger, Baldwin, Bechstein, Roland, Gibson, Godin, Ibanez Peavey and many others.

To make an appointment to view and purchase these instruments prior to the public sale date, call 303 -492-2217.

Keane Southard (MM 2011, composition) has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student grant to spend nine months next year pursuing research in Brazil.

Southard’s project will examine the effectiveness of the Brazilian music education programs that are inspired by Venezuela’s “El Sistema,” the national system of youth orchestras which has come to international attention by providing free music education for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan youths, including Gustavo Dudamel, the thirty-one year old conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The incredible success of this system has inspired many other countries to adopt similar programs, including the United States and Brazil. “The ‘El Sistema’ programs that have begun in the U.S.,” explains Southard, “are very young and are still figuring out how to successfully adapt it to American culture, yet the potential is there to help millions of American children’s lives if we can make it work. My goal is to discover what the United States can learn from the ‘El Sistema’ programs in Brazil, which are generally a bit older than ours and have had more time to work though this process of adaptation.”

Southard completed his Masters of Music in Composition at the University of Colorado-Boulder in May 2011. Since then, he has returned to Massachusetts to work as a freelance composer, pianist, and organist in the greater Boston area. In January of this year, he spent four weeks as composer-in-residence at Playa, an artist residency in rural central Oregon, followed by seven weeks as composer-in-residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center in Nebraska. He is currently completing a Piano Concerto, commissioned by the Sounds of Stow, for himself to perform as soloist this coming November. This summer, he has been selected as one of four composers to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chamber Music Institute where he will have a new work for brass quintet premièred, as well as one of three composers selected for the National Band Association’s Young Composer Mentor Project at Arizona State University in Tempe. In addition, he will be studying composition this summer at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine.

As a composer, Southard has been the recipient of many awards, most recently First Prize in the Longfellow Chorus International Composers Cantata Competition, the Charles B. Olson Young Composer Award, and the Ars Nova Singers Colorado Composers Competition. As a pianist, he has performed across the country, including at conferences and festivals in Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri.

For more information about Keane Southard, please visit his website at keanesouthard.instantencore.com.

Taking place from May 11-13 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, the Fischoff Competition features competitors from three division: Juniors, Senior Strings and Senior Winds.  The grand prize winner of the entire competition is awarded a $7,500 cash prize, plus a Grand Prize Winner’s Tour of the Midwestern United States (Fall, 2012) and select appearances at the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy (Summer, 2013).  To learn more about the competition, click here.

The entire CU College of Music wishes these exemplary ensembles the best of luck!

This Wednesday, 5:00-6:30, C-113

SUPER OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS SUMMER:

ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:

•    New York musicians finding work getting more and more scarce: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120401/ARTS/304019970

•    Kim Boekbinder talks about the 1,000 True Fans theory and an innovative way she’s developed to support herself – and her art: http://thegrindstone.com/work-life-balance/bullish-kim-boekbinder-on-making-a-living-as-an-artist-293/

This week’s “Articles of the Week” were chosen with a specific flow in mind: we start with more bad news about the state of the music business, this time from pit musicians and others in New York City, where the music union’s membership (one reasonable measure of the number of working musicians in a city) has seen a staggering decline in recent years: it would appear, in New York anyway, that many musicians have thrown in the towel and are doing something else. Bummer, yes?

Then we spend some time visiting with Kim Boekbinder, an indie rock musician who speaks frankly about the fears and challenges of being a freelance artist – but who also has forged fearlessly ahead and developed a new way to both engage her fans and support herself – and her art. Hmmm…

Lastly, we encounter a story that might seem like a non-sequitor: an article on how more states are looking for ways to bring creativity and creative expression back into a central role in public education.

What do these three stories have in common? They’re all about the state of not just the arts in our society today, but about the state of creative activity generally. And how we view the state of things in this area has a lot to do with which lens one chooses to look through. If you look through the lens of professional musicians operating under a long-established model of gigging in a major metropolitan area, the picture is pretty bleak. But if you look through the lens of one determined artist you might see a different picture, one where an inventive mind has come up with an innovative way to continue to flourish artistically and create at least a modicum of financial stability. And lastly, we see that educational institutions across the country are beginning to see the value of creative thought, and its importance far beyond just the arts: looking through this last lens, you might even decide there is reason for outright Hope!

No matter which lens you choose to look through, however, one thing is inescapably, unequivocally, clear: the idea that music students in 2012 can aspire to the same old career trajectory that has sustained generations of musicians before them, and ignore the realities of a changing marketplace, is no longer tenable. Living in the past and clinging to old models simply isn’t an option anymore – or at least, it’s not an option if you want to sustain yourself and your art over the long haul. Yes, there are still full-time orchestral positions and tenure-track teaching jobs out there, but they’re becoming increasingly scarce – and even those jobs are likely to require creative thinking and innovative approaches to be sustainable over time. And for everyone else, learning to think creatively about how to develop their careers – in other words, learning how to be entrepreneurial – is no longer an option. It’s an imperative.

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The Video of the Week!

Continuing our animal-themed videos of the week… (Thanks to Laima Haley for sending in!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEHi6Mlzmk&sns=em

Okay guys, KEEP ‘EM COMING! J

The Entrepreneurship Center for Music • Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director

Email: jeff.nytch@colorado.edu  •  Office Hours: T/Th: 9-11 a.m.  W: 2-4 p.m. – or by appointment

Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113  •  Follow us on Facebook

OPPORTUNITY UPBEAT April 3, 2012

CU CAREER SERVICES announces their latest round of Job Skills Workshops:

“Linkin’ in Up: marketing yourself through social media” Thurs, April 5, 5:30-7:00p, C4C Room S350

“Ace Your Interview” Tuesday, April 17, 7:00-8:00 PM, C4C Abrams Lounge

THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC announces the Fellowships for study at the Aspen Institute, 2012:

Application Criteria:

Ø Current full-time graduate or undergraduate student in good standing, who will be continuing studies at CU in Fall 2012

Ø Accepted for summer study at the Aspen Music School

Ø Recommendation of applied teacher

Fellowships have ranged from $500 to $1,500.

Deadline for applications:  April 13, 2012 to Graduate Office C109

SHINING MOUNTAIN WALDORF SCHOOL seeks a three-quarters-time Choral Instructor. As a member of the faculty at Shining Mountain Waldorf School, the Choir Teacher is responsible for developing the vocal/choral education of elementary, middle and high school students. As singing and music are integral to the Waldorf curriculum, the choir director works to refine the basic skills that young students gain in lower grades. For a full job description and application instructions, email Dr. Nytch.

COLUMBINE UNITY CHURCH seeks a part-time Sound Engineer for selected Sundays and guest events. Must be familiar with set-up, mixing, monitoring, and recording. Contact Jay Swartz at 303.646.7588 or jaywswartz@gmail.com

ROAD OF CREATIVITY announces its first Summer Retreat on becoming a musician entrepreneur June 3-9. The retreat is a five-day immersion into the fundamentals of music entrepreneurship. Participants will engage in innovative training sessions with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, and will expose skills and attitudes imperative for success in today’s music world. Early Bird Discount for the first 20 registrants! For more info, visit: http://roadofcreativity.com/

C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!  The C4C is continuing their special “Food Weeks” that feature different cuisines from around the world. They’re interested in having CU musicians play for the dinner hour on selected nights, in return for a modest honorarium and free dinner for all involved. A fun and tasty opportunity to perform in a relaxed setting, for solo performers up to a group of 4 players. World music performers and works featuring Latin, Asian, or Middle Eastern influence encouraged! Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall for more information: musicref@colorado.edu.

This Wednesday, 5:00-6:30, C-113

SUPER OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS SUMMER:

ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:

•    New Rules for Innovation. What does it mean to be “on the cusp of a post-industrial revolution”? http://blog.entrepreneurthearts.com/2012/03/15/the-new-rules-of-innovation-bottom-up-solutions-to-top-down-problems/

ENTREPRENEURIAL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK:

Astrid Baumgardner & Lessons from Four Musician-Entrepreneurs: Part IV

Astrid Baumgardner is a consultant and career coach who has become interested in the specific field of the arts and artist-entrepreneurs. If you’re not familiar with her Blog, you should check it out (http://astridbaumgardner.com/). She conducted a panel discussion with four musician entrepreneurs, and I’m going to highlight each question (and occasionally expand on the commentary) for the next few weeks. Come along and follow the paths of these artists as they share their wisdom!

The panel included:

Timo Andres: freelance pianist/composer; Tina Hadari (a CU ALUM): violinist and founder of Music Haven; Paul Murphy: free-lance trumpeter and teaching artist with the NY Philharmonic; and
Sam Quintal: violist and member of the Jasper String Quartet.

Next Steps in Career Evolution

At some point, you will realize that you do not have to do everything!  Have the courage to say no to things that do not fit your vision.  It helps to have a list of criteria that you use before saying yes to an opportunity.  Here are some things to consider:

•    What is the quality of the venue, the audience, and the other performers?
•    Does it pay and how well does it pay?  On this note, it is important to negotiate the right fees.  If you don’t like doing this, hire someone who can do it for you! [<< learn now anyway! -JN]
•    Does it fit my mission?
•    What can it lead to?
•    What relationships are at stake?

Allow yourself to grow and evolve.  Your interests and goals may change and be flexible enough to recognize the shift. 

Take Risks

One of the panelists felt that musicians tend to gravitate to the “safe” whereas other artists seemed to be more willing to take creative risks.  In this day where the supply of musicians exceeds the demand for traditional musician services, it is doubly important to be creative about creating opportunities.  It helps to be clear about what you want to do and to have the courage to say so.  Often, musicians are afraid to do that for fear of foreclosing their options.  The advice from the panelists was to follow your convictions and not to be afraid about not pursuing things that did not make sense for you.

= = = = =

This can be a difficult thing to balance. On the one hand, artists at the emerging stages of their career need to be open to a wide range of opportunities, even those that might not be very interesting or don’t pay well. Exposure, experience, and the opportunity to build relationships can be valuable in any situation, even those that don’t look very promising on the surface. And as long as you go into those situations with that entrepreneurial mindset operating you can benefit from almost any experience.

That said, you will soon need to begin making choices, and the questions they suggest you pose above are useful ones for understanding how to make your choices good ones. And when all else fails, trusting your gut will rarely steer you wrong!

Not already following us on Facebook? You should! Click here.

The Video of the Week!

How do you think you train a dog to do this?? Thanks to Margaret Romero for sending!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/dogs-play-the-piano-video_n_1345562.html

Okay guys, KEEP ‘EM COMING! J

The Entrepreneurship Center for Music • Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director

Email: jeff.nytch@colorado.edu  •  Office Hours: T/Th: 9-11 a.m.  W: 2-4 p.m. – or by appointment

Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113  •  Follow us on Facebook

THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC announces the Fellowships for study at the Aspen Institute, 2012: 

Application Criteria:

Fellowships have ranged from $500 to $1,500.

Deadline for applications:  April 13, 2012 to Graduate Office C109

COLUMBINE UNITY CHURCH seeks a part-time Sound Engineer for selected Sundays and guest events. Must be familiar with set-up, mixing, monitoring, and recording. Contact Jay Swartz at 303.646.7588 or jaywswartz@gmail.com

RINN UMC (Frederick, CO) seeks a Choir Director for Easter 2012. 
Professional training required. Rehearsals leading to sing on April 8, 2012 Easter Sunday which may lead to a part time position for a choir director/music coordinator for the whole year. Choir Director is needed who enjoys singing, directing a church choir, and enjoys working with church singers in 4 parts.
Needs to begin immediately to meet the 20+ choir members, select three or four anthems appropriate for Easter, conduct rehearsals following church services beginning March 11 thru April 1 and Saturday morning, April 7, to sing on Easter Sunday April 8 at 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. Will sing three/four pieces to be sung at one portion of the Easter service. $350, with possibility of extending to a part-time position with the church. Interested parties should contact Rev. Barbara Johns-Schleicher at artsoul7@gmail.com.

ROAD OF CREATIVITY announces its first Summer Retreat on becoming a musician entrepreneur June 3-9. The retreat is a five-day immersion into the fundamentals of music entrepreneurship. Participants will engage in innovative training sessions with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, and will expose skills and attitudes imperative for success in today’s music world. Early Bird Discount for the first 20 registrants! For more info, visit: http://roadofcreativity.com/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY to participate in a benefit concert for “Teach for America” in April. Organizers are looking for a few different musical groups to volunteer their talents. The benefit will be on campus in Flemming 155 on either Friday, April 13th or Saturday, April 20th in the evening (the date will be finalized shortly).  Although this event does not pay, participants are invited to eat at the meal.  There is no piano available, but there is sound equipment.  This is a great opportunity for chamber groups and soloists to get some performance experience while helping out a very worthy cause.  Anyone who is interested should contact Andrew Marshall at Andrew.Marshall-1@colorado.edu.  

C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!  The C4C is continuing their special “Food Weeks” that feature different cuisines from around the world. They’re interested in having CU musicians play for the dinner hour on selected nights, in return for a modest honorarium and free dinner for all involved. A fun and tasty opportunity to perform in a relaxed setting, for solo performers up to a group of 4 players. World music performers and works featuring Latin, Asian, or Middle Eastern influence encouraged! Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall for more information: musicref@colorado.edu.

This Wednesday, 5:00-6:30, C-113

As always, free pizza and soda. And CONVO available this week!

Come hear Lindsey play on Faculty Tuesdays TONIGHT: 7:30 in Grusin (And yes, she happens to be playing your humble ECM Director’s music to boot!)

And mark your calendars for next week’s guest:

ARTICLES OF THE WEEK: the continuing conundrums of social media…

•    Even “sexy” brands struggle for engagement on Facebook: http://adage.com/article/digital/sexy-brands-struggle-low-engagement-facebook/232993/

•    Facebook’s latest tools blur the line between advertising & content: http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/04/facebook-marketing-conference/

•    How one social media fundraising campaign generated unexpected results: http://socialmediaweek.org/washingtondc/2012/02/17/how-one-microgiving-campaign-produced-macro-results/

ENTREPRENEURIAL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK:

Astrid Baumgardner & Lessons from Four Musician-Entrepreneurs: Part III

Astrid Baumgardner is a consultant and career coach who has become interested in the specific field of the arts and artist-entrepreneurs. If you’re not familiar with her Blog, you should check it out (http://astridbaumgardner.com/). She conducted a panel discussion with four musician entrepreneurs, and I’m going to highlight each question (and occasionally expand on the commentary) for the next few weeks. Come along and follow the paths of these artists as they share their wisdom!

The panel included:

Timo Andres: freelance pianist/composer; Tina Hadari (a CU ALUM): violinist and founder of Music Haven; Paul Murphy: free-lance trumpeter and teaching artist with the NY Philharmonic; and
Sam Quintal: violist and member of the Jasper String Quartet.

How to Launch a Career

The panelists gave a variety of answers to how to launch one’s careers.

1.    Start with your end goal and work backwards.

2.    Be persistent. Don’t take no for an answer if something does not go your way at first.
3.    Be prepared.
4.    Follow your passions and your version of success.  Don’t do something just because a teacher or a   mentor tells you that this is what you have to do in order to be successful.
5.    Get support, both personally and from your colleagues, your mentors and your network.
6.    Get yourself in front of as many people as possible.
7.    Nurture your relationships
8.    Strive for excellence wherever and for whomever you perform.  That means children’s concerts, educational concerts, festivals, marquee concerts because you never know what you might learn and what that performance might lead to.

- – - – -

This is the perfect companion to this week’s Entrepreneurship Wednesdays guest, flutist Lindsey Goodman. Lindsey is here in town to play on my Faculty Recital tonight (Tuesday the 13^th, 7:30 p.m., Grusin – how does that information keep sneaking in here?? J ). But while she’s in town she’s also speaking to my classes and coming to Entrepreneurship Wednesdays. I wanted to make sure that students had the opportunity to interact with her because, a) she’s awesome, and b) she’s building the exact sort of career that so many of you students have told me you aspire to have for yourselves (she is Principal of the West Virginia Symphony, plays contemporary music with Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, teaches at Marietta College in Ohio, and travels the U.S. as a clinician and soloist. This is a great example of the “Portfolio Career,” and it’s the kind of career that is becoming increasingly common for 21^st-century musicians. Full-time college or orchestral positions still exist, but they’re becoming increasingly rare – and even then are often combined with private teaching and outside music-making of various sorts. But the Portfolio model also has unique challenges and demands. Come hear about them this week on Entrepreneurship Wednesdays!

Not already following us on Facebook? You should! Click here.

The Video of the Week!

Thanks for Nicole Christen for sending this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ8eMicBb48&feature=related

Okay guys, I’m running low on videos again: KEEP ‘EM COMING! J

The Entrepreneurship Center for Music • Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director

Email: jeff.nytch@colorado.edu  •  Office Hours: T/Th: 9-11 a.m.  W: 2-4 p.m. – or by appointment

Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113  •  Follow us on Facebook

THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC announces the Fellowships for study at the Aspen Institute, 2012: 

Application Criteria:

Fellowships have ranged from $500 to $1,500.

Deadline for applications:  April 13, 2012 to Graduate Office C109

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS UMBRELLA, a Chicago area youth development agency that provides services and leadership to meet the emerging needs of young people, announces its summer fellowship program, Inspire Fellows. The fellowship offers graduate and upper-undergraduate students a full-time opportunity to learn best-practices and to prepare for a career in youth development, education, or the non-profit sector. For more information, contact Dr. Nytch in the ECM office.

RINN UMC (Frederick, CO) seeks a Choir Director for Easter 2012. 
Professional training required. Rehearsals leading to sing on April 8, 2012 Easter Sunday which may lead to a part time position for a choir director/music coordinator for the whole year. Choir Director is needed who enjoys singing, directing a church choir, and enjoys working with church singers in 4 parts.
Needs to begin immediately to meet the 20+ choir members, select three or four anthems appropriate for Easter, conduct rehearsals following church services beginning March 11 thru April 1 and Saturday morning, April 7, to sing on Easter Sunday April 8 at 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. Will sing three/four pieces to be sung at one portion of the Easter service. $350, with possibility of extending to a part-time position with the church. Interested parties should contact Rev. Barbara Johns-Schleicher at artsoul7@gmail.com.

ROAD OF CREATIVITY announces its first Summer Retreat on becoming a musician entrepreneur June 3-9. The retreat is a five-day immersion into the fundamentals of music entrepreneurship. Participants will engage in innovative training sessions with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, and will expose skills and attitudes imperative for success in today’s music world. Early Bird Discount for the first 20 registrants! For more info, visit: http://roadofcreativity.com/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY to participate in a benefit concert for “Teach for America” in April. Organizers are looking for a few different musical groups to volunteer their talents. The benefit will be on campus in Flemming 155 on either Friday, April 13th or Saturday, April 20th in the evening (the date will be finalized shortly).  Although this event does not pay, participants are invited to eat at the meal.  There is no piano available, but there is sound equipment.  This is a great opportunity for chamber groups and soloists to get some performance experience while helping out a very worthy cause.  Anyone who is interested should contact Andrew Marshall at Andrew.Marshall-1@colorado.edu.  

C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!  The C4C is continuing their special “Food Weeks” that feature different cuisines from around the world. They’re interested in having CU musicians play for the dinner hour on selected nights, in return for a modest honorarium and free dinner for all involved. A fun and tasty opportunity to perform in a relaxed setting, for solo performers up to a group of 4 players. World music performers and works featuring Latin, Asian, or Middle Eastern influence encouraged! Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall for more information: musicref@colorado.edu.

To give an idea of the caliber of inductee, the list was headed by a quintet of artists who have, at different times, made a huge impact on recorded music: the conductors Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado,Wilhelm Furtwängler and Leonard Bernstein, and the soprano Maria Callas.  For the full list of inductees, click here.

Congratulations to the Takács Quartet on this superb recognition of their contribution to the field of classical music!