“Being a professional musician takes practice,” writes Karsten Strauss in Tuesday’s (11/14) Forbes.com. “But today, those looking to make a steady living as a musician have to pay much more attention to the networking and management aspects of their careers than they used to.… ‘At the [Mannes School of Music at the New School in New York], arts programs offer courses on industry legal issues, entrepreneurship, project development and the use of social media. The school also offers a master’s degree in arts management and entrepreneurship…. They will also learn, says [Mannes School Dean Richard] Kessler, that job opportunities come from a variety of sources…. After graduating from Berklee in 2006 [songwriter/performer Erin Barra] worked as a cocktail waitress and bartender … while writing her own songs and playing shows…. Her proficiency with modern music production gear … allowed her to launch a music tech initiative for girls…. Barra was hired as a songwriting and technology professor by Berklee in 2014…. Casey Molino Dunn, director of the Center for Musical Entrepreneurship at the Manhattan School of Music in New York … says, ‘Rewarding and sustainable musical careers often involve a combination of performing, teaching, writing… and developing or advancing musical ventures.’ ”
Posted November 15, 2017
