_______________________________________________________________________
Rachel Roberts
Director of Entrepreneurial Musicianship
Entrepreneurial Musicianship @ NEC
Posted 8.15.2011
Entrepreneurship education is quickly becoming a standard offering in conservatories across the country. Can you briefly describe how the Entrepreneurial Musicianship program began?
NEC's EM program began as a major idea as part of a strategic planning process when President Tony Woodcock was hired in 2007. Tony and the strategic planning leadership identified a need for this type of education somehow integrated within our school, and subsequently made the creation of an entrepreneurial initiative a strategic priority. The WolfBrown consulting group was engaged to complete a preliminary survey of what entrepreneurship could look like at NEC. When I was hired in late 2009, I used this report as the basis for 10 months of research and development work (including interviews with over 350 individuals, both NEC and non-NEC related). The Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department's first official year was the 10/11 school year, and we're gearing up for an expanded program in year two.
As director, how did you approach faculty relationships and develop programming?
Relationships are the most crucial aspect of this department! We have a tremendous resource in NEC's faculty, many of who are musical entrepreneurs in their own right. From my first day at NEC, I continually strive to build a two-way dialogue with our faculty. I approached building relationships by starting first with the heads of various departments and programs, then naturally expanded these discussion with other faculty through recommendations or other connections. I firmly believe that successful initiatives are successful due in large part to the ownership individuals (faculty AND students) have over the program. Because of this belief, I find myself always looking for 2 things in building relationships: 1 - listening to what people have to say, either from their feedback or about what they'd like to see happen that would make a positive impact, and 2 - finding ways to directly engage people in the various EM activities.
What, in your mind, is the most innovative aspect of your program?
I believe the most innovative aspect of our program is something that is still evolving - genuine integration within our school. The EM department is working towards becoming a part of NEC's culture, and we're beginning first by meeting students and faculty where they are at. Our department dedicates a lot of time to finding unique ways to be present at every turn (for example, finding creative ways to have a presence in our school newspaper, The Penguin), and to find multiple avenues into the conversations and opportunities that we offer. We've partnered with studio faculty members to present a seminar during a studio class times, and have partnered with classroom faculty to work on a project together. As these relationships and ideas continue to grow, we still uphold the two fundamental principles of the EM department: creating experiences to be individualized and an experiential learning opportunity for each student. Through all of these efforts, we're seeing results of becoming part of the fabric of NEC's culture.
Can you describe a few challenges you faced during your first year and the solutions you developed to overcome these obstacles?
The biggest challenge I faced during the first year was time. There are (of course!) multiple layers to the time challenge, though I found the most crucial part is finding / creating time when students are available for extra-curricular activities. Students' schedules are packed full of lessons, rehearsals, performances, and classes. While large numbers of students have an interest in this topic, it is often hard for them prioritize taking time away from one activity to spend on another. As referenced in answer #3 above, the time challenge is partially why our focus has been on integration, individualization, and experiential learning. When we are working with a student on EM, we look to make the most out of the experience. Additionally, we've seen that when EM topics and conversations become a part of the daily conversation, over time it becomes a natural extension of a student's curiosity. This in turn often leads a student to seek out conversations, guidance, or action with EM ideas on their own terms.
Have students embraced the program?
Absolutely! The most visible part of the program has been with our Entrepreneurial Grant initiative. In only the first year, we've awarded 25 students grants to fulfill their projects (check out www.necmusic.edu/em/grants to see their projects). Whether the outcome was a great success or a successful failure, being awarded funds to fulfill an idea has been an empowering experience for our students. It's also spurred many discussions with their student peers about what might be possible projects in the future.
In our required undergraduate course, one homework assignment is that each student is individually matched with an E-Advisor for conversations. We've deliberately matched the student with one of our 120+ Advisors to inherently build networking and communication skills. While this assignment was initially met with dread (what do you mean I'm going to talk with someone I don't know?!?), this assignment ended up being a course highlight for many students as it gave them a window into what life is like beyond school.
Lastly, one of the most exciting things that happened towards the end of the year was students forming their own EM discussion group, Project 231. Many questions were left unanswered from the 50-minute / 14 week course, and students asked to have a time before graduation to talk through more questions. The EM department facilitated the evening discussion, which lasted nearly 3 hours. At the end of the session, the students decided to create their own discussion group this fall for these types of open conversations. Named Project 231 (231 = the room number of where we met), I'm really excited to see how this student-run discussion group evolves.
How is the Boston arts community involved with the Entrepreneurial Musicianship program?
A portion of the EM's work has been to create 'field experience' opportunities for our students. This initiative builds on the arts admin internships that have traditionally been offered at NEC, and additionally combines with the Entrepreneurial Internships launched this past semester (providing students with 3-tiered experience in administration, communications, and professional rehearsal/performance). Some field experiences will remain as internships, yet we need to be flexible to fit each students' individual needs. (For example, we matched a senior trombonist and soon-to-be medical student with one of our E-Advisors for conversations about music and medicine. The E-Advisor is a practicing surgeon, and the interest / conversation between the two developed to a point where the E-Advisor invited her to sit in on a surgery he performed.). At the same time, we're building a healthy roster of community arts partners who are interested in the EM approach to learning. This will always continue to develop over time, yet it's wonderful to see the wide variety of interest, engagement, and potential experiences for NEC students. The possibilities are endless!
Alumni support is always critical to innovative efforts such as this. What has been the alumni reaction to your efforts?
I've seen an overwhelming response from NEC alumni, most a bit jealous that this program didn't exist when they were in school! The alums have provided valuable insight into what they wish they would have been prepared for, and how advice on how we might be successful in creating classes or seminars that would address these needs. Many alums have offered to lead seminars or classes, and an even greater number have signed up to be E-Advisors to our students (55% of our E-Advisor roster is NEC alums!). All of our seminars and workshops are open to our alumni (we're hoping to stream these online this year, so more than just Boston-based alumni can participate), and in a few years I'm planning to create an Entrepreneurial Alumni Grant program. It's fantastic to see this kind of response from our alums, and I hope to continue to build on their interest in ways that benefit both them and our students.
Do you see international student groups participating in your programming?
In somewhat limited numbers, yes. Our first and most direct opportunity is with the undergraduate class, which is a required course for our entire undergraduate population. We've seen other international students come to various seminars or extra-curricular learning. We've also seen a relatively large number of this population who have come into the office for individual advising sessions. I believe working with international students is a great opportunity that we all have in front of us. Whether an international student wants to remain in the US after school or whether they'd like to return home, there are different strategies for building careers in different countries. (Again, our alumni are great resources for beginning to understand these differences.) I also believe this would be a great topic for colleagues around the country to discuss and share learning on!
Can you see aspects of the EM program working at private colleges or public universities?
Yes, definitely! However, I doubt an exact replica of NEC's program would work at many other places. After spending 10 months in research and development for the EM program when I specifically sought out meetings with various institutions of higher education, I have not found two programs that come close to looking the same. Additionally, entrepreneurship is interpreted differently by each institution and by each individual involved (faculty and student alike). These different perspectives actually provide a great place to begin conversations with colleagues on individual campuses. At NEC, we found that it's not an exact definition of 'entrepreneur' that matters, but rather the mindset of the entrepreneurial approach that provides the foundation for the EM initiatives. When you can engage colleagues with why they feel entrepreneurship is important and what they would most like students to have from this type of learning, you're able to find common ground to begin to create something that fits within your school. Whether it's a course, a grant initiative, a seminar series, individual advising sessions, or even a conversation group, there is always a way to get students involved in some type of EM program.
In your opinion, how important will EM be to the fabric of NEC in 2021?
In my opinion, I think EM will be fully integrated and a crucial piece of the school's culture by 2021, especially as the arts industry continues to evolve in the next 10 years. Along with all that we're creating now, I believe technology will play a central role in the expansion of the musicians' "toolbox".
That said, I suppose time will only tell what really happens in the next 10 years, so feel free to keep tabs on how NEC's EM department is developing! You can find us online at the links below, and I'd always welcome conversations about what's happening in the field.
Facebook: "New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Musicianship"
Twitter: @necentrepreneur
Blog: www.emusicianship.tumbler.com