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Jazz performing artist Maria Schneider joins us as part of her visit to CU. Come hear her speak about her entrepreneurial career, especially her use of the website ArtishShare to distribute her recordings and how she came to win the first-ever Grammy for an independently-produced album. This is a MUST-SEE for everyone,regardless of genre.

Learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business concept. This NVC course focuses on developing a business plan and pitch for any idea. Frank Moyes, senior CU entrepreneurship professor and director of CU Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education will present the basics to help all NVC teams successfully launch into the New Venture Challenge. Networking at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:00pm, light refreshments, Wolf Law Courtroom. 

If you’re thinking of entering the NVC, please come see me so we can get you connected with a mentor and begin the process of putting your plan together!

Spring ECM Courses:

The Entrepreneurial Musician (TMUS 4493) returns! After great feedback last year, this introduction to the principles of entrepreneurship and how it applies to music and the arts is back.  Team-taught with entrepreneurship scholar Frank Moyes and ECM Director Nytch. Note: see Amy Larsen for the TMUS registration form; you won’t find this online. (Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45am – 3 credits)

Community Performances (MUS 4958): Learn to program music for a variety of audiences, gain confidence speaking about your work, and gain the skills needed to put on a concert “from A to Z.” Your final project is to actually present a concert at a local venue of your choosing. A great way to test out your recital rep. or get an additional performance of it! (Mon/Wed 10:00-10:50am – 2 credits)

Articles of the Week

•    El Sistema catching on in the U.S. (including here in Colorado!): 

•    8 Grant-writing myths debunked 

Entrepreneurial Thought of the Week: Creative solutions

This week we continue our series on the entrepreneurial process with Step Three: finding creative solutions to the needs you identify.

1. What do I/we [i.e, your group or organization] have to offer?

2. What needs are there in the marketplace that I can address?

3. What is a creative solution to meet that need?

4. Is my solution financially and logistically feasible?

5. How shall I implement my solution?

6. Deliver with an unwavering commitment to excellence.

This week is the fun part! You’ve figured out what you have to offer – your gifts, skills, and knacks – and you’ve identified a market and studied its needs. Now creativity comes to the fore: how can you apply what you have to offer to the needs of the market? Sometimes this involves a lot of thought and reflection; sometimes just getting together with your business partner(s) or some like-minded friends and brainstorming. Or maybe, once and awhile, pure inspiration strikes!

Sometimes it’s not any great creative insight, either. For instance, I’m at Baylor University this week lecturing on entrepreneurship and having some of my music performed on their new music series. Sunday night my host took me to dinner at a popular Thai place: and it was packed with students. I remarked about how busy they were and my host replied, “This is one of only two Thai places in town; it used to be that neither was open on Sunday nights, but then they stopped serving dinner in the dorms on Sundays; the other guy refused to open for the extra hours but this guy did – and now you’re lucky to get in here on Sundays.” Sounds simple, yes? This restaurant owner didn’t have any groundbreaking market insight; all he had to be was observant. And in the end I think that’s the most important quality to have at this stage in the entrepreneurial process. I just read a fascinating article in The New Yorker on Steve Jobs, and it made essentially the same case: that the thing that really distinguished him was his keen eye and the critical way he viewed things that already existed. In other words, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time was more a “tinkerer” than the original creative force behind something. But the results were powerful, just the same.

The point is, we’re all unique, and we each have our own particular approach to creative thought: some of us create something completely new (we’re “innovators”), and some of us see a key modification to something that already exists (we’re “tinkerers”). Either way, applying that creative thought to market needs is the road all entrepreneurs travel. How can that creative thinking apply to your own career goals and aspirations?

The Video of the Week!

I have a feeling this is a re-run…

Send me your videos! I’ve run out!!

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 

NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY is now accepting applications for its 4th class of Abreu Fellows. The Abreu Fellowship is a tuition-free program to train musicians to develop El Sistema-style music education programs in the U.S.

ARTS ENTERPRISE, the national student-led arts entrepreneurship organization, is excited to announce our next Arts Enterprise Summit: The Creative Economy and You will be held March 23-25, 2012 at the Drucker School of Business at Claremont Graduate University. For more info, check out: http://artsenterprise.com/

SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS has posted a job for a Web Production and Education Specialist:

http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/docs/folkways/jobs/Web-Production-Education-Specialist.pdf

“Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is looking for a talented, creative, experienced, and proactive person with ethnomusicology, web technology, writing, and interpersonal skills to serve as Web Production and Education Specialist to create, solicit, coordinate, and edit content for its websites and to coordinate its educational programs.”

DR. NOIZE INC. expanding again and hiring a full time Education Outreach Director! Are you passionate about inspiring and educating kids? Do you think teachers are the coolest adults in the world? Wanna make a difference? Then join our Band. Email brian@doctornoize.com (a former teacher himself) with your interest. You’ll help us accomplish our Mission Statement: Doctor Noize inspires creativity, curiosity and character through music, art and words. In the next 18 months, we’re releasing a dazzling array of multimedia products and curriculums aimed to do just that. Our enhanced commitment to education reflects both the former schoolteacher in me and the big dreams of my wonderful partners at Dream Cortex. You’ll be offering amazing fundraising deals, curriculums and opportunities to teachers and schools across the country to enrich the creative experiences of their students. We view teachers as our peers and partners here at Doctor Noize Inc., and your main job is to communicate that to them. Experience in education and sales are a plus, but the only essential trait for this and any other job with us is that you are scrappy and passionate, take full ownership of your roles and results, and are super fun to work with. If you’re nice, we’ll let you meet our bass playing hippo. (Warning: He might hit on you.)

C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!  The C4C is now sponsoring 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, and they’re paying $100 plus dinner. A fun and tasty opportunity to test out some repertoire in a relaxed setting. Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall to sign up: nathanalanhall@gmail.com

INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER: As you start thinking about your spring schedule, consider doing in internship at a local music business or non-profit. We have a wide range of internship opportunities that can be great learning experiences and valuable additions to your resume. Internships can be done for academic or not, and the choice is pretty much up to you. Stop by the ECM Office for more information! For instance, here’s two to check out right away: