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THIS WEEK ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEDNESDAYS: THE AUDITION: preparation & execution

The next installment in our series on the essential tools every musician needs. Mike Thornton, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Horn Professor and Principal Horn of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Symphony, joins us to talk about the audition process: tips on preparation & nailing your audition. A great opportunity to bring your questions and concerns, and learn from someone who’s been there – and landed success!

5:00-6:30 in C-113. As always, Free Pizza & Drinks!

THE NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE IS COMING. . .

What’s the New Venture Challenge, you ask? It’s the campus-wide business plan competition! But it’s also more than that: it’s great workshops, mentors with members from Boulder’s entrepreneurial community, and a chance to flesh out your dreams & ideas into a viable, career-sustaining venture. There’s also some serious prize money available (!), including a $3,000 Music Prize.

Got an idea? Not sure what to do with it? Think it’s too crazy? Think it’s not crazy enough? Come talk to me about it: the New Venture Challenge might be just the way to dig down into the idea further and see if it’s got potential!

KICK-OFF NIGHT: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 5:30 in the Wolf Law Building Courtroom. Boulder entrepreneur Paul Beberian will be our special guest speaker. All are welcome; no commitment necessary!

If you missed registration…get back to me ASAP: we have a few slots left!

Articles of the Week

•    What happens when your dream vanishes? It’s a hard prospect to face: our dreams fuel us and guide us, and our work towards us can consume our life. But sometimes dreams fail to come to fruition, no matter how hard we work. Blogger Astrid Baumgardner shares some thoughts on the process…

•    Partnering with Non-profits: The Musican’s Way blog shares a good summary of how to leverage your fundraising efforts by partnering with non-profits. 

•    Cultural Construction Slows: After a decade of major arts construction projects across the nation, the Wall Street Journal reports that new building projects are slowing in the face of the weak economy.

Entrepreneurial Thought of the Week: Fear vs. Denial

Well there’s no more news this week on the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Symphony situation, though I’m sure there’s plenty going on behind the scenes. But conversations among several of the College’s faculty this past week have got me thinking about the degree to which these crises can help motivate us to be more creative and pro-active about our career development – especially for the students reading this.

There are two ways of looking at it. As a teacher, part of me wants to wave the most recent story from theDenver Post in students’ faces and say, “Look! LOOK! The business you’re about to enter is changing –fundamentally changing. You can’t just lock yourself in the practice room anymore. You can’t just plan on the traditional career path(s) anymore. Time to get creative! Time to broaden your perspective! Time to get entrepreneurial with your future!”

But a part of me wonders if that’s helpful. I’m not a big fan of fear as a motivator. For one thing, if we’re honest with ourselves most of us have plenty of fear already: we can all read those articles, we know it’s scary out there; if you’re a student then you may very well have concerned parents who make the topic of your future the subject of your weekly phone calls home. Plus, in my experience, fear is just as apt to lead to denial as it is to motivate us to positive action.

Still, we can’t just pretend there aren’t big changes already happening. And the danger of putting your head in the sand is that you can’t breathe down there. So denying the reality of our times is not exactly a strategy for success.

What to do??  Well…what would an entrepreneur do? How do entrepreneurs deal with situations in flux? They look on times like these and ask: where is the opportunity? The world of music – and not just classical music – is undergoing enormous changes right now: the internet has changed every aspect of how we access and distribute content, while our old ways of presenting “the canon” of classical works is growing more and more distant from our interdisciplinary and multi-media culture. The old business models, especially for orchestras, are failing and no longer sustainable. Huge change at every turn! But also, enormous opportunities for creative musicians to invent new models and build careers for themselves that are both artistically fulfilling and economically sustainable.

The Video of the Week!

We have a TWO-FER this week!

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

Email: jeff.nytch@colorado.edu

Office Hours:

Tues & Thurs: 9-11 a.m.  Wed: 2-4 p.m. – or by appointment

Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113

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The Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music is pleased to announce the guidelines for the fifth annual international competition for pianist/composer collaborations, the Mikhashoff Pianist/Composer Commissioning Project. The goal of the competition is to encourage the composition and performance of new works for solo piano reflecting and continuing the legacy of the distinguished American pianist, Yvar Mikhashoff (1941-1993).  The winning composer and pianist, who apply together as a team, will receive $3,000 each. The competition is limited to applicants, both pianists and composers, born on or after January 1, 1977. POSTMARK DEADLINE: November 15, 2011 

Questions by email only to Amy Williams, Competition Coordinator (amy@mikhashofftrust.org).

Polyphonic On Campus – Fall 2011 Webinar Series Earlier this year, Polyphonic On Campus began hosting a monthly webinar series featuring engaging 1-hour presentations and discussions on a range of musical topics.  Attendees from around the country can gather in a virtual space, view a live presentation from your own computer, and listen/talk to the speakers via your phone or computer speakers. These webinars are free to attend.  Below is a listing of the fall webinars.  

CREATE DENVER BUSINESS WORKSHOP SERIES This Saturday morning workshop series is tailored specifically to members of Denver’s artist community, with valuable resources to de-mystify the business challenges and issues facing creative entrepreneurs. Workshops are $10 each. 

acoustic dubstep band forming Leeds Business School student Colin Bugge is forming an acoustic dubstep band and is interested in performers and/or business-oriented music students to be a part of his venture. Any instrument is welcome. Colin may be interested in entering his venture into the New Venture Challenge – with a shot at the $3,000 music prize. If you’re interested, contact Colin Bugge at colin.bugge@colorado.edu

INTERNSHIP at PARLANDO SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Parlando is looking for an intern who can work in the Development/Fundraising area of one of Boulder’s leading community music schools. Hours flexible, but 10 hrs/week is a minimum. Available for academic credit. For more information, contact Travis LaBerge, Executive Director: labergemusic@gmail.com

COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL is looking for a Developing & Marketing intern for the Spring semester. For more information, contact Brandi Numedahl, Marketing Director: numedahl@coloradomusicfest.org