Lauren Chance

Author: Lauren Chance

Weill Music Institute: Carnegie Hall

In 2003, Carnegie Hall established the Weill Music Institute, all about creating education and social impact programs. They align directly with Carnegie’s mission of making music as accessible as possible. These programs are all free, or at least are low cost, and include workshops, ensembles opportunities, fellowships, and community programs all for increasing access to music through human connection.

Basic Information

  • Located in New York, NY, but they work with people all over the NYC area as well as the world
  • 15+ programs targeted towards musicians (of all skill levels), educators, youth, and more
  • All 50 states (and Puerto Rico!) house teachers and organizations that offer WMI programming

Example Programs

  • National Youth Orchestra of the United States is a summer program for young orchestral musicians ages 16-19 nationwide
  • National Youth Orchestra Jazz is summer program for young jazz musicians ages 16-19 nationwide
  • Link Up allows schoolchildren from grades 3-5 to learn about the orchestral experience by pairing them up with a professional orchestra
  • Big Note, Little Note is a free early childhood music program for families in NYC with children ages 3-18 months
  • NeON Arts is a free program partnered with the NYC Department of Probation that offers a variety of artistic outlets for youth on probation, hosted at community-based probation offices
  • Ensemble Connect is a fellowship (partnered with Julliard!) for emerging, professional musicians offered for two years, every two years

How A Lawrentian Can Get Involved

  • Volunteer: WMI has programs all over the world and can always use more hands! Pus, it would look fantastic on a resume…
  • Intern: Lawrence has a long standing partnership with Weill. Every year, Carnegie Hall holds an internship spot for a Lawrentian. Keep an eye out early Winter term for the Lawrence Funded Internship opportunities!
  • Make some music: For our musicians, primarily for first and second years, you can audition for their summer programs, both orchestral and jazz. As long as you’re 19 or younger.
  • Apply for a fellowship: Ensemble Connect is a fantastic opportunity for those interested in straying from the traditional path of graduate school, but still want to perform and learn. The deadline for the 2027-2029 summers is coming up in early December. Get to it!

Lauren Chance is a current sophomore at Lawrence University double majoring in Business and Entrepreneurship and Music, also minoring in Spanish. As a Career Peer Educator (NES, VPA), an Admissions Student Ambassador, and an EPIC Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor, she has a passion for helping others. Lauren aspires to work in arts administration focusing on marketing or event management. Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.

Joe Loehnis ’06: From Cellist to CEO

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Joe Loehnis ‘06, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. During his time at Lawrence, he majored in Cello Performance and was the captain of our golf team, also being the only golfer in LU’s history to be named to the All-American Team. Not only was he a successful golfer, but he was an outstanding musician. At the age of 16, he auditioned for the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra and got in, being the youngest person to this day to be awarded a tenure position there. He has also held positions in three other orchestras as a featured soloist.

After graduation, Joe became a professional golfer for a few years, placing in the top three in several tournaments. When I asked him about how he got into arts administration, he had an interesting story about being in line for groceries in Florida, where he was competing at the time. He heard someone in front of him talking about how there were no cello teachers in the area. This was when Joe approached them and eventually started his own private cello studio, starting with 10 students and maxing out at 75. With this ambition, and with no formal business background, he became the Executive Director at The First Tee, a non profit focusing on education and health for youth through golf. After great success there, Joe was looking for a change. After working with a recruiter, they said to him, “I found your next job. You’re going to be a CEO.”

This of course was how he wound up at the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, a musical non-profit currently worth several million. Every year, the organization puts on six weeks of free and outside music making in Madison, WI, entitled Concerts on the Square. Annually, over 50,000 people show up. No one knows the value of live music more than musicians, with the CEO stating that the experience is “like a breath of fresh air”. 

When asked about what makes a good arts administrator, Joe had many things to say. Energy was a huge one. Positive personalities mixed with raw hunger and ambition is like the magic music-business potion. Not only do you need to have tenacity, but also genuine passion. Curiosity is also crucial. Coming at arts administration from the lens of a musician is a huge leg up in the industry. Joe has also described the arts as a whole as being ‘resilient and relevant’. Honestly, us aspiring arts administrators need to be like the arts. 

Another piece of advice Loehnis gave was to “jump in the deep end with the piranhas”. The business industry is very cutthroat. You have to take risks! Having a strong background in not only music, but business is huge. You would be surprised at the amount of people working in arts administration that, like Joe, just fell into it. Having a solid understanding of the industry is so important. 

In addition, Loehnis said to use your network! “We all bleed blue”, he said in reference to Lawrentians. Meeting other people who went through the same music theory sequence is an automatic bond. Use the Lawrence community to your benefit. Find alumni who are doing what you want to do, and pick their brain. Trust me, I didn’t expect to uncover this much information from Joe Loehnis, but I am so happy I did.

Lastly, Joe talked about how important experience is. Not necessarily working at Carnegie Hall or a huge business corporation, but having “sticky” experience. Showing that you work hard is evident when your resume has years of experience at the same company, and you’ve moved up a few times. It shows you want to grow. And learn. And improve! Strong references can easily be more valuable than money.

Obviously, CEO Joe Loehnis said many things that really stood out to me in our conversation. My favorite, and my closer, is probably what he said in reference to reaching out to your network: “Get the meeting. Get the coffee. Listen 70% and talk 30%.”

Lauren Chance is a current sophomore at Lawrence University double majoring in Business and Entrepreneurship and Music, also minoring in Spanish. As a Career Peer Educator (NES, VPA), an Admissions Student Ambassador, and an EPIC Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor, she has a passion for helping others. Lauren aspires to work in arts administration focusing on marketing or event management. Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.

Meet Kat: Empowering Youth By Embracing Diversity

Kat Green ’27, BMus: Music Education (Instrumental/General), Music Performance (Multi-Instrumental)

Music Teacher: Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows

Let’s put the spotlight on Kat Green ’27 who spent their summer with the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows (BGCTM), teaching kids music through a multi-cultural lens. Kat’s students were taught everything from American folk dances to Brazilian samba drumming. Through instruments and body percussion, the young kids were able to feel empowered in their lives, both musically and educationally. That’s a powerful thing to produce.

“Waking up every morning with the knowledge that I have the power to change a child’s perception of the world through music…informed a summer full of discovery, transformation, and bravery,” Green exclaimed. She described instances of helping students learn to love music and understand different cultures, at the same time. Not only was Kat able to grow as a music educator through BGCTM, they were also able to grow as a person and expand on their own educational values. Kat spent her summer changing lives, one handboning rhythm at a time.

This internship was made possible through generous donor funding, which supports students in gaining real-world experience without the stress of balancing summer expenses. Hoping to intern next summer? Schedule an appointment at the Career Center and we can help you! The summer internship funding application will open in early January, after we get back from break. Learn more about funding for internships.

Lauren Chance is a current sophomore at Lawrence University double majoring in Business and Entrepreneurship and Music, also minoring in Spanish. As a Career Peer Educator (NES, VPA), an Admissions Student Ambassador, and an EPIC Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor, she has a passion for helping others. Lauren aspires to work in arts administration focusing on marketing or event management. Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.

Meet Madelynn: Finding Her Path Through Pathfinders

Madelynn Kennedy ’27, BA: Psychology, Neuroscience

Intern: Pathfinders Milwaukee

Let’s highlight Madelynn Kennedy ’27 who spent her summer at Pathfinders Milwaukee, one of the leading shelter programs in the country! Finding her path in social services, Madelynn spent extensive time with youth ages 9-25 who are going through incredibly tough times. By learning how to properly support them through Pathfinders Milwaukee, she gained an experience that was “almost impossible to capture on paper”.

Madelynn was able to make a real difference amongst those who needed it most. By promoting equity, inclusion, a judgement-free zone, a safe space, and professionalism, and by working directly with adoption services, corrections facilities, and the Department of Child and Family Services, she was able to use her internship opportunity as just that: an opportunity; an opportunity to change lives, in ways big and small. This is a type of career preparation you can’t take a class on. Keep it up, Madelynn!

This internship was made possible through generous donor funding, which supports students in gaining real-world experience without the stress of balancing summer expenses. Hoping to intern next summer? Schedule an appointment at the Career Center and we can help you! The summer internship funding application will open in early January, after we get back from break. Learn more about funding for internships.

Lauren Chance is a current sophomore at Lawrence University double majoring in Business and Entrepreneurship and Music, also minoring in Spanish. As a Career Peer Educator (NES, VPA), an Admissions Student Ambassador, and an EPIC Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor, she has a passion for helping others. Lauren aspires to work in arts administration focusing on marketing or event management. Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.