Visual & Performing Arts

Tag: Visual & Performing Arts

Non-Performing Careers in Music

Perhaps your original career plan was to be a professional singer or musician, but somewhere along the way, that plan changed.  Deciding not to perform doesn’t mean you still can’t work in music.  Transitioning from a performing career can be challenging, but it also offers a world of opportunities where your skills and passion for music can thrive. While some might require additional education, here are ten other options to consider.

Music Education

  • Teaching: Consider obtaining teaching credentials to become a music teacher in schools or private institutions. Your performance background will be invaluable in inspiring and educating students.
  • Workshops and Clinics: Lead workshops, masterclasses, or clinics for aspiring musicians. This can be particularly fulfilling and allow you to share your expertise.

Music Therapy

  • Certification: Pursue certification as a music therapist. This field combines music with therapeutic practices to help individuals with various emotional, mental, or physical challenges.
  • Specializations: Work in settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, or private practice.

Music Production and Technology

  • Sound Engineering: Learn about sound engineering and audio production. Your musical ear can be an asset in recording studios, live sound for events, or post-production for media.
  • Music Production: Work as a music producer, helping other artists to develop their sound and record their music.

Arts Administration

  • Management: Use your insider knowledge of the music industry to manage arts organizations, orchestras, or theaters. Roles in operations, marketing, or development can be very rewarding.
  • Event Planning: Organize concerts, festivals, or other music-related events. This can include everything from logistics to artist management.

Music Business and Entrepreneurship

  • Music Publishing: Work in music publishing, helping artists get their music distributed and monetized.
  • Artist Management: Become an artist manager, using your experience to guide other musicians in their careers.
  • Entrepreneurship: Start your own music-related business, such as a music school, a recording studio, or a music promotion company.

Writing and Journalism

  • Music Criticism: Write for music magazines, blogs, or newspapers as a critic or columnist, sharing your insights and reviews of performances, albums, and trends.
  • Content Creation: Develop content for online platforms, creating videos, podcasts, or blogs that focus on music education, reviews, or industry news.

Performance-Related Roles

  • Session Musician: Work as a session musician for recordings or live performances. This can be a more flexible and varied path compared to solo performing.
  • Accompanist: Accompany other performers, whether singers, dancers, or other musicians, in various settings such as schools, churches, or theaters.

Corporate Roles in the Music Industry

  • Marketing and PR: Use your understanding of the music scene to work in marketing, public relations, or social media for music labels, venues, or artist agencies.
  • Talent Scouting: Work as a talent scout or A&R (Artists and Repertoire) representative, discovering and nurturing new talent.

Community and Non-Profit Work

  • Community Programs: Lead or coordinate community music programs, which can range from youth orchestras to outreach programs in underserved areas.
  • Non-Profit Organizations: Work with non-profit organizations that promote music education, cultural initiatives, or support for musicians.

Further Education and Specialization

  • Advanced Degrees: Consider pursuing further education in fields like musicology, ethnomusicology, or arts administration, which can open up additional career paths in academia or specialized areas.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to reflect on your interests, strengths, and the aspects of music that you are most passionate about. Networking with professionals in these fields and possibly seeking internships or volunteer opportunities can provide practical insights and open doors. Remember, the skills and experiences you’ve gained in performance—such as discipline, creativity, and collaboration—are highly transferable and valued in many other roles within the music industry and beyond.

What To Do During This Summer for Music, Art & Film Students

Step 1: Find out your goal

Music

For musicians, you may already have a summer program opportunity or internship for the summer. If so, make it your goal to learn as much as possible during these opportunities. If you don’t have one of these opportunities lined up, that is okay! You can spend your summer preparing for graduate school auditions, summer pre-screens, academic auditions, or more. 

Art

For those interested in the art field, you may have internships lined up for the summer as well. It may be your goal to get as much experience possible at these opportunities. If you don’t you can always work on projects to bulk up your portfolio or prepare for your academic art exhibits and projects. You can also prepare materials to apply for graduate programs or future jobs/internships. 

Film

For film students, if you don’t have an opportunity lined up for the summer like an internship, you can spend your summer bulking up your portfolio as well. You can also prepare materials for the next academic year, graduate school applications, or just future job opportunities. 

Step 2: Figure out the steps to achieve that goal

Music

For those who are music majors, you can check out a previous helpful guide we have created here. 

Art

You can actually do quite a bit to achieve multiple goals during the summer as an art major. You can work on weekly pieces to bulk up your portfolio, or even create your own “artist residency”. To create your own residency you can try taking online classes that interest you, or if you are feeling daring you can even move to a different city for the summer and work at a makerspace to learn from other artists. Whatever route you plan on taking, make sure that your steps to achieve your goal are clear!

Film

For those interested in film, working on projects over the summer is the perfect thing to do in your spare time. It can be hard during the academic year to find enough time to work on your big projects, so take the extra time to create something you have always wanted to create! You can also spend the time perfecting your portfolio to send to future opportunities. You can even reach out to local news stations or film companies to see if they have any temporary openings.

Step 3: Execute! 

For all areas of the Visual & Performing Arts Community, stick to your plan! If you end up falling behind that is totally okay, just be sure you have a chance to recharge and get back in there. Always keep in mind that even the tiniest amount of progress can make a huge impact on your career and your goals. 

Step 4: Keep track of your progress

Music

For musicians, keeping track of progress is either incredibly easy for your or incredibly hard. If you are trying to practice more this summer, try keeping a video diary of your practice sessions and lessons. If that doesn’t work, try a physical practice diary to check in with how you and your instrument are feeling each day or week. If you are at an internship or program you can also use the diary method.

Art

Thankfully for artists, it can be relatively easy to see the progress you are making throughout the summer. If you are building your portfolio up, you can compare your past pieces to your present ones or see if you want to improve any past ones you have done. If you are taking a class, you can gauge how attentive you are to the material or even ask the professor how you are doing. 

Film

For those interested in film you can also see your progress relatively easily if you are building your portfolio. You can compare your past pieces with your newest ones to see how you have improved. If you are finding it easier to write your application materials the more you spend time with them, that is also progress! 

Step 5: Enjoy the benefits!

Once you have completed all of your steps, you can now go and get that audition, job, or internship a lot easier! Fill out those online forms, schedule those interviews and get those plane tickets to go and land those opportunites. If your goal didn’t include applying for anything, you now have the tools you need to become the best version of yourself and your artform! Hopefully, throughout the process you learned a lot more about yourself as an individual and what your interests are in order to inform yourself on what to do in the future.

Job Search Resources for Film Students: Mandy.com & StaffMeUp.com

Mandy.com

Mandy is a simple job search tool for those in the film and theater industries which functions a lot like LinkedIn. You can easily find casting and crew calls for all sorts of productions and apply for them safely directly through the website. All you need is a free account to start seeing the listings, however, you have to pay for a subscription in order to apply for the positions and make sure your profile is seen. The nice thing about Mandy is that it organizes opportunities by employer. That way if you find an employer you would like to work for it lists all of their available positions in one place, rather than having to weed through all other listings to find that particular employer. 

StaffMeUp.com

StaffMeUp is a great resource for those looking for film jobs and internships. Unlike Mandy, it does not feature theater internships and only showcases film and crew opportunities. The website is extremely easy to navigate and you just need to make a free profile to start applying for positions. With the free version, you are allowed to apply to 5 opportunities every month, but if you would like to apply to more you must pay for a subscription. The paid subscription also gives you access to the status of your application to see when it is being reviewed. Overall, StaffMeUp’s free version is much more useful than Mandy’s since you can actually start applying for positions right away without having to pay anything.

#VPA Interview with Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and Theatre Chair, Kathy Privatt

Q: What does the path to a career in theatre look like for a student currently at Lawrence?A: If they are in the major they take core courses that go across the discipline. They will have performance course work, design course work, and literature and history course work. We think of it like a 3 legged stool, since all performance takes from those main aspects. After these main courses, you have a choice to explore these areas further or you can choose an area of specialization such as design tech., directing, or literature history. You are also required to be involved in some aspect of 6 performances. Finally, you end with a Senior Experience that is individual to each student.
Q: What other majors or minors are often paired with theatre in order to reach different careers in the industry?A: Art History and Studio Art is often paired with Theatre to lead to a career in design. Those interested in dramaturgy or playwriting often pair it with an English or Creative Writing major. Performers often pair Theatre with Psychology or Sociology since you have to think about human behavior while you’re on stage. Many also do the double-degree program within the Conservatory if they are interested in Musical-Theatre, pairing with the Vocal Performance major.
Q:Can you estimate what the job placement percentage is for Lawrence students pursuing a career in the industry? A: The trajectory for making a living in theatre is often a lot slower than other areas. This could be the case for a few years post-graduation. However, many students end up going into grad schools later on depending on the school. Many grad schools prefer theatre majors to have some experience working in the industry before applying, which also makes the trajectory for immediate placement after graduation slower.
Q:What have students done after graduation that have gone through the theatre program? A: Professional actors. Some started teaching at the college level. We have people that immediately started work in scene shops, costume shops, and doing design work. Stage management. We also have some teaching secondary education, which is exciting for us since we want to build new theatre-makers and keep things going.
Q:What are the different careers within the field of theatre? A: There are the big ones: actor, director, and designer which could be set, costumes, lighting, make-up, or sound. You could be a stage manager or run-crew and light-boards. Dramaturgy and lots of people are teaching artists that are at regional theatres. Theatre management, which is management of the performing venue itself.
Q:What would you say is the hardest field to find careers in for theatre? Which ones are in high demand?A: Right now in the U.S. acting and playwriting is the hardest career to make a living off of. Many actors and playwriters have to have a second form of income. Some of the easiest are the production roles such as set construction and stage management.
Q:What influenced your decision to become a professor. What do you love about it? A: I genuinely get excited about what happens when you take scholarly inquiry and fuse it with creative choice. To share that with other people, and to collaborate with a company, which is how I think of the theatre department. I can’t imagine a more joyful place and way to be making theatre.
Q:Do you have any tips for current students pursuing a theatre career? A: Number one, think about internships, at least in the summertime. This is a way to explore what careers can be possible and which ones you are interested in. You will develop a network of people that know you and how you work. I would definitely say go to the Career Center from the moment you first can, so that you are doing things like practicing interview skills and writing resumes. Also, think about the skills you are learning in all of your course work and extracurricular activities, and what those skills might mean to your future employers. Connect with alumni relations so you have an idea of where you want to be.

YAP Tracker: A useful tool for Undergraduate Vocalists

YAP Tracker is a useful tool for looking for young artist, summer opera programs, and competitions! You may think you don’t have any use for YAP Tracker in your undergraduate experience, but it is actually a very useful tool, and you can do a lot with just a free account.

For undergraduate students, you can apply for many different summer opera programs all in one place! You can upload your repertoire to your video library, upload headshots and your resume to your profile, and select them to send to multiple applications. You don’t have to worry about searching the files on your computer every time to find that one aria you really want to showcase, because YAP Tracker keeps all the videos you uploaded saved to your profile to use again and again. You can even safely pay for application and audition fees.

YAP Tracker also tells you when your applications are received, being reviewed, and if offers were extended. You can also archive past applications of opportunities you’ve attended to see exactly what application materials to use in the future. 

You can also pay for a premium account. This gives you access to even more exclusive opportunities, extra space to save more video files, get notifications for upcoming deadlines, and tracking tools. Currently, the rate for a “full access” account is $59 for a year or $99 for two years.

Overall, YAP Tracker is a tool that every singer should learn how to use. Many opportunities are posted on it every week, and it is a great place to keep all of your application materials. This is one tool that classical singers are expected to use frequently, and there is no better time to start than now!

Create your Free YAP account today: YAP Tracker

Sounds of Lawrence University (SOLU)

For the students:

Finding gigs in Appleton has never been easier! Introducing Sounds of Lawrence University, a student-run gigging service made to connect student musicians to the city of Appleton. Founder and President Alex Lewis says,

 “Sounds of Lawrence University is a student-run musician booking service that contracts Lawrence University student musicians to play gigs in the Appleton and surrounding areas. An Executive Board takes care of management, outreach, marketing, contracting, and other needs so that the musicians can focus on their craft and creating the best experience possible for their clients!”

If you are a student looking to get on the call-list for gigs, please fill out this form and you will be put on SOLU’s roster. If you have any questions, please email solu@lawrence.edu.

For the community:

Looking for musicians for your upcoming event? Whether it’s weddings, church services, or even dinner parties, Sounds of Lawrence University is the right place for you to find passionate musicians. With multiple 5 star reviews, SOLU strives to make sure that your event or big day is as perfect and stress-free as possible.

They offer string quartets, solo instruments, small wind ensembles, small jazz ensembles, vocal ensembles, and much more!

Have an event coming up? Liven it up with some live music from Lawrence’s musicians! Check out the website or email solu@lawrence.edu if you are interested in hiring musicians!