Today I returned home from a lovely visit to Decatur, Illinois. I was there to speak with music business students at Millikin University.
Those I talked with run a student-led venue/project called Arts Cafe, on their own campus. They’re getting the experience of putting shows together for their own community, in a very hands-on way. It’s so refreshing to learn about programs like this in higher education!
Their professor had asked me to speak on forming Wisconsin Music Ventures, running a music business, and also the recent events we’ve been working through with regards to women’s safety in the music business.
I really enjoy doing these types of things. There are about five different colleges/universities that I’ve spoken at over the last few years, and I continue to have relationships with them. For quite some time there, all of the speaking engagements seemed to be online (COVID). While the 4-hour drive to Decatur was a hefty one, I was glad to do it – it is so nice to engage with students live and in-person again.
I’m thrilled that there are more universities putting an emphasis on learning the business of music. Performance is great, and every musician needs to do that well, of course… But there are a whole lot of steps that musicians need to take in order to get to the point of booking those gigs, much less rebooking them.
There is an art to being a real working, performing artist; it’s not just what happens on stage.
I’m glad that schools such as Millikin University are emphasizing and encouraging education around promotion, management and all the other roles that are required to run events. Keep up the great work!