Ever thought of starting your own performing ensemble? What are the ins and outs? How does one begin? Come chat with our own Paul Miller and gain valuable, first-hand insights into the process!
This Wednesday, 5:00-6:30, C-113听<
For just $20 you can get a professional headshot made. This is a great opportunity, and spaces are limited!听Sign up on the ECM door today!
ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:
鈥⑻�Tips for negotiating performance fees from Ask Edna:听
鈥⑻�鈥淩eal鈥� vs. 鈥淔ake鈥� failure:听an interesting perspective on the topic鈥μ�
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ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS STORY: Opera on Tap
CU voice student Julie Silver, along with alum Alex Sierra and two of their colleagues have formed a Denver area chapter of Opera on Tap, the NY-based group that brings opera to unconventional venues such as bars and pubs. Check out their article in the Daily Camera () and come to their first Boulder event Wed. Feb. 22 at Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place (2027 13th听St.).
Wondering how to make YOUR idea a reality? The ECM has the tools you need!
Got a success story of your own? Share it with us!
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ENTREPRENEURIAL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK:听Failure and Innovation go hand-in-hand
Let me start by quoting an interesting Blog by R. Keith Sawyer of the University of Berkeley鈥檚 Greater Good Science Center:
In 1949, the comedian Sid Caesar brought together a legendary group of comedy writers and created one of the biggest television hits of the 1950s, Your Show of Shows. Caesar鈥檚 team included Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Neil Simon. It may have been the greatest writing staff in the history of television. Caesar created a fun and improvisational environment, where the team would riff on each other鈥檚 ideas. The writers felt like they belonged to something greater than themselves. I call it 鈥済roup flow.鈥�
To understand the roots of group flow, it helps to understand a bit more about how individuals find flow. Famed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that people are more likely to get into flow when their environment has four important characteristics:
Jazz ensembles rarely experience flow during rehearsal; group flow seems to require an audience, and the accompanying risk of real, meaningful failure. Jazz musicians and improv theater ensembles never know how successful a performance will be, and they learn not to ignore the feeling of stage fright but to harness it, using it as a powerful force to push them toward flow. Research shows us over and over again that the twin sibling of innovation is frequent failure. There鈥檚 no creativity without failure, and there鈥檚 no group flow without the risk of failure. These two common research findings go hand in hand, because group flow is often what produces the most significant innovations.
Let鈥檚 take a moment to ponder this statement:听鈥淩esearch shows us over and over again that the twin sibling of innovation is frequent failure.鈥澨�That may be an uncomfortable thought to some of you. Our educational system does not train us to embrace failure, but rather to avoid it at all costs. This can be especially true in our musical education, where there is a fairly high degree of objective 鈥渞ight鈥� vs. 鈥渨rong鈥� (either you are playing the correct notes, rhythms, dynamics and articulations, or you鈥檙e not). But one of the core principles of entrepreneurship is the idea that failure is a necessary part of success. In fact, many of the entrepreneurs I鈥檝e met since moving to Boulder practically brag about how many business ventures they鈥檝e started 鈥� and how many have failed. You see, they realize that each of those failures is a precious opportunity to learn, to refine their idea, and to dramatically improve their chances of the success the next time around.
So for those of us who haven鈥檛 studied Jazz or improvisational theatre, how do we learn to 鈥渇low鈥�? How do we learn to 鈥渃reatively fail鈥�? I think we have to start with our dreams: what are the things you wish you could do, but your fear of failure (or a lack of clarity how to proceed) stood in the way? And then look at those four conditions that Csikszentmihalyi identified: are there others you can team with the requisite skills to accomplish the task? Can you clearly define the goal you鈥檙e seeking? How can you and your teammates gather and concentrate on the task? C鈥檚 work suggests that if you can satisfy these criteria, the creative environment needed to produce viable ideas will emerge. And that鈥檚 the most important step to attaining your goals. The rest is simply gathering the tools you need to execute your plan 鈥� and that鈥檚 where the ECM can help. Stop by and we鈥檒l talk it through!
The Video of the Week!
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The Entrepreneurship Center for Music 鈥⑻�Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director
Email:听jeff.nytch@colorado.edu听听鈥⑻齇ffice Hours: T/Th: 9-11 a.m.听 W: 2-4 p.m.听鈥� or by appointment
Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113听 鈥⑻� Follow us on听Facebook
THE INTERACTIVE THEATRE PROJECT听is seeking a graduate student to be an听Assistant Director.听ITP uses theater to address social justice issues on campus and in the community. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelors degree and enrollment in a graduate program (theater, sociology, education or related field). Background and understand of diversity/multiculturalism and/or social justice. Experience working with undergraduate students. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to:听trenton.norman@colorado.edu听orrebecca.brown@colorado.edu
ROAD OF CREATIVITY听announces its first听Summer Retreat听on becoming a musician entrepreneur June 3-9. The retreat is a five-day immersion into the fundamentals of music entrepreneurship. Participants will engage in innovative training sessions with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, and will expose skills and attitudes imperative for success in today鈥檚 music world.听
LONGMONT YOUTH SYMPHONY听seeks听 candidates for a听part-time Administrator听to help 听us sustain and grow our organization. The Administrator reports to the LYS Board of Directors and works closely with the board and volunteers. 听Responsibilities include organizing and participating in all 听aspects of the LYS operations, managing LYS听resources, coordinating and communicating with key stakeholders (students, parents, volunteers and music听directors). 听 The Administrator serves as the main contact for the LYS and as the 鈥済o-to鈥� person for LYS parents.听To apply, please e-mail cover letter, resume and references to:听听info@longmontyouthsymphony.org
BRAVO! VAIL VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL听is seeking听Summer Interns听in听Marketing, Production, Development听and听Education.听Please provide a cover letter and resume via email to听egauthier@vailmusic.org. Deadline is听Feb. 27.
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR THE SPRING听SEMESTER & SUMMER:听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!
LOOKING FOR AN ACADEMIC JOB?听In addition to听The Chronicle for Higher Education,听which you should be checking regularly, and the College Music Society, which you should join, another potential source for listings of academic jobs is this site:听
C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!听听The C4C is continuing their special 鈥淔ood Weeks鈥� that feature different cuisines from around the world. They鈥檙e interested in having CU musicians play for the dinner hour on selected nights, in return for a modest honorarium and free dinner for all involved. A fun and tasty opportunity to perform in a relaxed setting, for solo performers up to a group of 4 players. World music performers and works featuring Latin, Asian, or Middle Eastern influence encouraged! Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall for more information:musicref@colorado.edu.
