Academic Papers 3 (Royal Salon C)
Monika Herzig, Moderator
Beyond the Student Record Label:
Approaches to Engaging Students in Real World Practices
Jerry Brindisi
Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Music Business Concentration
Columbia College Chicago
Henric Lindström
Head of Music & Event Management Program
Linnaeus University School of Business & Economics
Jonas Bjälesjö
Head of Music & Event Management Program
Linnaeus University School of Business & Economics
Justin Sinkovich
Assistant Professor
Columbia College Chicago
Music and entertainment industry educators are faced with the challenge of adequately preparing students to assimilate into professions within the industry with a knowledge base, skill set and the experience necessary to be successful in the highly competitive market. Given the ever-changing, increasingly complex, and uncertain professional environment facing the music and entertainment industries, progressive curriculum approaches and extra curricular initiatives are attempting to keep pace by providing students real-world experiences and the opportunity to take risks, learn-by-doing, and tackle real-world problems in a safe environment.
In what ways are music and entertainment industry programs giving students the opportunity to gain work experience while pursuing their education? Pedagogical approaches used by Linnaeus University, Sweden and Columbia College Chicago now include a number of practical learning experiences that go beyond the traditional student record label model. The Arts Entertainment & Media Management Department (AEMM) at Columbia College has begun implementing innovative curriculum as the next step in its program re-envisioning. AEMM has expanded its offerings in cross-discipline practicum courses, experiential learning opportunities and immersive formats. Simultaneous, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Music & Event Management Program at Linnaeus University School of Business & Economics expand the already established real world student cases such as the student run Rookie Festival to include national and international projects such as the Hammelburg Business Game and the DNA On Tour project, both focusing on student collaborations and putting even more focus on student entrepreneurship, practicum and collaboration with the Music Industry beyond the classroom.
Feedback from students and professionals applaud these approaches but how does a more formal assessment measure them? An exploration of the successful outcomes and challenges facing these learning formats provides some insight into the their validity as representative of what students will face when working in industry.