"Music
Business is sometimes considered to be what goes on behind
the scenes whenever and wherever there is music. For instance,
when you consider a single musical performance, like a concert,
often the services of a promotion team, an agent, a manager,
and stage crew (including lights and sound) are needed before
the first note of music is even played. When you purchase a
CD, that product represents the work not only of the artist,
but studio engineers, producers, technicians, visual and graphic
artists, photographers, lawyers, marketing, distributors, buyers
- the list goes on. Radford's Music Business curriculum gives
you an ideal background for a variety of positions."
(Chris Clark, student)
The
Bachelor of Music Concentration in Music Business, offered by
Radford University's Department of Music is one of relatively
few such programs in the country. The program is designed to
provide students with a professional degree in music that focuses
on selected aspects of the arts & entertainment industries.
Regular music coursework is supplemented with required music
business classes, business degree core requirements, and cognate
courses in the student's individual area of professional interest.
In this way, the curriculum provides students with both the
breadth and depth of knowledge necessary to be successful players
in this multifaceted industry. This concentration is also ideal
for students interested in managing their own careers. Music
Business is a field with unlimited opportunity and can be a
challenging and exciting career.
ABOUT
RU's PROGRAM
"I
view the music business concentration at RU as a dynamic program,
constantly responding to the ever-changing needs and demands
of the industry. Our students are involved on a daily basis
with projects and real-life experiences which allow them to
apply the concepts learned in class. I believe that the combined
knowledge in music and business which the Radford program provides
prepares our graduates with the necessary skills to be successful
in, and greatly impact the arts & entertainment industries."
(Dr. Denise C. Dabney, Director of Music Business)
Students in Radford University's Music Business concentration
come from all over the country and the world. For example, the
program has had students from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Maryland, New Jersey; and even as far as Japan and Puerto Rico.
Radford's proximity to Nashville, TN; Washington, DC; Atlanta,
GA; and Chapel Hill, NC; offers a major advantage to students
as they prepare to work in both non-profit and commercial arts
industries.
Radford
University's Music Business concentration may be summarized
and is demonstrated by the following program components:
NEW
"Management, too, is an art." --Mozart's
father (and manager)--
Radford
University's "new" Music Business Program is more
than just a degree, it's an opportunity for a career of a lifetime.
Until recently, there were few educational programs in place
that would prepare students for a career in this exciting industry.
Most of the people who were employed in these jobs entered the
field with little or no real knowledge of the music industry.
Perhaps they were business men and women who happened to like
music, or artists who didn't really understand the "bottom
line." Over the last several years, schools such as Radford
have recognized and responded to the need for workers to fill
positions in this growing industry. Though Radford's program
has existed for a number of years, it has been recently revised
and restructured to better prepare students for the ever-changing
needs of the industry.
"I feel that Radford's Music Business concentration
was a way for me to combine my love of music with the practicality
of a background in business…it made my parents happy, too!"
--Scott Baugh, student--
UNIQUE
The
Radford Music Business Program includes rigorous curricula in
BOTH music AND business and has gained the reputation as being
a demanding, but very rewarding and practical degree program.
This is unique in that most similar programs include an emphasis
in one of these areas, but not both. RU graduates are trained
to be artists AND managers and are well prepared to help bridge
the real world gap between music and business.
INDIVIDUALIZED
"The Music Business program's individualized approach makes
learning easier…The professors all know me by name and really
seem to care about my learning. The small class sizes allow
me to ask a lot of questions and professors' office hours a
re convenient and frequent" --Heather Jones, student—
The
focus of RU's curriculum is on management and on producing managers
who understand the art of music and of business. The program
is individualized, requiring students to fulfill core requirements
but allowing them to focus business and music business upper
division electives in an area of professional interest.
HANDS-ON
"I have learned much more from projects than I would
have from tests…Hands-on is always a more effective learning
tool than book reading only…" --Robert Bowen, student--
The
program further meets individual student needs by being based
on experiential learning. This hands-on approach combines theory
with application and uses projects as the basis for student
evaluation through demonstrated application of class materials.
Music
Business students are involved on a daily basis with projects
relating to their area of interest which allow them to apply
concepts and knowledge gained in class. Recent student projects
have included developing promotion materials for bands and other
visual and performing arts organizations; producing a series
of radio shows; implementing an Arts-in-Education program in
conjunction with the local schools; producing a Music Business
video; and developing a Music Business home page on the world
wide web.
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