NETMCDO — CELEBRATING 28 YEARS!

 

Session Reports (2007) pt. 2

Session Reports (2007) pt. 2

Reports from the "Open Space" sessions on Day Two:

International Opportunities for Exchange and Cooperation for Students and Professors

Session leader: Carlotta Del Bianco
Attendees: Kim Wangler, Kathy Covert, Linda Holzer, Joe Mount, Ann Summers

Discussion and Recommendations

Students:
Possibility of students workshops at international level on the of the activity of the
Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation

Teachers:
Opportunity to create occasions for networking among US Universities and Central/Eastern
European, Eurasian Universities as well as Western European Universities (through conferences, symposiums for knowledge exchange)

Post Grad:
Internships programmes

Students/Teachers/Post Grad:
Courses of specialization for Bel Canto, Baroque Music.. with language and cultural immersion (1-3 weeks)

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Career Education Advocacy random notes from Jan Weller and Thresa Swadley

“Prepare all Fine Arts Students for a quality life in the Arts.” (as opposed to the few outstanding performers, etc.).

Faculty

We cannot change the attitude of the faculty; we can only work with them.
Faculty already represent freelance/portfolio careers
Get buy-in from faculty via newsletters and real people stories
Make lunch dates
Offer to speak to their studio about career offerings
Importance of working with resistant faculty—ask what bothers them about addressing career issues directly
Add career services to faculty meeting agenda
Send an email to faculty offering a “free” session on careers when a faculty member might be absent from class, or offer a brief overview at the beginning of class
When a faculty member attends your session (with their studio or class), confer ahead to discern their issues and concerns
Ask faculty names of alums to come in as guest speakers
Communicate with administration and faculty regarding career services goals
ASK faculty for their career services goals, mission

Students
Visit with freshmen students
Visit with prospects and parents
Make a database of jobs available to them—get it on-line.
Create simple tick-off form for incoming students—what skills do they enter with? What issues concern them? Get to know them early
Diversify: Free-lance lifestyle—teach them the business part of music.
Teach music leadership.
Try to work with a more reality-based curriculum, not the traditional “conservatory” method.

Alumni
Use alumni as examples for students
Run alumni lists in collaboration with alumni association on campus (lists in zip code order can help to put current students looking to relocate in touch with alumni in their new, chosen location)

Career Services is generally NOT on the radar screen for either administrators or faculty. If it means changing the culture, leadership must articulate/demonstrate that commitment.

Tayloe Harding’s overview of his proposed new leadership and engagement institute at U of South Carolina: curricular advocacy via improving lives through music; community outreach—more than teaching—students gain real experience with leadership principles and opportunities related to community music programs (management, publicity, participant recruitment, marketing duties, etc…), true entrepreneurship (start up, risk, etc.); new program will help to shape culture starting with a lower level, 0 credit orientation course (understanding your talent and how you can maximize it for career development and more) and upper division elective courses and certificate programs in outreach, entrepreneurship, leadership

Importance of evolution rather than simply change

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Professional development (or how to avoid burnout)

Convener: Angela Beeching
Attendees: an assorted un-identified group of us went out to lunch and mainly we gossiped and were silly (a lot of fun) and it’s all my fault (Angela) that we didn’t take notes. But here’s what I can reconstruct or add:

Ideas for renewal in our jobs/profession:
attending conferences and workshops (like NETMCDO, Chamber Music America, career counseling workshops)
reading inspiring work
stealing ideas from others
asking for feedback from colleagues, clients, friends (at our institutions and outside)
coming up with new projects to keep ourselves challenged and interested
joining other organizations to gather new skills (career counselor associations)
making time to reflect on what we are liking and not about our work, and then brainstorming on ways to
make more of the good and less of the not-so-hot

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