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5:00-6:30 in C-113. As always, Free Pizza & Drinks!

THE NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE IS HERE: One week until Pitch Night

The New Venture Challenge Music Track will receive entries in the areas of musical performance, education, technology, outreach and advocacy. Compete for the $3,000 Music Prize, as well as nearly $10,000 in other prizes through the university-wide competition. “Pitch Night” is an opportunity to make a very brief (under 1 minute) capsulation of your idea and get feedback from a panel of accomplished entrepreneurs. It’s fun, informative, and a great way to jump into the NVC waters! Also, it’s a chance to find fellow students who might be able to join your team, and to network with potential mentors. (Note: if you can’t make pitch night, you can still participate: there are no MUSTs with the NVC until it comes time to actually submit your plan! But this is a great way to get started and begin to take advantage of the many resources available to you.)

If you’re thinking of entering the NVC, please come see me so we can get you connected with a mentor and begin the process of putting your plan together!

PITCH NIGHT: Tuesday, Nov. 8, 5:30 in the Wolf Law Building Courtroom.

Spring ECM Courses:

The Entrepreneurial Musician (TMUS 4493) returns! After great feedback last year, this introduction to the principles of entrepreneurship and how it applies to music and the arts is back.  Team-taught with entrepreneurship scholar Frank Moyes and ECM Director Nytch. Note: see Amy Larsen for the TMUS registration form; you won’t find this online. (Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45am – 3 credits)

Community Performances (MUS 4958): Learn to program music for a variety of audiences, gain confidence speaking about your work, and gain the skills needed to put on a concert “from A to Z.” Your final project is to actually present a concert at a local venue of your choosing. A great way to test out your recital rep. or get an additional performance of it! (Mon/Wed 10:00-10:50am – 2 credits)

Principles of Business for Entrepreneurs (ESBM 3200). Gives students a basic understanding of the business principles required to launch and sustain an entrepreneurial venture. Intended for non-business majors.  (Tues/Thurs 11:00am-12:15pm or 3:30-4:45pm -3 credits)

Articles of the Week

•    Houston Grand Opera takes engagement directly to neighborhoods: 

•    Do we let audiences choose our programs? This is a controversial idea, and I’m neither for nor against it. What do you think? 

•    Testing Career Options Another terrific blog entry from Astrid Baumgardner on trying to discern one’s career path: 

Entrepreneurial Thought of the Week: Self-evaluation comes first

As promised, we’re starting a new series this week in honor of the New Venture Challenge, a series that should just about take us through the end of the semester. We’ll be reviewing each step in the entrepreneurial process in some detail:

1. What do I/we [i.e, your group or organization] have to offer?

2. What needs are there in the marketplace that I can address?

3. What is a creative solution to meet that need?

4. Is my solution financially and logistically feasible?

5. How shall I implement my solution?

6. Deliver with an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Let’s start with… Step One! And it involves a bit of self-evaluation and reflection; before anyone can decide how best to accomplish their objectives – whether it be to simply adopt a more entrepreneurial approach to their performing career or launching a full-scale entrepreneurial enterprise – they have to have a firm idea of what they bring to the table. Let’s break that down a bit.

For starters, look at the individual gifts of you and your other team members (if present). What are the main musical skills you have? What about secondary musical skills? What non-musical skills do you possess (are you proficient in a foreign language, a whiz with computer programming, or a gifted graphic designer)? And what special, unique skills do you possess? (This can sometimes be a particular combination of skills that is unusual or particularly useful: you have equal proficiency as a jazz and a classical player, or abundant experience as a triathelete and an organic farmer.) Lastly, what skills would you like to develop more? (Perhaps you’re a composer who would like to have better conducting chops, or a singer who would like to study more acting.)

A skills assessment is just the beginning, though. The next step is to think about the things that you’re really passionate about – not just within music, but within your life overall. If you’re a team of more than person, think about where your passions intersect and overlap, and how together you make something greater than the sum of your individual parts. Whether you be a solo entrepreneurial artist or looking to form a venture, it’s often in thecombinations of skills and passions that interesting possibilities emerge. Once you have a clear idea of what you have to bring to the table, only then can you begin to think about creative ways to apply those things to meaningful ends.

The Video of the Week!

FAO Schwartz Foot Fugue! 

The Entrepreneurship Center for Music • Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director

Email: jeff.nytch@colorado.edu •  Office Hours: T/Th: 9-11 a.m.  W: 2-4 p.m. – or by appointment

Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113

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DR. NOIZE INC. expanding again and hiring a full time Education Outreach Director! Are you passionate about inspiring and educating kids? Do you think teachers are the coolest adults in the world? Wanna make a difference? Then join our Band. Email brian@doctornoize.com (a former teacher himself) with your interest. You’ll help us accomplish our Mission Statement: Doctor Noize inspires creativity, curiosity and character through music, art and words. In the next 18 months, we’re releasing a dazzling array of multimedia products and curriculums aimed to do just that. Our enhanced commitment to education reflects both the former schoolteacher in me and the big dreams of my wonderful partners at Dream Cortex. You’ll be offering amazing fundraising deals, curriculums and opportunities to teachers and schools across the country to enrich the creative experiences of their students. We view teachers as our peers and partners here at Doctor Noize Inc., and your main job is to communicate that to them. Experience in education and sales are a plus, but the only essential trait for this and any other job with us is that you are scrappy and passionate, take full ownership of your roles and results, and are super fun to work with. If you’re nice, we’ll let you meet our bass playing hippo. (Warning: He might hit on you.)

EL SISTEMA COLORADO, a new venture in Denver, is seeking teaching artists and beginning strings specialists to begin Jan. 9th, 2012. Deadline for applications is Nov. 4th. See the ECM bulletin board for more information.

C4C GIGS AVAILABLE!  The C4C is now sponsoring special “Food Weeks” that feature different cuisines from around the world. They’re interested in having CU musicians play for the dinner hour on selected nights, and they’re paying $100 plus dinner. A fun and tasty opportunity to test out some repertoire in a relaxed setting. Contact CU GIGS Coordinator Nathan Hall to sign up: nathanalanhall@gmail.com

INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER: As you start thinking about your spring schedule, consider doing in internship at a local music business or non-profit. 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! For instance, here’s two to check out right away:

INTERNSHIP at PARLANDO SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Parlando is looking for an intern who can work in the Development/Fundraising area of one of Boulder’s leading community music schools. Hours flexible, but 10 hrs/week is a minimum. Available for academic credit. For more information, contact Travis LaBerge, Executive Director: labergemusic@gmail.com

COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL is looking for a Developing & Marketing intern for the Spring semester. For more information, contact Brandi Numedahl, Marketing Director: numedahl@coloradomusicfest.org