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In recent weeks, an article by Aubrey Bergauer has been circulating on Facebook. Titled “The Orchestra Myth: And What We Can Learn From Nordstrom,” the article highlights the value of nurturing existing audiences in addition to developing new audiences. Bergauer highlights that the challenge for orchestras is not attracting new audiences, but rather retaining audiences […]

In Carol Dweck’s groundbreaking book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” she draws distinctions between two types of mindsets: fixed and growth. With a fixed mindset, we want to be great, receive recognition, be the best, and not try or work at it. With a growth mindset, we don’t feel the need for constant approval […]

Doesn’t it feel like as a musician in the 21st century, you are pulled in a hundred different directions? You’ve got social media posts to attend to, blog posts to write, receipts to file, grant proposals to write, and the list goes on. So, what’s the priority? What is the most important thing? I remember […]

Creativity is all about making connections between seemingly disparate ideas, and developing many possible solutions to a given problem. You may ask, why do we want to boost our creativity? For one, in the non-stop social media and saturating news cycle of the 21st century, employers are looking for people that bring creativity to their […]

The Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research is pleased to announce five new projects that have been awarded funding through the PRJC Grant Program. The grant committee received a wealth of excellent proposals for innovative projects and research surrounding the topic of innovative ensembles. Here are the projects that have been awarded funding […]

When is the last time you updated your bio? If we are honest, it probably has outdated information, doesn’t have the catchiest opening, and could be more enjoyable to read. If your bio needs a refresh, we’ve compiled a list of resources to help! Need some inspiration and examples? Here are 9 classical musician bios […]

The article below was written by Megan Steigerwald Ille, a 2018 Paul R. Judy Center Grantee.  What does it mean to perform opera outside of the opera house? This question has driven my research and writing in opera studies since 2015. To answer this question, I have relied on methods familiar to traditional musicology, such as […]

Aubrey Bergauer recently stepped down from the position of Executive Director of the California Symphony to serve as an adviser to arts organizations. In our opinion, she is someone to watch and listen to, and in this recent article, she offers a “Top 10 check list” for orchestras to consider. Spoiler alert: it’s not all […]

Social media offers musicians a number of tools that can be used to promote our careers, build our audiences, and interact with our communities. But is there opportunity to be creative in HOW social media is used? ABSOLUTELY. Consider these three quick examples: The Big Trouble, a trio of two percussionists and a vocalist decided […]

If you are an undergraduate, graduate, or artist diploma student and have thoughts about what it means to be a 21st Century Musician, you could get some $$$ for your thoughts! Consider entering the “New Voices” Essay Contest, sponsored by 21CM and I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Submit your 400-750 word essay by November 1 […]