Career Services
Various Swiss music academies offer their music students the opportunity to get to grips with a successful start to their careers as part of career centers. These positions, presented here are those from Lucerne and Zurich, form the actual interface between studies and career.
Martin Huber - As early as 2005, George Caird (Secretary General of the Association Européen des Conservatoires (2005-2010)) noted in an article in the Neue Musikzeitung (issue 6/2005, 54th year) a strong increase in so-called portfolio careers in the Anglo-Saxon world. The term means that musicians will no longer generate their income exclusively from one activity, but will secure their livelihood from many different areas of work; in addition to stage work and teaching, they will also work in cultural administration, journalism, mediation, etc., for example. At international universities, preparation for the diverse world of work is referred to as "career development" or "professional development". It is not least about employability and, in the broadest sense, entrepreneurial independence. In our context, this means less classical entrepreneurship and more the development of self-competence of the "musician as individual entrepreneur".
What has long been a reality in the English-speaking world is somewhat delayed in German-speaking countries, but is still clearly noticeable and difficult to deny: Along with a diversification of the music profession, there is a shift from employment to freelance work. While the number of music students is stable, the number of permanent positions is decreasing. This affects the market for orchestral positions as well as the market for music school positions. Of course, this is most noticeable in classical music, but at least in music schools it affects all sectors. It was to be expected that this development would occur with a delay and to a lesser extent in Switzerland; however, the ongoing Covid crisis is likely to accelerate the process enormously.
At best, freelance work also means professional self-employment. However, professional self-employment and bogus self-employment are very often confused, as the current plight clearly shows. The social security of many musicians is in dire straits and, especially at the beginning of this crisis, many freelance musicians were unable to claim state aid due to a lack of genuine self-employment. Fewer permanent positions and a lack of social security for freelancers: No one can be interested in knowing that a growing number of female musicians are precarious - or sending them there. The reasons for a lack of self-competence in dealing with self-employment lie, among other things, in training.
Traditionally, the path to studying leads via the main subject teacher. The main subject then also takes up the majority of the curriculum of most artistic or music education degree courses. Transfer skills are typically only marginally represented - often in the elective area as part of a few credits. This is very much in line with the needs of students, who naturally want to devote as much time as possible to their main subject and who cannot be expected to anticipate the complexities of the professional environment that awaits them. The prevailing attitude among both students and lecturers - at least until recently - was: "You'll learn it all later". Criticism of universities for inadequately preparing students for the actual demands of professional life is usually only voiced after a few (professional) years have passed.
For five years now, the ZHdK Career Center Music (CCM) has been offering a solid basic range of transferable skills such as "Music & Law", "Cultural Policy", "Music Financing", "Social Security", "Accounting for Musicians" and "Social Media & Digital Communication". Combined into the "business & administration" module, it is both a compulsory part of the curriculum in the major artistic degree programs and accessible to external students in the form of further education. The "producing & presentation" module is part of the compulsory elective area. In the sense of helping students to help themselves, it enables them to acquire skills in self-producing (audio & video) and its marketing and integration into their own portfolio. Advice, individual and ensemble coaching complete the offer for students, employees and external parties. It will be exciting to see how transfer skills and career development will be incorporated into the current major-minor study reform.
The demand for the services offered by the Career Center Music has increased steadily in recent years, but since the Covid crisis it has risen sharply. And just as digitalization has experienced a quantum leap, universities could seize the opportunity with regard to career development and make the career center model sustainable by strengthening career centers and their services, implementing them institutionally and (importantly!) anchoring them in the curriculum. It is to be hoped that the proximity to the subject will also be maintained and structurally considered at large interdisciplinary art colleges such as the ZHdK. This is the only way to ensure that the acceptance and meaningfulness for students is given and continues even after this crisis.
Martin Huber
... is responsible for the Career Center Music, the "Career Skills" module and "Orchestra Management" at the ZHdK. He is a flautist, instrumental teacher, arranger and concert organizer.
Clemens Kuratle - After completing a music degree, whether in performance, pedagogy, school music or orchestra, only very few alumni find themselves in full-time employment. Orchestral positions are rare, as are positions at music schools, most of which are only advertised part-time, not to mention the unsteady and precarious freelance work in the pop, independent and jazz sectors. It is a profession driven by idealism that students choose. The professional reality of freelance musicians requires a wide range of skills in areas such as administration, networking, marketing, social media, etc. as well as incredible discipline in order not to lose sight of the main thing - active music-making, composing and producing - alongside all these fields of activity! All of this is necessary in order to be able to compete in this highly competitive environment over a longer period of time.
At the Lucerne School of Music, so-called "business skills" have long been taught in a compulsory module for both Bachelor's and Master's students ("Music and Career"). Gradually developed and expanded over the years by Michael Zollinger, various half-day courses are used to teach know-how that is far removed from music and yet immensely important.
All of the lecturers do not teach full-time, but work in the areas in which they teach at the HSLU. This is to ensure that the rapidly changing environment for performing musicians and music teachers is well represented in the courses at all times. The aim is to ensure that students are optimally prepared for the challenging reality of the profession - there can be no question of a clear daily routine.
Thanks to the overall network of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, which in addition to the Department of Music also includes the Departments of Design & Art, Engineering & Architecture, Business and Information Technology, students also benefit from a range of services that are accessible to all students at the university. In addition to the placement platform, the Careers Service offers students Music for your event They also have the opportunity to have their CV put through its paces by a music school director or a member of the orchestra jury.
With Smart-Up the university also has a platform that supports students and lecturers in coaching sessions. By networking with the other departments, students and lecturers can take advantage of coaching tailored to their needs from a large pool of specialists for larger projects, such as founding an orchestra, a music education concept or similar.
A major challenge of teaching in our field is being able to cater to the different levels and needs of students. In all courses of study, students range from freelance musicians who are already self-employed and independent, to active music teachers and students who have just graduated from secondary school and have little practical experience outside of an educational institution. In order to do justice to this range, our program will also be adapted for the new academic year. In future, students will be able to choose from an expanded range of courses during the first four semesters of their Bachelor's degree and the first two semesters of their Master's degree to complete a program tailored to their needs. The starting point will be a half-day course where the students' level of knowledge and field of activity will be determined on the basis of an assessment. The courses to be attended for the academic year are then determined on the basis of this assessment. The range of courses is supplemented by a consultation hour, which is intended to support students with their own projects, in particular their final project, but also with projects outside of their studies. If students have more complex issues, they can also be referred to the more comprehensive coaching services offered by Smart-Up.
Cooperation with local networks
Our vision is that, in addition to the expanded range of courses, panels and co-working spaces with integrated coaching services - including in collaboration with local networks such as Other Music Lucerne or Say Hi! - should be part of our range of modules. The aim is to ensure that students' everyday academic and professional lives are as mutually beneficial as possible and do not compete with each other. We believe that such collaborations will enable our students to leave our degree programs better prepared and with even more practical experience. But that's not all. Such cooperation releases resources and impulses at all levels, which, we are convinced, will also enrich the cultural landscape in Lucerne in the long term.
Clemens Kuratle
... is a freelance musician, composer, founder of the label antidrò-records and lecturer at the Institute for New Music, Composition and Theory at the HSLU - Music and responsible for the module "Music and Profession".
Grade
Title from: E. Bishop, A curriculum analysis of artistic-instrumental study programs. Journal for Cultural Management 1/2020
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