Recently I’ve begun searching the Internet for a potential
music internship for my son this summer (2013).
He will complete his junior year in college as a Music Major in May;
therefore, now is a good time to gain some in-depth knowledge of the music
industry. In terms of his resume, he’s
carrying a B average in Jazz Studies, performs off-campus in a hip-hop/fusion
band, and has past experience working as a musician on a cruise line. Here is what I found as I researched these
opportunities.
I have subscriptions to various feeds via my Google Reader
account. One of my favorite sites is About.com Music Careers. They have really good articles on a variety
of issues, from authors that have excellent insight regarding the music
industry. The first article I read was
titled, Reasons
You Should Do a Music Business Internship by Heather McDonald. She listed these 4 reasons: 1) music business
experience, 2) connections, 3) learning standard practices and 4) building
confidence. Young musicians, especially those in college, might not have a
realistic view of how the business side of the industry operates. An internship would be a great way to
understand the internal workings of a music entity. Keep in mind, the job may not be glamorous,
and the tasks assigned to you may seem mundane. Internships have also been described as
“gopher” or “grunt” work. But, if you
utilize your networking skills, you may walk away from the internship with
contacts, references, and an insider’s view of how to get started in the music
business.
Another helpful
article was titled Find
a Music Industry Internship. This
article provided direction on how to search for internships. If you don’t have direct connections to
anyone at a record label or artist management firm, it can be difficult to
figure out how to find these opportunities.
For college students, the article reminds you to utilize the placement
offices at your school. They can be very
helpful in identifying internships, as they may have ties to various companies
in the industry. For those who aren’t in
college, one interesting method that the author suggested was to create your
own internship. Basically, you would go
to a local label or promoter, and ask to work with them, even on a part-time
basis. Again, the most important part
about the internship is gaining knowledge of the industry, not necessarily the
pay.
Finally, you need to
approach the interview for an internship as seriously as you would with any
other type of job. Remember, these are
professionals. In terms of how you
dress, it is better to overdress than to dress casually. You want to make sure the interviewer believes
you are serious about the job. I would
caution against wearing jeans and
Nikes. Until you know the environment of
the workplace, dress to impress. With my
experience in Human Resources, I also know that punctuality is a must if you
are trying to impress the interviewer.
If you can, practice your route to the location. If you just use Google Maps or Mapquest,
there is a chance you may not understand traffic patterns and construction
detours. Also, during the interview, be
prepared to answer questions related to the company and why you are interested
in working there. Doing research in
advance can set you apart from other candidates. Two additional articles on
About.com Music Careers that can help are; Five
Music Business Job Interview Tips and What
NOT to Say in Your Music Business Job Interview.
Remember, you may
not get your first choice of companies, but a different internship may yield
great insight and connections. So don’t
automatically discount other companies. Per Heather McDonald, “The bottom line
is that this your chance to start transitioning from student to professional.
Even if you end up not working in music, this experience will help you in any
industry.”
Let me know if you
have any other ideas for locating internships by leaving a comment.
Take Care,
D Leigh
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