AI, Entrepreneurship, and Leaning into the Strength of Our Society
Social media is abuzz with worries about AI arming students with ChatGPT-generated essays that fly under our well-homed radar for detecting foul play. And while I think it important to acknowledge the validity of concerns associated with these technological advances, I’d like to suggest that those of us in the arts may have less to worry about than the academy more broadly.
First, our curriculum is built to establish deep relationships with students. Years of musicianship courses ground students’ intellectual understandings, ensemble participation fuels students’ artistic growth, and one-on-one instruction forges indelible mentor/mentee bonds that gird the infrastructure upon which student-faculty relationships (and one hopes, trust) are built.
And as for the worry that AI will make creative and intellectual pursuit obsolete? The inexhaustible purpose of creativity found at the core of artistic endeavors and the insights gained when unpacking complex histories through artistic expression are driven by curiosity and a desire to more deeply understand the human experience.
But perhaps this conversation is a reminder of why creativity (not re-creativity) must be positioned at the center of all we do and curiosity mustn’t be buried under rubrics or our desires to over codify the mystery of the artistic moment?
CMS leadership continues to be curious about how we can learn from and engage with our international community. Earlier this month, we announced the official launch of our International Chapter under the leadership of Dr. Gwyneth Bravo (Assistant Professor of Music, NYU Abu Dhabi; Global Network Assistant of Music Professor NYU). In the coming months, Dr. Bravo will connect with the Committee for International Initiatives to begin a conversation about how a more international CMS will have a global impact in 2023 and beyond.
The benefits of building connections across global communities, however, can already be evidenced within a venture forged between our Society and the Joint Professional Doctoral Study Programme: a tri-institutional partnership among Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Art Academy of Latvia, and the Latvian Academy of Culture. CMS will be exporting arts entrepreneurship expertise found among its membership to students enrolled within the newly launched graduate program. Here is a quick glance at the roster of CMS members who will be sharing their knowledge throughout Spring 2023. For full lecture/workshop descriptions and contact information to engage these scholars for presentations within your community, follow this link.
February 1, 2023
Presenter: Mark Rabideau
Associate Dean for Faculty and Student Affairs, University of Colorado Denver
Lecture: The Art of Hope
Workshop: Designing Human-Centered Solutions for Inventing a Better Arts Profession
February 8, 2023
Presenter: Mary Javian
Chair of Career Studies, Curtis Institute
Workshop Title: Social Entrepreneurship
February 15, 2023
Presenter: Rachel Roberts
Director, Institute for Music Leadership, Eastman School of Music
Workshop Title: Eastman Case Studies: Examining Issues and Challenges that Face Today’s Musical Leaders
February 22, 2023
Presenter: David Cutler
Dean, DePauw School of Music
Workshop Title: A Life in the Arts: BIG Ideas on Career and Financial Success
March 1, 2023
Presenter: Michael W. Millar
Lecturer Emeritus in Music Industry Studies, California State Polytechnic University – Pomona
Workshop: A Universal Language: Using “The Five Most Important Questions” for Artistic Growth and Professional Development
March 8, 2023
Presenter: Jonathan Kuuskoski
Chair of Entrepreneurship & Leadership, University of Michigan
Workshop Title: Shooting for the Moon: Challenging Assumptions to Achieve the Impossible
March 15, 2023
Presenter: Nate Zeisler
Dean of Community Initiatives, Colburn School
Workshop Title: Arts Entrepreneurship as a Path to a Sustainable Career
March 22, 2023
Presenter: Jeffrey Nytch
Director, Entrepreneurship Center for Music, University of Colorado Boulder
Workshop Title: Six Traits of Entrepreneurial Thinking and Action
March 29, 2023
Presenter: Hannah Pearson
Director of Operations, College Music Society
Workshop Title: These Strange and Unprecedented Times: Launching Your Music Leadership Career in the Face of Adversity
April 5, 2023
Presenter: Leila Ramagopal Pertl
Instructor in Music Education and Harp, Lawrence University
Lecture/Workshop Title: Making Communities of Belonging: Keeping Creativity at the Heart of Inclusion
This partnership emerged while developing relationships during our 2023 International Conference in the Baltic States planning. Highlights of CMS’ upcoming conference (July 2023) include participation in the Latvian Song & Dance Festival, a visit to the Arvo Pärt Center located in the coastal village of Laulasmaa in Lääne-Harju Parish, Estonia, and presentations by CMS colleagues hosted by the Lithuanian Academy of Music & Theatre.
Among the more than 4,400 members of the College Music Society, 161 live within the reach of the ferocious winds, torrential rainfall, and life-threatening flooding occurring on the west coast of the United States within recent weeks. For those affected, we encourage you to lean on the strength of your colleagues and our Society. Please know you are on our minds.
Wishing all who teach a joyful start to the semester.
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Mark Rabideau
Associate Dean for Faculty and Student Affairs, College of Arts & Media
University of Colorado Denver
President, College Music Society