Developing The Growth Mindset: How Yale Music Entrepreneurs Embrace Growth and Change

GrowthMeansChange1

This past semester, my students at Yale experimented with the growth mindset in order to learn how to approach challenges in the spirit of growth and experimentation, as opposed to perfectionism and fear of failure. The growth mindset is premised on the belief that talent and intelligence are just the starting points of success and that success happens through hard work, …

Entrepreneurial Projects: Expanding the Reach of Classical Music in Today’s World

logoe

As part of my class at Yale, my students create a project in order to experience entrepreneurship in action.  I am thrilled at how my students delved into the unknown and created a wide variety of creative and innovative projects that opened up new vistas for them. My ground rules were as follows: Do something you never done before; and …

Top 10 Confidence Boosters for Arts Entrepreneurs

Just think of how often confidence comes up in the course of your life, whether it is in rehearsal, in performance, speaking in public, making presentations or pitches, networking or interviewing for a job. Confidence is at the heart of your personal motivation and self-esteem to put you at ease. It is also essential when you interact with others in order …

Networking for Music Entrepreneurs: Using Emotional Intelligence to Connect and Build Your Network

I enjoy teaching networking because it involves complex relationship building skills and requires a high degree of emotional intelligence. Rather than thinking of networking as trying to “get” something from others, it is, instead, a powerful way to make new business friends and expand your circle so that you can create a mutually-supportive community. At the heart of networking is …

1

Public Speaking For Musician Entrepreneurs: Draw In Your Audience with an Enticing Theme

Entrypoint

People love music. It has been around since the early days of human’s existence on the planet and it is not going away. But classical music is under attack for being too elitist, too difficult, too alien to the experience of today’s audiences.  That’s why it is important to find ways to invite audiences into the world of classical music.  …

Turning Arts Entrepreneurs into Inspired Leaders: Know Your WHY

5275403364 6396c50053 z

My project in working with musicians and arts leaders is not only to teach arts entrepreneurship—the mindset, skillset and process of actualizing an innovative idea—but also to take entrepreneurship to the next level of cultural leadership To do so, I have my students articulate the greater purpose underlying WHY they make music, teach, perform and then communicate that purpose to the …

Conversation with David Shifrin: Creating Opportunities Throughout Your Career

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of interviewing renowned clarinetist and beloved Yale professor David Shifrin, one of only two wind players to have won the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize since the award\’s inception in 1987.   With  a wide-ranging career as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chanber musician, university professor, artistic director and collaborator, he has constantly created and sought …

The Life-Long Journey of Music Entrepreneurship: Where are you now and how can you improve?

8717457422 7bf84ecfe2 z

We hear a lot today about “arts entrepreneurship” but what exactly does that mean? Let’s start with “entrepreneurship”:  the process of transforming an idea into an enterprise that creates value—economic, social, cultural, or intellectual– through innovation risk-taking and actualizing an idea. To me,  “arts entrepreneurship” is:  applying the entrepreneurial mindset (including taking risks, creating and recognizing opportunity, grit and growth) …