Art Beat Blog Office of Arts & Culture

Art Beat

Office of Arts & Culture news and events

City of Music Career Day Returns Virtually on August 27

by Leave a Comment

Registration now is open for this free virtual event for teens and young adults ages 13-26 interested in turning their passion for music into a career.

City of Music Career Day connects teens and young adults ages 13-26 to music industry professionals through networking opportunities, experiential learning, engaging workshops, a special performance by local artist NËSTRÄ, and a virtual table fair with internship opportunities. This year, City of Music Career Day is returning virtually on Friday, August 27, from 3-5:30 p.m. 

Now in its ninth year, City of Music Career Day is created in partnership with the Seattle Music Commission, the Office of Economic Development, and the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) to support and grow the creative economy by promoting workforce development in the music industry. This event is also supported by Connors & Co., KEXP, the Museum of Pop Culture, and The Vera Project to foster opportunities in the creative community.  

Our goal is to encourage students and non-students who have demonstrated a passion for music to follow their dreams, expand their understanding of career paths in the music industry, and network with industry leaders and peers to facilitate possible career opportunities.    

“Music is one of very few human endeavors that can be shared across generations. For me, being able to impart musical information and wisdom to younger musicians is a constant source of inspiration, furthering my own personal growth while helping others on the path to achieve their musical goals.” 

Jovino Santos Neto, three-time Latin Grammy nominated artist and City of Music Career Day mentor

Participants will be exposed to a wide range of music-related careers, including performance, management, production, licensing, broadcasting, composition, concert production, and more. Alongside engaging panels, attendees will be able to network with industry mentors in small groups. The virtual table fair will also feature a wide variety of internship and volunteer opportunities with organizations including the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and Climate Pledge Arena.  

City of Music Career Day Featured Panels:

  • Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Hear from Seattle-area rapper Travis Thompson and members of his team — Shelton Harris (manager), Elan Wright and Nima Skeemz (producers, Ruby Room) — on how collaboration can take talent to new heights. 
  • Finding Community While Developing Your Craft: Alumni from local music programs — Joshua Limanjaya Lim (More Music @ The Moore), Frankie Barker (The Vera Project) and Sharmaine Tillmon (The Residency) — discuss key lessons learned, connections made and other ways these programs have helped them launch their careers in music. Moderated by Daniel Pak (Totem Star). 
  • Music on Screen: Find out who is behind the music that is composed and curated for film, TV, video games and other media. Featuring composer Andrew Joslyn and music licensing pro Sarah Hunt (Audiosocket). 
  • Putting on the Show: Go behind the scenes of venues, festivals and event production. Learn about the various roles, how talent gets booked and what has changed due to COVID-19. Led by Jazmyn Scott (LANGSTON), in conversation with Evan Johnson (Neumos, Capitol Hill Block Party), JJ Johnson (The Vera Project) and Janice Jimenez (Climate Pledge Arena). 

The virtual table fair will feature a wide variety of internship and volunteer opportunities that offer participants direct access to the music industry.

Register now for City of Music Career Day, taking place virtually on Friday, August 27, from 3-5:30 p.m. Early registration is encouraged.

Register
Facebook Event Page

ARTS partnered with UW Evans School on a study of the creative economy

by Leave a Comment

In 2019, a Capstone team of University of Washington Evans School of Policy and Governance graduate students undertook a study of the region’s creative economy under the direction of the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Office of Economic Development.

The report, Assessing the Creative Economy of Seattle through a Race and Equity Lens” (2019) is an intentional, qualitative, and quantitative creative workforce study with a race and social justice lens.

ARTS and the UW students were interested in identifying barriers at the entry, middle, and established tiers of creative economy work. Then, the independent research team designed recommendations for how to increase access for those who historically have been left out.

The original data collection included a survey that generated 255 responses from the public, a majority of responses came from artists of color.
About the researchers

The University of Washington Evans School of Policy and Governance research team was comprised of MPA graduate students Aline Moch Islas, Casey Moser, Shomya Tripathy, and Louie Tan Vital. This effort was led by Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar, PhD, Impact and Assessment Manager and Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow at ARTS with on-going research partnerships between ARTS and UW Prof. Joaquin Herranz, Jr., PhD, the faculty member who advised the students on this capstone project.