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Grow Your Art
  1. New England Conservatory
  2. Study
  3. Educational Opportunities
  4. Entrepreneurial Musicianship
  5. EM Grants & Funding
  6. Grow Your Art

Grow Your Art: A Music & Business Residency

Presented by NEC Jazz & Entrepreneurial Musicianship, this residency features a guest artist performing with the students of NEC Jazz, and masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions on music business and entrepreneurship — all are open to the public.

The Grow Your Art Pitch Competition is open to all NEC Student & Alumni within 10 years of graduation. This competitive application process is modeled on real-world grants, and students/alumni have access to coaching from the EM Team throughout the application process. Applicants have the chance to win up to $7,500 (1st Prize: $7,500; 2nd Prize: $3,000, 3rd Prize: $1,000) for individuals / ensembles to develop the business side of their musicianship. New and existing projects and ventures are welcome.

The Grow Your Art Grant will not be occurring during academic year 2022-2023. Stay tuned for future information on Grow Your Art!

Apply for the Grow Your Art Project Grant

Deadline to apply: TBA

Apply Now
2022 Project Grant Winners

The Grow Your Art Project Grants provide financial support and guidance from the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department for students and alumni to develop the business side of their musicianship.

Watch the Grow Your Art finalists pitch their projects virtually in front of a live panel and audience - Pitch Night Livestream

Our 2022 Winners Are: 

Akenya Seymour

Akenya Seymour

1st Prize | $7,500

Moon in the 4th is a sonically eclectic and deeply personal work that explores the nuance of identity, spirituality, esotericism, and love. 

Amanda Ekery

El Paso Jazz Girls, Amanda Ekery

1st Runner-Up | $2,250

El Paso Jazz Girls is pivoting to focus on production of students' original music, preparing professional development workshops for local high school teachers, and building awareness for our program. In 4 years, El Paso Jazz Girls has created a support system for 90+ female musicians! We've got big plans for year 5... you in? 

Anna Abondolo and Jon Starks

ORDER, Anna Abondolo & Jon Starks

2nd Runner-Up | $2,250

This twisted coming of age tale explores themes of prophecy and inwardness, augmented by spatialized sound and intricate lighting for a complete immersive experience. ORDER is an experimental theatrical production premiering in New England Conservatory's Black Box Theatre May of 2022. 

2021 Project Grant Winners

The Grow Your Art Project Grants provide financial support and guidance from the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department for students and alumni to develop the business side of their musicianship.

Watch the Grow Your Art finalists pitch their projects virtually in front of a live panel and audience - Pitch Night Livestream

Our 2021 Winners Are: 

Emily Eng, Lift Music Fund

Lift Music Fund, Emily Eng

1st Prize | $7,500

Making achievement in music more accessible and equitable by awarding monthly microgrants to BIPOC music students.

Darynn Dean, the Resolution Tour

The Resolution Tour, Darynn Dean

2nd Prize | $3,000

The Resolution Tour is a virtual series of seven live concert and film screenings that explore the stories of women in jazz, gender, and justice. 

Rafael Natan, School of Arts and Social Justice at Makeshift Boston

The School or Arts and Social Justice at Makeshift Boston, Rafael Natan

3rd Prize | $1,500

The School of Arts and Social Justice brings together artists and social movements, creating innovative and accessible education for all. 

Linda Numagami and Benjamin Adler

The Clarinet Maestro Festival, Linda Numagami & Benjamin Adler

3rd Prize | $1,500

The Clarinet Maestro Festival is devoted to the teaching philosophies of Yehuda Gilad and making them accessible to all clarinetists. 

2019 Project Grant Winners

The Grow Your Art Project Grants provide financial support and guidance from the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department for students and alumni to develop the business side of their musicianship.

Watch the Grow Your Art finalists pitch their projects in front of a live panel and audience - Pitch Night Livestream

Our 2019 Winners Are: 

Naledi Masilo, The Dreaming Girls Project

The Dreaming Girls Project, Naledi Masilo

1st Prize | $7,500

Building on the success of The Dreaming Girls Music Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, The Dreaming Girls Project is a women and girl focused project using music to engage conversation and entice action towards meaningful social change. 

Ester Wiesnerova, Music Beyond Borders

Music Beyond Borders, Ester Wiesnerova

2nd Prize | $3,000

The 4th Music Beyond Borders Summer Workshop is a 5-day summer workshop for youth and young adults in Slovakia, and is one of the only jazz and contemporary music education platforms in Slovakia. 

Derek and Robert, Teach to Learn

Teach to Learn, Derek Beckvold & Robert Jordon

3rd Prize | $1,500

Teach to Learn connects musicians across world regions through online cultural exchange programs and education services.

Honorable Mentions | $500

Tasting Notes, Emily Brother & Audrey Chen

Tasting Notes, Audrey Chen & Emily Brother

Dinner recitals for social impact featuring multi-course tasting menus inspired by programs of live classical music.

Pinwheel Presents, Bo Lee

Pinwheel Presents, Christopher Vu & Bo Lee

Interdisciplinary collective Pinwheel is an ensemble of classically trained musicians and theatre artists booking 2020 showing of their production Magic Pearl for new music and shadow puppetry.

Due Donne, Larisa Bainton & Celeste Pellegrino

Due Donne, Larisa Bainton & Celeste Pellegrino

Due Donne Productions presents opera through affordable, traveling productions and gives performance opportunities to young singer.

Alinea

Alinea

A chamber group devoted to contemporary music, presenting a concert series in its inaugural season. 

2018 Project Grant Winners

The Grow Your Art Project Grants provide financial support and guidance from the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department for students and alumni to develop the business side of their musicianship.

Grow Your Art Grant finalists pitch their ideas before a live panel and audience:

 

Our 2018 Winners:

Amanda Ekery, El Paso Jazz Girls

1st Prize | $5,000 + Project Guidance from EM

To increase the number of girls in jazz, this cost-free program is taught by professional female musicians from El Paso for female identifying high school students to learn about jazz and perform together.

El Paso Jazz Girls' website

Matthew Shifrin, Project Daredevil

2nd Prize | $2,000

Virtual Reality for the blind: super-hero comics in 3D sound with motion simulation. Featuring original music from Matthew Shifrin and built in collaboration with a mechanical engineer from MIT.

Rayna_Grow your art_Headshot

Rayna Yun Chou, Accel.

3rd Prize | $1,000

An “all-in-one” information website for prospective students in Asia who wish to study music abroad in the United States.

Honorable Mentions | $500

Eddie Kass grow your art departure duo

Eddie Kass, Departure Duo

Commissioning of 3 new works for soprano / double bass as part of 30x30, a project to reach 30 hours of soprano/bass music by 2030.

Darynn Dean

Darynn Dean, Bridges

A live recording of jazz standards and original music at the iconic Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles.

Nick Rosario grow your art uncertain suite

Nicholas Rosario, The Uncertain Suite

A film of original music about depression and anxiety, interspersed with an informational interview with an NEC Counselor.

Kyle Peck Customs Designs grow your art

Kyle Peck, Peck Customs Designs

Hand-crafted musical accessories, like high quality batons and trombone triggers, to support in-school and professional musicians.

Fall 2021 Residency with Cécile McLorin Salvant

Residency Schedule | November 30 - December 2, 2021

Hosted by NEC Jazz and Entrepreneurial Musicianship. Open to NEC students, alumni, and to the public. Practitioners of all musical styles are warmly welcome.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

2:00pm to 3:30pm  Masterclass with Cécile McLorin Salvant

Select NEC students will participate in an open masterclass with our Fall GYA Artist Cécile McLorin Salvant
Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre; will be livestreamed.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 

2:00-3:30pm  music business Panel discussion 

Come learn about the life experiences of female-identifying professionals active in the music world. This Q&A and Panel Discussion will feature the perspectives and lived experiences of President Andrea Kalyn, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dominique Eade, Monique Van Willingh, and NEC Alumna Ayn Inserto in conversation with Ken Schaphorst

Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre; will be livestreamed.

Thursday, December 2

7:30pm-9:30pm Concert with Cécile McLorin Salvant & Nec Jazz Small Ensembles

Collaborative performance of Cécile McLorin Salvant and the NEC Jazz Small Ensembles
Jordan Hall; will not be livestreamed.
 

Grow Your Art: A Music and Business Residency was made possible thanks to a generous gift from an NEC supporter.

About Cécile McLorin Salvant

Cécile McLorin Salvant, is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and  full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings”. Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and baroque music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 3 latest albums, “The Window”, “Dreams and Daggers”, and “For One To Love”, and was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album “WomanChild”. In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, of a French mother and Haitian father, she started classical piano studies at 5, sang in a children’s choir at 8, and started classical voice lessons as a teenager.

Salvant received a bachelor’s in French law from the Université Pierre-Mendes France in Grenoble while also studying baroque music and jazz at the Darius Milhaud Music Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Salvant’s latest work, Ogresse, is a musical fable in the form of a cantata that blends genres (folk, baroque, jazz, country). Salvant wrote the story, lyrics, and music. It is arranged by Darcy James Argue for a thirteen-piece orchestra of multi-instrumentalists. Ogresse, both a biomythography and an homage to the Erzulie (as painted by Gerard Fortune) and Sara Baartman, explores fetishism, hunger, diaspora, cycles of appropriation, lies, othering, and ecology. It is in development to become an animated feature-length film, which Salvant will direct.

Salvant makes large-scale textile drawings. Her visual art can now be found at Picture Room in Brooklyn, NY.

2021 Residency with Maria Schneider

Residency Schedule | March 2-4, 2021

Hosted by NEC Jazz and Entrepreneurial Musicianship. Open to NEC students, alumni, and to the public. Practitioners of all musical styles are warmly welcome.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 | Pitch Night

7:00pm-9:00pm   pitch night competition (VIRTUAL)

Maria Schneider adjudicating with panel of NEC Faculty & Staff

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

1:00pm-3:00pm   Working in the Music Business Q&A

workshop with maria schneider, ken schaphorst, and andrew worden

Maria discusses how producing and sharing her music has evolved with the music industry. What does it take to produce a record today? And grow an audience? How do you share your music widely while also protecting yourself? What’s important to spend money on when investing in a record?  

Join us for this conversation and bring your questions! 

Thursday, March 4, 2021

1:00-3:00pm   The ecosystem of music panel discussion

with maria schneider, Mike EPSTEIN, and ANN Braithwaite

Moderated by Andrew Worden 

What’s the difference between a manager and an agent?  When do you invest in building out your team? What does it take to share your music in a meaningful way in 2021? Join us for this discussion with Maria and Co. and bring your questions! 

Ann Braithwaite is the owner of Braithwaite & Katz Communications, a full-service public relations firm specializing in promoting the foremost jazz artists and events of our time. She and her team have helped to expand visibility for a myriad of exceptional musicians including Maria Schneider as well as organizations including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and NEC’s Jazz and CI departments.

Mike Epstein is the President of Epstein & Company, an international booking agency representing award-winning artists since 2013. The agency works with artists of all genres and has developed a unique process for helping clients achieve important career goals by taking an entrepreneurial approach to an ever-changing industry.

7:30pm-9:30pm Concert with Maria Schneider & Nec Jazz Orchestra

Grow Your Art: A Music and Business Residency was made possible thanks to a generous gift from an NEC supporter.

 

About Maria Schneider

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, imaginative, revelatory, riveting, daring, and beyond categorization.” Blurring the lines between genres, her varied commissioners stretch from Jazz at Lincoln Center, to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to the American Dance Festival, and include collaboration with David Bowie. She is among a small few to receive GRAMMYS in multiple genres, having received the award in jazz and classical, as well as for her work with David Bowie.

With her first recording, Evanescence (1994), Schneider began developing her personal way of writing for her 18-member collective made up of many of the finest musicians in jazz today, tailoring her compositions to the uniquely creative voices of the group. They have performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide, and she herself has received numerous commissions and guest-conducting invites, working with over 90 groups in over 30 countries.

Unique funding of projects has become a hallmark for Schneider through the trend-setting company, ArtistShare. And, in 2004, Concert in the Garden became historic as the first recording to win a GRAMMY with Internet-only sales. Even more significantly, it blazed the "crowd-funding" trail as ArtistShare’s first release, and was eventually inducted into the 2019 National Recording Registry.

Schneider’s many honors also include: 14 GRAMMY-nominations, 5 GRAMMY Awards, numerous Jazz Journalists Association awards, DOWNBEAT and JAZZTIMES Critics and Readers Polls awards, an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, ASCAP’s esteemed Concert Music Award (2014), the nation's highest honor in jazz, “NEA Jazz Master” (2019) (NEA Jazz Master Speech found here), and election into the 2020 American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A strong voice for music advocacy, Schneider has testified before the US Congressional Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on digital rights, has given commentary on CNN, participated in round-tables for the United States Copyright Office, has been quoted in numerous publications for her views on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Google, digital rights, and music piracy, and has written various white papers and articles on the digital economy as related to music and beyond.

Her latest double-album, Data Lords (2020), has melded her advocacy and art: Nate Chinen of NPR writes: “Now it's finally here, in the form of a magnificent double album, Data Lords. . . it parses into thematic halves, "The Digital World" and, as an antidote, "The Natural World." On the whole and in the details, it amounts to the most daring work of Schneider's career, which sets the bar imposingly high. This is music of extravagant mastery, and it comes imbued with a spirit of risk."

David Hajdu for THE NATION writes, “Beyond the dualism in its format, Data Lords is a work of holistic creativity. The music of outrage and critique in the first album has all the emotion and conceptual integrity that the music of melancholy and reverence does in the second. I can’t conceive of anyone else creating this music, unless Delius has been writing with Bowie on the other side.”

2019 Residency with Luciana Souza 

Residency Schedule | November 4-7, 2019

Hosted by NEC Jazz and Entrepreneurial Musicianship. Open to NEC students, alumni, and to the public. Practitioners of all musical styles are warmly welcome.

Monday, November 4

1:00-3:00pm   Ensemble Masterclass with Luciana Souza

6:00-8:00pm   Producing Your Own Recordings, workshop with Luciana Souza

Tuesday, November 5

1:00-2:00pm   Workshop with Mike Epstein, Booking agent 

Join Mike Epstein as he talks about how he founded his booking agency, their unique Artist Growth Process™, the importance of approaching your career as an entrepreneur, and much more. Be prepared to ask questions and learn!

2:00-3:00pm   How to write a press release: workshop with ann braithwaite and bob blumenthal

 Join Ann Braithwaite, the owner of Braithwaite & Katz Communications, and Bob Blumenthal, journalist, as they teach NEC Students how to write a press release for their projects in real time. 

3:00-4:00pm   Criticism, Craft, and Commerce: workshop with Giovanni Russonello 

Giovanni Russonello, who covers jazz and other music for The New York Times, will discuss the state of arts writing in 2019. He will also touch on his work at the Times; how he interfaces with musicians and other members of the New York music community; and his history both as a writer and as a grassroots organizer and nonprofit impresario.

7:00-9:00pm   music business Panel Discussion with Luciana Souza, Giovanni Russonello, Jason Fisher, and more

Moderated by EM Assistant Dean Andrew Worden, this panel discussion explores how musicians can make a living from their craft, current challenges and opportunities in the industry, and common success traits and pitfalls. Followed by Q&A with the panelists.

Wednesday, November 6 | Pitch Night

1:00-3:00pm   Singing & Performing in Crossover Settings, workshop with Luciana Souza

6:00-8:00pm   Pitch Night: Grow Your art pitch competition

8:00pm            Winners announced & ice cream reception

Thursday, November 7

1:00-4:00pm   Business Consult and advising with Entrepreneurial Musicianship 

6:00-7:00PM   Talking About Practice, Panel Discussion with Mark Zaleski 

7:30pm            Concert with Luciana Souza and NEC Jazz Ensembles

9:30pm            Post-concert reception

 

Grow Your Art: A Music and Business Residency was made possible thanks to a generous gift from an NEC supporter.

2018 Residency with Dave Douglas

Hosted by NEC Jazz and Entrepreneurial Musicianship. Open to NEC students, alumni, and to the public. Practitioners of all musical styles are warmly welcome.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

1:00 PM   Masterclass with Dave Douglas + NEC Jazz (Williams Hall)

4:00 PM   Dave Douglas Business Talk: Lessons Learned in the Music Industry (Williams Hall)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

1:00 PM   Music Business Panel Discussion, with Dave Douglas + Industry Professionals (Williams Hall)

Dave Douglas, Trumpeter, Composer, Educator, Entrepreneur

Ann Braithwaite, Publicist, Braithwaite & Katz Communication
Mike Epstein, Booking Agent, Epstein & Company
Jennifer Chen, Managing Director, American Modern Opera Company
Jon Garelick, Journalist & Editor, The Boston Globe

Moderated by Drew Worden, Assistant Dean of Entrepreneurial Musicianship

6:00 PM   Pitch Night: Students & Alumni present their projects live for a chance to win $5,000 to bring their work to life (Black Box Theater)

8:00 PM   Ice Cream Reception (free! Immediately following Pitch Night)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

1:00 PM   Business Consults: Individual Consultations with the EM Team, up to 30 minutes (sign up here and select "Grow Your Art: Business Consult" to schedule your consult)

7:30 PM   Concert: Dave Douglas + NEC Jazz (Jordan Hall)

9:30 PM   Reception (Brown Hall)

About Dave Douglas 

Dave Douglas is the unassuming king of independent jazz, a model of do-it-yourself moxie, initiative, and artistic freedom.

Frank Alkyer, Downbeat

Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer, educator and entrepreneur from New York City known for the stylistic breadth of his work and for keeping a diverse set of ensembles and projects active simultaneously. While his career spans more than 50 recordings as a leader, his active projects include his Quintet, Sound Prints, Riverside, Present Joys, and High Risk. His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished recognition, including a Doris Duke Artist Award and two GRAMMY® nominations.

As a composer, Douglas has received commissions from a variety of organizations including the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Essen Philharmonie, The Library of Congress, Stanford University and Monash Art Ensemble. He is currently on faculty at the Mannes School of Music and is a Guest Coach for the Juilliard Jazz Composer’s Ensemble. Douglas is also a co-founder and president of the Festival of New Trumpet Music and Artistic Director of the Bergamo Jazz Festival. In 2005, Douglas founded Greenleaf Music, an umbrella company for his recordings, sheet music, podcast, as well as the music of other artists in the modern jazz idiom.

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