Making a career from making music

A classroom in Central Michigan University’s music school building is expected to get an upgrade this summer to support the popularity of an interdepartmental program built around music careers.

The Commercial Music major pairs hands-on experience creating and recording music with practical knowledge from business courses on how to make money from making art.

The program’s goal is to provide students the opportunity to customize a music degree from courses in music, broadcasting and entrepreneurship, said Jay Batzner, a member of the School of Music’s faculty who specializes in composition and technology.

“The mixing of different disciplines is really exciting,” he said.

Each student might earn the same degree, but they shape how it’ll serve depending on the minor and electives they choose, he said.

A student pursuing the degree can learn how to write songs, record them using what they learned in broadcasting courses and then market and sell their work. They can also use the degree to pursue careers in the business side of music.

The learning is hands-on, but for Batzner, it’s also about helping students pursue the kinds of music they’re passionate about.

“I want to help people make the music they want to make,” he said.

Musicians today have fewer traditional opportunities, like performing with orchestras, but there are more opportunities for them to forge their own paths, especially if their skills are broader than just composition.

“How can we equip students with knowledge and experience of recording and publishing,” he said.

That’s where the business courses come in. The market for work in the music industry has changed considerably. A lot of the work is freelance. Students need to know how to market their work and develop the savvy to conserve their money between gigs, he said.

Helping students understand how to navigate that work environment is crucial.

“It’s one thing students are desperately in need of,” he said.

Most of the degree’s infrastructure already existed, Batzner. The most laborious task in launching the program was to pull it together.

It’s proven more popular than they expected.

Where they expected 10 students last fall, they signed 30, Batzner said. One of the program’s students also placed third in this year’s New Venture Challenge.

“It’s taking off in a really exciting way,” said.

And not just with students. Batzner said that he’s secured donations to help provide resources for the program, including a gift to outfit a classroom with recording equipment.

That will provide students with a collaborative experience, learning musical concepts and putting them to use so they can receive feedback from other students.