I co-teach a course titled Career Development Seminar (MSMUS 350). It is open to both undergraduate and graduate music majors. The course is about defining and developing a career in the performing arts. Although we cover a broad range of opportunities, practical strategies, and philosophical ideas, the course is essentially about helping students define what they really want to do with their lives.

Anja Strauss (Photo by Jeffrey Hornstein)

One of the course assignments is to gain first-hand experience in booking a concert. This assignment usually provokes anxiety in students who believe they are unskilled in promoting themselves. However, we gently support, encourage, and remind them that they will probably be surprised at what the experience will teach them. The following excerpts are from an essay by voice master's student Anja Strauss, who graduated last year, and reflect her experience with this assignment.

When I first heard that we had to organize our own concert outside school, I did not believe that it might be possible. "I cannot ask myself to give a concert, I have to be asked," and "How am I supposed to find a person or an organization who is interested in presenting me here in the satiated city of New York," were my thoughts. During the course of this class I was proved wrong. Moreover, I learned that this is not a helpful attitude for a performing artist at all. Being forced nevertheless to do it and then trying to use my common sense, I was surprised what I could actually achieve on my own.

The most obvious obstacle facing young musicians today is finding performing opportunities. Since concerts are difficult to secure, there is a certain mystique about booking them. The perception is that a musician needs a professional "concert-booker" (a.k.a. manager) to book concerts for them. So naturally, they go about their lives trying to find a manager who will sign them onto their roster. The irony is that without concerts, young musicians are unlikely to interest management.

The reality today is that most young performers will have to go it alone until they have secured enough regular engagements on a level that will interest a manager. Consequently, the profile of a 21st-century musician is often part-self-promoter, entrepreneur, and pragmatist.

So I went out of the classroom starting finally to think about the possibility of approaching people myself. Naturally, I first thought of people in my circle of acquaintances. And what a surprise, I did not have to look very far: Being a German, I wondered what German institutions are located here in New York. There are quite a lot: the German Church, the Goethe Institute, the German Consulate—and yes, now I remembered, just a couple of weeks ago I had met a person from the German Consulate and that there is this beautiful concert hall in the German House.

Anja drew both on her circle of contacts as well as her cultural roots in her search for a suitable performing venue. It's surprising what a little brainstorming involving one's own "circle of acquaintances" will uncover. I have yet to meet one Juilliard student who did not have a personal network of friends, family, and other support systems.

When I called, I was very surprised yet again at how delighted my contact reacted to my idea of giving a concert at the German Consulate. We took out our calendars and a few minutes later, my concert was booked! At this point, I also started inviting people to attend the concert. Now that I started showing self-responsibility, I did not want to leave anything to chance—let alone the possibility of singing in front of an empty hall. The consulate was very helpful, too. Invitations were sent out to the members of their mailing list.

In the process of booking and presenting a concert, we hoped that each student would discover what Anja so marvelously described as "self-responsibility"—the internal feeling that we are responsible for our success or failure in any endeavor. Anja took that extra precautionary step and added her circle of friends and supporters to the consulate's mailing list.

At the end of this school year, I am very glad to have been thrown into the cold water. I am able to achieve more on my own than I would have thought. In fact, I can do all the things professional management does, even if it is only about contacting my own circle of friends and colleagues. But whatever way, the responsibility to do something will always remain with me. And did I mention? Yes, I can ask for my own concert—even here in New York!

To Anja: On behalf of my colleague, Wendy Fang Chen, who co-teaches this course, thank you for making our job so enjoyable!

For more guidance on résumés (or other career development topics), please visit the Office of Career Development.

Please e-mail any comments, questions, or ideas for future columns to careerfile@juilliard.edu.