Certificates

Entrepreneurship

Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship

In today's fine arts economy, most artists have a "portfolio career" – incorporating multiple roles and income streams (e.g. performer, teacher, advocate, manager, publicist, composer/arranger, etc.) rather than pursuing one narrowly defined career path. The certificate provides an excellent foundation for those who want to become working artists, musicians, actors, designers, and for those who want work in arts management in businesses and non-profit organizations. It provides each student the unique opportunity to explore their own creative process and their ability to collaborate with others.

The Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship is meant to extend the study of an individual arts discipline. Students across the disciplines of Music, Theatre, and Visual Studies (Art, Art History, Design, Digital Storytelling, Film), benefit from the business, marketing and organizational skills offered by certificate courses to develop the skills needed to build a thriving career in the many arts industries. Aimed primarily at degree-seeking students in the School of Music, Department of Theatre, and School of Visual Studies, this certificate is also available to students in other departments as an add-on to a degree or as a stand-alone certificate.

All students who wish to declare the certificate should contact the Arts Entrepreneurship Coordinator, Pete Zambito.

Undergraduate Courses

Graduate Courses

Jazz band playing

Certificate in Jazz Studies

This program is designed for undergraduate music majors or graduate students who have already completed a degree in music. This certificate is designed to deepen the student’s preparation for a career in jazz performance or further study in jazz.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

  • Must meet prerequisites for the courses taken in the certificate
  • Must audition for the required ensembles (see requirements below)
  • Must audition for the program

Graduate Prerequisites

  • Bachelors degree in music (or demonstrated equivalent)
  • GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of the BM
  • Must audition for ensembles (see requirements below)
  • Must audition for the program
  • Must demonstrate basic jazz keyboard proficiency or Jazz Piano Class (MUS_I_VT 1620) will be a required (not for graduate credit)

All students who wish to declare the certificate and audition should contact the Director of Jazz Studies, Sam Griffith.

Undergraduate Courses

Students must pass the following courses with a C- or higher:

Graduate Courses

Instrumentalists (other than drummers): 

Prepare one jazz standard and one blues in the key of your choice, improvising on each piece. Please provide your own accompaniment (Aebersold or other play-along CD). 

Drummers: 

Perform the following grooves at the prescribed tempos: 

  • Swing at 120 bpm 
  • Double-Time Swing at 240 bpm 
  • Bossa Nova at 100 bpm 
  • Samba (double-time bossa nova) at 100 bpm (half-note) 
  • Funk/Hiphop at 100 bpm 
  • Ballad (with brushes) at 80 bpm 
  • Alternating four (4) measures swing with four (4) measures solo at 120 bpm

Vocalists: 

Prepare one medium up-tempo jazz standard and one ballad, no more than one chorus of each. Please provide your own piano accompaniment (Aebersold or other play-along CD).