音樂學院的另類培訓：音樂企業家

Not long ago, most professional musicians lived in a world far removed from the nitty-gritty of business management, distribution and promotion. But today, social media, laptop production techniques and fragmented musical tastes have largely replaced the old relationship between musicians, their audiences and the marketplace, making entrepreneurial savvy more important than ever.

還在不久以前，大部分專業音樂家對商業管理、發行和促銷等具體事宜都不太熟悉。但是如今，社交媒介、手提電腦製作技術以及片段音樂在很大程度上替代了音樂家和觀衆以及市場間舊的關係，商業頭腦比以前任何時候都重要。

A leading U.S. conservatory now teaches students how to create successful careers in this brave new world.

美國一所著名的音樂學院開設課程，教授學生如何在這個嶄新世界中成功創業。

In transition

Robert Sirota, president of New York’s prestigious Manhattan School of Music, takes a small break from his chores to play one of his own compositions. It’s one moment of traditional musical expression in a conservatory that recognizes that the music industry is in major transition.

著名的紐約曼哈頓音樂學院院長羅伯特·西羅塔正在演奏一首他自己創作的樂曲。在這所認識到音樂產業正處於巨大轉變中的音樂學院裏，這是一個傳統的、以音樂來表達自己的時刻。

"Everything we know about the business of music-making, and the industry of music - including recordings, the dissemination of published materials, concert venues, the way people get compensated for performance and concerts - have changed radically in the last 20 years," he says, "and it became clear to me and other people of like mind to figure out how to develop young artistic leaders who are truly capable of making their way in this brave new world."

西羅塔說：“過去20年來，原先我們熟知的音樂產業，包括錄音、樂譜的傳播、音樂會場地、觀衆得到的享受的方式，所有這一切都在迅速發生變化。我和其他一些和我有相同想法的人清楚地意識到，至關重要的是，音樂學院要與時俱進，甚至走在時代的前面，培養能夠在這個勇敢的嶄新世界中生存發展的年輕藝術家。”

That’s why the Manhattan School of Music created the Center for Music Entrepreneurship, where students can learn about new media, fundraising, launching their own concert series, producing their own recordings, creating a press kit and other necessary skills.

因此，曼哈頓音樂學院開設了一個“音樂企業家中心”。學生們可以在那裏瞭解新媒體、籌款、籌備音樂會、自己錄音以及準備好一整套給媒體的材料。

Business sense

In a nearby lecture hall, students like pop composer Yuma Sung are learning about intellectual property rights law as part of the center’s "Setting the Stage" program.

在附近的一個大教室裏，學習流行音樂作曲的尤瑪·桑正在瞭解版權法。他對記者解釋了爲什麼版權法和他有切身關係。

"If someone tries to steal some of my stuff, and if I chose to go to court, I’d know how to deal with it properly," says Sung.

“如果有人剽竊了我的作品，如果我要告上法庭，我就能知道如何去正確應對。”

Sirota, who completed his own conservatory education in the 1970s, contrasts today’s hyper-wired world with what used to be.

西羅塔院長是1970年代從音樂學院畢業的。他把當今高度聯網的世界和1970年代的情況進行了比較。

"The status quo as we understood in the music world, was that there were a small number of major international symphony orchestras, there was a select coterie of very elite performers, and there was an established audience of concertgoers," he says. "There were in addition, several multi-national record companies. But what has happened is the way people listen to music has changed."

西羅塔說：“當時，國際上只有少數幾個重要的交響樂團，頂尖的演奏家也爲數不多，去聽音樂會的觀衆相對比較固定。當時的跨國唱片公司只有幾家。但是現在人們聽音樂的方式改變了。”

Indeed, most people now listen to music through digital music players, or through downloads, and CDs are mostly a thing of the past, which is why Sirota believes the old business model no longer makes sense.

比如，他們用iPod聽音樂，他們下載了音樂後再聽，他們不一定要聽唱片了。音樂唱片的意義和以前完全不同了，舊的商業模式再也不頂事了。

Responsible advocates for art

Edward Klorman, who directs the center, says the 21st century musician is a multi-tasking entrepreneur. "Sometimes you’re performing. Sometimes you’re an administrator. Sometimes you’re the one marketing your own concert. If we’re passionate about the music we play, we need to be responsible advocates for our art."

愛德華·克洛曼是音樂企業家中心的主任。他認爲，21世紀的音樂家是一個可以同時進行多項工作的企業家。克洛曼說：“有時候你是演奏員，由時候你是管理者，有時候你要推銷自己的音樂會。如果我們對我們演奏的音樂有激情的話，我們就要負責任地去推廣我們的藝術。這正是我們在這裏培訓的內容。”

Mari Hwang studies piano, harpsichord and conducting at the conservatory. She's learning marketing skills, which connect her to audiences in ways that have little to do with musical talent. "In a conservatory setting we always focus on performance, but a lot of times we [stay] in a practice room and we don’t really learn how to speak to your audience or how to interact with it or how to create new programs for people. And here we learn how, and it’s going to be very beneficial for my career."

瑪麗·王在曼哈頓音樂學院學習鋼琴、羽管鍵琴以及指揮。她現在正在學習市場營銷技術，也就是用跟音樂天份本身毫無關係的方式與觀衆建立聯繫。瑪麗·王說：“在音樂學院，我們總是把重點放在表演上，但很多時候，我們花大量時間在琴房裏練琴，就是這樣。我們不學習怎樣和觀衆溝通，怎樣和觀衆互動，怎樣爲觀衆創造出新節目，等等。現在，我們在這兒學習這些東西，我覺得這將對我的職業生涯非常有幫助。”

Klorman knows that many young musicians are daunted by the expertise needed to sustain a successful career today. However, he says the current climate rewards personal initiative and imagination as never before. "And if we are creative about putting together new opportunities, we can carve out a whole new market for ourselves."

克洛曼知道，很多年輕音樂家對今天要保持一個成功的事業所需要的專業技能感到惶恐。但是，克洛曼指出，現在的氛圍能使個人的創意和想象力得到前所未有的回報。他說：“如果我們能夠有創意地把握住新機會，我們就能爲自己開闢出一個嶄新的市場。”

Non-traditional approach

He encourages classical musicians can play in nightclubs and other non-traditional venues.

Klorman himself initiated the highly successful "Classical Blue Jeans" series in upstate New York, where both audience members and musicians wear blue jeans, share a pre-concert barbecue and repair to a barn for the concert itself, where concertgoers are invited to offer instant feedback to the musicians.

Klorman says it’s all done in a spirit of inclusion and fun. "It makes for a much more dynamic music world for all of us, and it’s a much more exciting way to live your life as a musician."

“爲我們所有人創造出一個更有活力的音樂世界。作爲一個音樂家，這是更加激動人心的生活。”

The courses at the Center for Music Entrepreneurship are among the most popular at the Manhattan School of Music. In fact, demand has begun to exceed slots, and the program is expanding. This success has in turn inspired other conservatories to teach business skills for tomorrow’s musical careers.

音樂企業家中心提供的課程是曼哈頓音樂學院最受歡迎的課程。事實上，現在的課程是供不應求，中心的項目正在擴大。這個成功之舉也啓發了其他音樂學院，把商業技巧教授給未來的音樂家們。