FEATURE: MUSIC & THE PERFORMING ARTS
owners/managers of tomorrow, and whilst it’s been a very challenging few years for many businesses, the lessons we learn today will be invaluable to future generations in years to come.
The independent DIY musician It is a combination of these experiences which I believe help to form an independent musician ready to take full control of their music and their life. WaterBear places great emphasis on the artist and promotes a culture of self-belief and determination, with a commitment to a high- quality musical output. We strive to arm students with a variety of skills allowing them to adapt and work in a range of different disciplines to help them to thrive in the industry.
Careers and beyond
motivates and inspires our students, while also ensuring that we have an extensive network of professional contacts from all corners of the sector including music managers, event and tour managers, music PR and marketing, record label owners and musicians through which to generate more opportunities for students.
The unique one-to-one mentoring programme in place at the college is a key part of the WaterBear experience, designed to drive specific skills development. This covers a variety of subject areas, from instrumental and vocal coaching to audio production, career planning and artist development.
Real-life learning
In support of student autonomy, our music degree courses at WaterBear are designed for the individual with an eye on the commercial environment of the industry. This allows students to have the ultimate creative freedom to explore their artistry and interests, encourage innovation, build their skills and core industry knowledge, adapt to change and embrace challenges whilst encouraging them to push their boundaries within areas that really motivate them. Recently, the Careers and Industry team across Brighton and Sheffield has expanded considerably, enabling invaluable professional experiences to be provided. The team is dedicated to supporting students with career planning advice, in addition to sourcing performance and work experience opportunities though our partners such as festivals and record labels, venues for student gigs, artist development, masterclasses and Q&A sessions from inspiring artists.
The music industry is all about making solid contacts and collaboration; something that I believe is essential for starting and maintaining a resilient, successful and fulfilling career in the industry. Therefore, working with our partners to create work experience opportunities for our students is central to what we do at WaterBear. Through our network, students are exposed to regular work experience opportunities ranging from touring, festivals, recording, session work, publishing, PR and marketing campaigns, to live event management, backline teaching, studio internships and much more.
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Lessons in adaptability, resilience, innovation and community
Over the past few years many areas of the music industry, like many other industries, have had to adapt through the pandemic and economic uncertainty, and yet against these challenges, businesses and individuals have found new and innovative ways to survive.
On such business for example, which is a WaterBear partner is ArcTanGent Festival, a four-day outdoor experimental rock event on the outskirts of Bristol. They are a testament to the adaptability, resilience, innovation and community that has carried them through the turbulence of recent years. The independent festival sector was heavily impacted by the pandemic; ArcTanGent overcame the loss of income by securing a Cultural Relief Funding grant and Crowdfunder which enabled them to build back their festival and return stronger than ever in 2022, headlining with the Swedish progressive metal/rock band Opeth.
We believe it is important to instil those same skills and attitudes in students, helping them to build their careers and businesses, whatever obstacles or challenges they may face in the future. Today’s music students will be the festival
Our Careers and Industry department at WaterBear proactively finds and creates appropriate opportunities and work within the music and wider creative industries for our students to apply for. These vary from internships in music business to studio-based roles, and live performances to live event work.
An application and screening process is put in place to make sure students are pitched at the right level for the job expectation. Those who are not successful have access to artist development to ensure that they are at the appropriate standard going forward, and mentoring to improve the relevant skills.
As a college, we are encouraged by the increase in our cohort as an indicator that we are creating an offering that students want, to ultimately foster independence and resilience for a sustainable career within the music industry. To continue to deliver on this, we acknowledge the importance of continuing to adapt to the challenges and changes within the business environment, as well as those within the music industry.
Those interested in learning more about WaterBear or studying a music degree course at either a BA (Hons) or Master’s level can view information via the links below: uWaterBear Sheffield https://waterbear.
org.uk/sheffield/ uWaterBear Brighton https://waterbear.
org.uk/brighton/
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