We encourage you to do some research before jumping into another graduate program. What can you see yourself doing in arts management? What skills do you already have? Do you have any training in entrepreneurship? Do you need a degree program or can you get the skills you’d need by taking some classes at a community college or through your local small business development center? Your college career center may be a great place to start your research.

We also encourage you to talk with some people who are working in arts management to learn more about the field and how things are changing, especially now that the arts are in upheaval due to the pandemic. We know that the arts will continue to exist and flourish but we also know that it’s going to be rough going for a while and that technology will play a huge role in how the arts get delivered in the future.

Maya, your best course of action would be to check the application requirements at schools you may wish to attend for Arts Management. They will be able to best guide you for degree requirements and scholarship opportunities.

Look at the requirements at schools that offer programs in arts management so you know what they are looking for. You should be able to find programs that will teach you the skills you’re lacking especially since you have the background you do in music along with the practicum. We don’t see a problem!

Thank you for your wisdom!

An arts management major can be applied to any area of the arts. But also note that at some theatre programs, you can also study the behind-the-scenes aspects of theatre. So check the schools you’re interested in to see what exactly they offer. And contact them directly if you still have questions once you’ve looked closely at their websites.

Check with the school where you got your degree to see if they have agreements with any four-year schools with arts management programs. You may also want to visit websites of undergraduate arts management programs (we’ve given you several examples in this article) and then contact any you’re interested in to see if any of your credits would transfer. Talk with people in these jobs especially those working in ballet companies to see what the educational and experience trajectories were like for them. See if you can get a part-time job, an internship, or even some volunteer work with a ballet company to get to know the ropes and for them to get to know you.

I am receiving a 2 year degree in business administration. But would like to atten a school to go for arts management specially working in a ballet company since this is what I have been around my whole life. How can I make this possibly and what must I do?

Yes! And when you explore schools, be sure to share your career vision with them.

We suggest you check out programs in both areas, consider whether your interest is in the for-profit or not-for-profit arena and whether you want to zero in on the arts, and then see which programs speak to your goals. What kind of internship opportunities are there? You will undoubtedly have to gain enough experience to work up towards a top position, so ask programs what the trajectory has been like for their alumni and see if you can talk with alumni of both types of programs to learn more.

We encourage you to read this article fully – some of the many job opportunities are included along with tips for those considering this field. We also encourage you look at the websites of the participating schools listed in this article, and then use the forms on each of their pages to ask specific questions.

It really depends on the genre of music you’re interested in working with. Composition is the major you’d want to look at unless you are interested in popular music, in which case you’d also want to look at songwriting as well as music industry programs. However you proceed, you’ll be well-served by getting a strong foundation in music theory and music history to inform your writing. Look at the “Majoring in Composition” article on our site and, if popular music is your focus, read the popular music and music industry articles also.