Education: New York

I am in the unique position where studying away has taken me away from formal education through classes and instead focused on internships for this semester. As is such, the differences between what and how I learn at Allegheny and what and how I learn here are expansive. However, remaining within the United States does mean that I encounter similar ideas of the overall importance of education, which is viewed as universally necessary, especially since all internships require education and even in some cases prior experience.

I work three internships here, one at a music management company, one at a music and talent supervision company, and one as an assistant to local singer/songwriter Carol Lipnik. During the week, I wake up, get ready, and walk to work. (I’m lucky because both offices are close enough to walk to). While there I complete the tasks assigned to me, and often members of the team approach me to explain current endeavors and the processes they involve from our company and more specifically me. This is very hands-on teaching, and because of that it doesn’t feel like formal education: it’s job training. I am also lucky because at neither job am I an intern that gets coffee or files papers all day; I am always participating in current projects, which shows that I am considered a valued member of the team. Also an important part of my day is Buddy, a wonderful dog at the supervision company, who always brightens my day.

My internship with Carol is the one that involves odd hours along with work at home. The month of February has been spent getting ready for her residency at Joe’s Pub. This means that for three Thursdays in March I will leave the office at 6 and run over to the venue (which I will unfortunately have to use a subway to get to) and help her backstage until it’s time for the show. Just before the end of the show I will then sneak out to attend to the merchandise table. These will be three rough days for me, but they will be infinitely worth it and valuable since artists are often balancing a day job with their art.

At the NY Arts Program, everyone is an aspiring artist and this is their chance to get a foot in the door of a very illusive industry. This unites us all in the fact that we don’t quite know what we’re going to be doing after graduation; in fact this program is what most of us here are doing to ameliorate that dilemma. While there are a few people like myself who aren’t just majoring in an art (Ben is a neuroscience major, Tori is a communications major and Rob is an English major), all of us want to eventually pursue our arts as our main careers. And while we know that we could be secure in other jobs in almost any other field, we have willingly chosen this unstable route out of passion.

This program understands this instability well and it throws us into the artistic work force so that we can begin to learn what it’s like to be in this field. And while we have advisors that keep up with us and give us small assignments, we are initially responsible for ourselves when it comes to learning from these experiences. There is one large project that all students are required to complete for the end of the program, however it is self-determined and executed, so it only adds to the independence of this program.

Being here, I have learned that I have to be solely responsible for my music, whether that means writing, recording, or performing. This means that, no matter what I do when I am back at Allegheny, I need to find the time to continue doing all of these things in order to eventually succeed as a musician. I have also been taught here that doing all this is possible, because although I am working three jobs at the moment, I still find time to take jazz piano lessons, write songs, and perform throughout the community. The education the NY Arts Program provides is a lesson in self-sustainability, which is invaluable to all aspiring artists in the world today.