Jumpstart helps create connections

This year, Project Jumpstart is sponsoring several discussions and dynamic-based workshops geared toward helping student musicians define what they do and connecting them with future fans, employers and supporters.

Doctoral student Jerome Sibulo, a member of the Project Jumpstart student team, said the organization’s goal is to connect students with career resources and individuals with significant experience in the field.

The organization creates individual advising appointments for students to help them progress in their field and find the best resources in the community.

“We love to incorporate our very illustrious and enthusiastic staff in our workshops, as well as gain more student participation with these workshops,” said Peter Thoresen, interim coordinator of Project Jumpstart. “We want there to be a clear takeaway from
these events.”

Thoresen said the team was really excited about starting the year off with Kevin Woelfel’s presentation Nov. 7 to 8.

Woefel also was available for individual advising with Jacobs School of Music students.

Woelfel is the director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho and served as the director of the Entrepreneurship Center of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the past. His workshops discussed how to be successful as an entrepreneurial musician.

“This is a valuable program because right now in the music program, there is nothing else that can provide this knowledge,” said Sibulo. “It’s always good to have outside opinions. We are bringing in people who are experts in the field and their input is so valuable.”

Anyone who is in the music school receives emails regarding the Project Jumpstart workshops, but Sibulo said they encourage anyone in the community to attend the free sessions.

Senior Forrest Wu leads the student team. He said Project Jumpstart’s aim is to give perspective on what the performing arts world looks like today.

“Things are changing so quickly, it’s important to be well-informed and prepared,” Wu said.

Wu thinks it’s important to offer these workshops for musicians because the entire music profession is changing faster than people might realize.

“Music is a field that is changing so rapidly, and it’s mainly because of how rapidly technology is changing,” he said. “It’s important to figure out how this technology will effect the future of professional musicians.”