Jacobs program awards students

Completing its second year, Project Jumpstart is a career and entrepreneur leadership program offering a number of resources for students in the IU Jacobs School of Music.
Winners of the video and essay competitions, a new feature of the 2012 project, were announced in early May.

For the video competition, Erich Rieppel placed first with a $300 prize, Steve Metcalf came in second with a $200 prize and Stevan Jovic won the Encouragement Award with $100.

In the essay contest, Rose Fraser and Jovic each received $100, while Madeleine Ohman was rewarded $50 for the Encouragement Award.

“Project Jumpstart’s programming, including workshops and career advising, provides expanded opportunities for the Jacobs School of Music’s illustrious faculty and staff to share strategies, tips and experiences with upcoming generations of musicians,” said Peter Thoresen, coordinator for Project Jumpstart

The competitions were designed in fall 2011, launched that spring and were open to currently enrolled students, Thoresen said.

Three judges per contest were required to rank the submissions. These judges included faculty from the Jacobs and administrators from the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the Kelley School of Business and WFIU
Public Radio.

The video instructions prompted students to share what they have to offer in promoting artistry in the 21st century.

“I’m really happy they have a sort of organization where students have the opportunity to go and find a lot of things about everything they need to know,” winner Stevan Jovic said. “We’re not just going to school and attending classes to pass exams. There is much more than that, and they’re there to help us, which is great.”

Jovic won the essay contest with the inspiring story of his “Practice Right” invention.

He was searching for a way to ease a guitar player’s hand into the correct position to pluck the strings of a guitar.

The idea was born near the end of summer 2011, and while the fame of “Practice Right” consumed much of his time, he received emails about Project Jumpstart from the Jacobs School.

“I feel great,” Jovic said. “I really wanted my idea and project to be recognized.”

He says the invention has become a hit in the guitar world. Jovic has been wrapped up in finding investors and stores to sell his product.

“I also wanted something that would make me satisfied emotionally,” Jovic continued. “I’m really happy I received those awards because one day I’ll be sitting in my room and no matter how much money I make or trophies I receive, I will be very happy to see those certificates and see where it started.”

Forrest Wu, undergraduate student representative for the Project Jumpstart team, accredited the idea of the essay and video competitions, as well as the set of rules, criteria and organization of the project, to Joanna Helms and Jerome Síbulo, the graduate and post-graduate student representatives.

“They were looking for students who showed an innovative spirit, an eye toward the future and an understanding of themselves as a musical product as well as an artist,” he said.

Wu was grateful to share responsibilities with the two. They helped each other make promotional posters and videos as well as manage the social media sites.

This work with the project has helped Wu in more ways than one.

“I’m looking for a career in arts administration working day-to-day for a creative organization, and Project Jumpstart has helped me handle it,” he said. “I have gotten looks at the way grant writing works, how résumé building works, and it’s been eye opening for music students when the face of the industry is changing so rapidly.”

The writing script questioned, “What are you doing to be proactive about your future as a musician?”

As a ballet major, Ohman decided to enter the contest for unique reasons.

“I felt I had a different take on the question, which made it different from all the other essays just because for ballet you don’t do the same things instrumentalists do to further your career,” Ohman said. “For dancers there’s a lot more to it because your instrument is your body.”

The competition’s organization was important because Ohman said if the competition did not contain the writing element, she probably would not have participated.

“It’s nice they have these opportunities in general for musicians,” she said. “They can inspire each other.”

Ohman said she enjoyed reading the other winners’ essays.

“It’s nice to see what other people in Jacobs do to approach their career,” she said. “It gives an insider’s scoop into what it’s like to be an artist.”