Greetings! Amongst the excitement of launching with our new schools and programs, one of our big initiatives this year is with the Arts Schools Network, the South Carolina-based network for k-12 and higher ed Arts programs.

Our latest development with ASN is the On Your Way Student Talent Recognition, a program where students from ASN-member high schools (map) can apply for a full-ride trip to Walt Disney World, and perform at the 2012 ASN Conference Orlando, FL.

On Your Way is recognizing students in:

• Classical Voice
• Filmmaking
• Musical Theater / Acting
• Visual Arts (All Mediums)

by Dejen 

We’re happy to announce our first International partner, the Instituto Sacatar,  based in Itaparica – BA, Brazil. Receiving applications from all over the world (they even offer a UNESCO program), we worked alongside Sacatar’s leadership to create an application and instructions in English and Portuguese.

The run down on Sacatar (from their website):

Hello Hello! We’ve got another quick announcement about a national partnership in which we’re involved! The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts has decided to partner with us for a beta application process with the New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL.

This is a partnership that we’ve been working on for quite some time, and is a huge benefit for our high school applicants, many of whom apply for the Presidential Scholars program during their senior year of high school. (Last year we saw several of applicants using their YoungArts video for University prescreenings). Over 6,000 applicants are submitted you YoungArts annually, with 20 YoungArts Finalists eventually being recognized as US Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

We’re also doing some custom work to tie in ArtsApp-collected application forms with YoungArts information collected in previous years.

For YoungArts 2012 (application  deadline Oct 29, 2011), we are working exclusively with YoungArts applicants from New World School of the Arts in the disciplines of Photography, Visual Arts, Spoken Theater and Musical Theater. If you fit into this group, you can apply at www.artsapp.com/youngarts. If you attend another high school, orwant to find general information about the application process, click this link to go to the YoungArts website.

This is a big opportunity for all High School seniors (class of ’12) ready to take on the creative world.

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In the midst of wrapping up our college application process (with over 8,000 applications processed from Sep 1, 2010 – March 15, 2011) we’ve got an exciting initiative started with the Arts Schools Network. We’re powering their 2012 Student Recognition competition, ‘On Your Way,’ soft launching today at www.artsapp.com/artsschools

The Arts Schools Network (ASN) is a coalition of 100+ Visual and Performing Arts Schools and Organizations to provide best practice models of arts education through their member schools. You can check out their website here, and read their mission statement:

To provide the leadership and resources necessary to inspire and maintain excellence in arts education by supporting, serving, and creating network opportunities for leaders of specialized arts schools and complimentary arts and education organizations across the country.

We’ve been engaging with ASN since Summer 2010 (Dejen even went to their conference earlier this year), and are glad to be moving in this positive direction with a great group of people. For requirements, ASN is opening the initial competition to students in grades 9 – 12 (class of ’12 – ’15) at ASN-member schools, in disciplines of Musical Theater/Acting, Classical Voice and Film Making. The winner in each discipline will perform and be recognized at the Jan 2012 conference in Orlando, FL. Applicants will be reviewed by panelists at ASN-member Universities.

You can read the official announcement from ASN here and the deadline to apply is October 31, 2011 (so there’s plenty of time). We’re glad to be a part of this initiative, this is a good first step to bringing ASN schools and students together. Check out their website, the ASN is doing some great things.

It’s great for passion to be reignited.

Getting back to my Central Time body-clock, I need to talk about the awesomeness of the Arts Schools Network 2011 Conference in Anaheim, CA. You can see/download the program itinerary here. There were some great site visits, and visiting with students from LA County High School for the Arts and Orange County High School of the Arts and an inclusive pass to the 2011 NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants).

Walking through the halls of these high schools, the group (~100 of the Conference Goers, split on two tour buses) were led by students and staff to observe visual and performing arts classes, student performances and work on each campus. Just speaking with the young, creative minds shows opened my mind to the way that students are connecting with each other and staying inspired.

At this conference, I was able to present on a student recognition effort for all ASN member schools. We’ll announce more when the time is right.

But Below you’ll find some pictures from the ASN conference, the NAMM show (I met lots of cool people) and a quick video interview with Kristy Callaway, Executive Director of the Arts Schools Network.

We’re looking forward to next year’s conference in Orlando! The sessions alone are worth it, along with the opportunity to connect with K-12 and College Art School Leadership.

You can see more directly on the Arts Schools Network website by clicking this link.

Update, We’ve added a video interview with Kristy Callaway from the NAMM show / ASN Conference.

Official Bizspark logo

Hello All!

We’ve been busy! And getting some great feedback from our partners thus far into this application season.

The latest bit of exciting news (from our own internal developments) is acceptance into the Microsoft BizSpark program. Through this program, startups get access to Microsoft products and software, support from mentors and exposure to new partners in peripheral markets.

So, we have more toys to play with and new features and such coming soon. Bizspark is a three-year program, and the awesome thing is the only cost once you’re in the program is $100, payable after you leave the program.

For more information about Bizspark, click this link to go to their website.

Here’s some quoting Directly from the BizSpark website:

• Software. Get immediate access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools, platform technologies, and production licenses of server products (including Windows Azure Platform) for use in developing and bringing to market innovative and interoperable solutions.

Windows Azure Platform Benefits for BizSpark Members Develop and deploy applications to the Windows Azure platform, an internet-scale cloud computing and services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers. Learn more about the benefits here.

• Support.
  • Receive business development and technical training at highly subsidized costs or in many cases, no costs.
  • Receive two technical support incidents per startup. Each incident is managed by Microsoft until they are resolved, no matter how many calls it takes.
  • Receive access to MSDN Ultimate managed newsgroups, online library, and so on.
  • Get connected to BizSpark Network Partners around the world—incubators, investors, advisors, government agencies, and hosters—that are equally involved and vested in software-fueled innovation and entrepreneurship, and who will provide a wide range of support resources, including expert mentoring.
• Visibility. Get marketing visibility in front of an audience of potential investors, customers, partners and journalists and tap into a rich, vibrant ecosystem of peers, partners, and support resources around the globe.

Microsoft BizSpark is available in over 100 countries around the world.

Hello Team,

A few weeks ago I presented ArtsApp at Minnedemo, a self-proclaimed Geek Show and Tell in Minneapolis.

Presenting in this environment was great, there’s a developing software community in the Twin Cities, and we’ve found lots of guidance from people at budding startups like FanChatter and Tumblon.

But the MinneDemo meetings (and MinneBar unConference in the fall, @ Best Buy HQ!!) are really an experience to give entrepreneurs and software developers the opportunity to present new ideas, converse on new topics in technology, and just hang out. Big thanks to Luke Francl for organizing these events, and shout-out to Brian (http://www.stemmlerproductions.com) for archiving and posting these moments online.

Check out the live stream archives and other awesome presentations at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4481971

Enjoy the YouTube embed. (Although you miss the awesome one-liner at the beginning – “How many in this audience have streamed media via the internet this week?”)

-Dejen

The Minnesota Cup was launched in 2005

Passion is universal humanity. Without it religion, history, romance and art would be useless.

Quick post on some great news for all artists, teachers, organizations, and lovers of the humanities: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior has moved on a bill to increase National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities funding to $170M each, up from $155M each for FY2009.  All’s not safe yet, the bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.  Read the article here.

This is great news for arts organizations and artists who NEED TO BE ENTREPRENEURIAL in grant writing, and finding new ways to reach audiences through artistic expression.  Many of the grant opportunities that I’ve found on their website apply to:

“Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.”

But the good news for independent artists, young artists, freelancing musicians, is the potential to partner with a non-profit organization to apply for a grant.  For example, if you are a college string quartet, you could partner with a local school district to setup a mini-concert series for elementary school students.  The school district would receive the money, but will sponsor you because the purpose of the grant is to bring your music into the school district (and they’re legally obligated to).

Great ideas stem from great people and great partnerships.  Make a phone call, find the right avenue to share your art.  Get out of your practice room and make some friends.

If you plan (or currently do) make a living as an artist, you need to know how the arts industry works.  Also, NEA has published a helpful report on Artists in the Workforce.  This might be discouraging for all artists who want to make it big, but it’s important to know what you’ll face while pursuing your passion.

Click here to view NEA’s Artists in the Workforce Study

Click here to see NEA’s January report on the importance of arts and culture in the economic stimulus

Click here to go to the National Endowment for the Humanities Website

Click here for some Guidelines on Grant Writing (From the MN coucil on Foundations)

I still remember watching tapes from the library from Bernstein’s Concerts for Young People.  Go change a life:

By Dejen Tesfagiorgis

I have to applaud the San Francisco Opera for its long running Opera in the Park series.  Although this is my first year hearing/reading about the broadcast, SF Opera has held this annual FREE concert in Golden Gate Park since 1972.

This is a perfect example of innovative and integrative marketing; effectively seeking new listeners and followers instead of relying on traditional methods of reaching an audience (postal mailings, word of mouth, reputation, website only).  Read the Full Article here

After reading this news on several arts websites and seeing the full article in the SF Chronicle, I decided to take a look at the SF Opera’s additional online marketing efforts. The results were as great as I would expect.  This opera house near Silicon Valley Opera has recognized and capitalized on the tech trends.

Have a look at the additional leverage of social media used to grow their fan base (and maybe even add them as your friend!!).  You have to give a little to get a little, and the SF Opera is definitely putting forth its best efforts to reach new listeners:

SF Opera on Facebook

SF Opera on MySpace

SF Opera on YouTube

SF Opera on Vimeo (Behind the scenes)

SF Opera Podcasts

However, I would suggest that the SF Opera Webmaster push you Bravo! Club more, maintain an opera Blog, and make the links to social networks more obvious from the SF Opera homepage. I was navigating the site for 5 minutes trying to find links to these social networks in ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION before deciding to search each site individually.  Also, social network links on your Contact Us page would be awesome.

All arts sites should have a look at AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS http://blog.artsusa.org/, on the right hand they display their convenient array of social networks.

Fans don’t have time to read and open mail, we demand information conveniently and immediately.  Artists are the best listeners, so listen to your fans and connect with them as they connect with each other.  How is your website?

Here’s a small video clip from YouTube of the ~27,000 some listeners in attendance June 5