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Career & Professional Development

UNCG Career and Professional Development
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CVPA  Resources

Arts Administration

Alumni Resources

  • Join the UNCG Arts Administration LinkedIn Group. Available to any UNCG alumni (regardless of what you studied at UNCG) working in arts administration and related fields and all UNCG Arts Administration alumni (majors and minors). 

Job Boards

North Carolina 
National Job Boards 

Graduate Studies

  • Majoring in arts administration is not required for studying arts administration or arts management at the graduate level. In fact, few students applying for graduate school in arts management will have undergraduate degrees in arts administration…because there aren’t very many – UNCG is one of only a handful of full degree programs in Arts Administration for undergraduates! 
  • List of Arts Administration Graduate Programs available on ArtsAdministration.org 
  • List of Museum Studies programs from the American Association of Museums. 
  • Master’s in History with Museum Studies Concentration from UNCG Department of History 

Continuing Education

Salaries in the Arts

Resumes for Arts Admin

Cover Letters for Arts Admin

  • Helpful guide: Cover Letter Handbook from University of Texas College of Fine Arts.pdf
  • Video from Manhattan Theatre Club on writing cover letters for arts management. 
  • Here’s a Twitter thread on resumes and cover letters from Aubrey Bergauer, former Executive Director of the California Symphony, and a respected arts leader. 
  • Here are tips on writing cover letters from Hannah Grannemann, Director of UNCG’s Arts Administration Program:  
  • You don’t need to have 100% of the qualifications for the position to apply. Apply for jobs where you have about 70% or more of the qualifications. The worst that can happen is that you don’t move forward in the process! 
  • Get in the mindset that you are applying for the job to help THEM. It is not about you and meeting your goals. Well, it’s a little about you. A little. No more than 4 sentences about your motivation, purpose, career path, skills development, goals, etc. Just enough to show that you are committed to the field you are pursuing – and therefore will be committed to the organization. 
  • Your resume and cover letter reinforce each other. Don’t repeat your resume, but don’t leave it up to the reader to understand how your skills and experience are relevant. Connect the dots for them. 
  • DIRECTLY address as many of the qualifications listed in the job description, preferably with a very short description of how you’ve done that part of the job before. If you haven’t done that part of the job before, but you have done something similar, describe that and how it’s *almost* the same thing. If you haven’t done a major part of the job, you can describe briefly why you are confident that you can do the job. 
  • One page should be enough for a student or graduating student. Be succinct.  
  • How Theatre skills translate into other sectors 


Art

Internships

Resources for Artists

Artist Residencies

Exhibitions 

Career Opportunities


Dance

Dance Job Postings  

Popular Career Paths for UNCG Dance Graduates


Music

Careers In Music 

With an estimated value of $62 billion, the music industry provides countless career opportunities for aspiring musicians. An enterprising musician could consider over 35,000 open music jobs that are currently listed on Indeed.com.  

It is essential to develop your skills as early as possible, even though you may not apply for jobs until your final semester. Talk to your program’s alumni, your school’s career services office, and your professors from the beginning to develop yourself into a competitive musician. You may also consider visiting these web resources: 

Music Career Strategies 

Possible Career Paths

PRODUCTION 

  • Music Producer
  • Recording Engineer 
  • Video Engineer 
  • Sound Technician 
  • Electronics Technician 

MANAGEMENT 

  • Artist Manager 
  • Tour Manager 
  • Booking Agent 
  • Music Publicist 
  • Event Organizer 

CREATOR 

  • Composer 
  • Orchestrator 
  • Music Arranger 
  • Sound Designer 
  • Special Effects Specialist 

MUSIC THERAPIST

PERFORMER 

  • Classical (orchestra, chamber, military band, soloist) 
  • Session Musician 
  • Accompanist 
  • Church Musician 
  • Singer/Songwriter 
  • Cruise Ships & Resorts 
  • Musical Theatre 
  • Opera 
  • Theme & Amusement Parks 
  • Voice-Over Artist 

CONDUCTOR 

  • Conductor (concert) 
  • Music Director (for stage) 
  • Music Director (for worship) 

TEACHER 

  • School Music Teacher 
  • Private Music Teacher 

WRITING ABOUT MUSIC 

  • Music Journalist 
  • Social Media Influencer 
  • Author  

INSTRUMENT MAINTENANANCE AND REPAIR 

  • Instrument Repair 
  • Piano tuner 
  • Instrument Builder 

PUBLISHER (PRINTED MUSIC) 

  • Music Editor 
  • Music Copyist 

MERCHANDISER 

  • Music Store Owner 
  • Salesperson 
  • Reed maker 

ATTORNEY 

  • Entertainment 
  • Copyright and Licensing 

National Organizations Who Support Musicians’ Careers 

General 

Music Teaching 

Performance 

North Carolina Organizations Supporting Musicians’ Careers 


Theatre

Popular Career Paths 

  • Performance: Acting in theatre, film/television productions or within other performing arts venues, such as dance, comedy, voice acting, storytelling, etc. 
  • Administration & Business: Includes all business and administrative roles within a performing arts venue, including house management, marketing/PR, distribution, etc.; also includes talent management and representation for individual performers. 
  • Education & Facilitation/Teaching Artist: Involves teaching acting or film production in a class setting or giving individual performance coaching; may require additional education and credentials if teaching in K-12 or post-secondary schools. 
  • Journalism & Media: Includes providing analysis and critique of film/television works for print or broadcast media.  

Jobs to Consider 

And others: 

  • Art Director  
  • Magician  
  • Lighting Technician  
  • Carpenter 
  • Scenic Artist/Painter 
  • Rigger 
  • Electrician  
  • Musician  

  • Editor  
  • Film Editor  
  • Camera Operator  
  • Film/TV Crew 
  • Technical Writer  
  • Production Assistant 
  • Dancer  
  • Journalist 

  • Interviewer 
  • TV/Radio Reporter 
  • TV/Radio Host or Personality 
  • Extra 
  • Announcer 
  • Circus Performer 
  • Comedian 
  • Stunt person 

  • Model  
  • Audio-Visual Technician  
  • Composer  
  • Comedian  
  • Singer  
  • Social Media Influencer 
  • Personal Coach 

Places to Seek Employment 

  • Advertising Agencies: Television & Radio Commercials 
  • Broadway & Off-Broadway Theatres 
  • Nonprofit Theatres 
  • Cabarets & Nightclubs 
  • Children’s Theatres 
  • Community Theatres 
  • Cruise Lines & Resorts 
  • Dinner Theatres 
  • Freelance: Acting, Public Speaking, Coaching, Writing 
  • Magazines, Newspapers, & Other Print Media 

  • Opera Companies 
  • Performing Arts Centers & Councils 
  • Public & Private Schools (K-12) and Colleges & Universities 
  • Regional Theatres 
  • Repertory Theatres 
  • Outdoor Dramas 
  • Stock Theatres 
  • Television, Radio, & Film Studios 
  • Theme & Amusement Parks 
  • Touring Acting Troupes 

Job and Internship Search Resources 

  • American Association of Community Theatres – organization for community theatre professionals; includes job postings, theatre career profiles, and resources for making plays and running theatres   
  • United States Institute for Theater Technology – online job board specifically for those interested in theater design  
  • American Theatre Wing – list of several theatre internships in New York    
  • Backstage Jobs – job and internship site for “behind the scenes” positions in the live entertainment industry    
  • Educational Theatre Association – organization that promotes theatre education; includes job postings, career profiles, and other professional resources  
  • Playbill – includes wide variety of national job listings for both on and off-stage positions in theatre   
  • Showbiz Jobs – online job board for positions within the entertainment industry