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Entrepreneurial Musicianship
Providing students and alumni with individual advising and career coaching, courses focused on professional skills within the Conservatory curriculum, pathways to gain professional experience through hands-on learning, and opportunities to fund and incubate new creative work. NEC is committed to ensuring every student and graduate has the tools to build a life in — and beyond — music.
Advising
Every NEC student and alum has access to free advising from conservatory-trained professionals with experience at every size and level of arts organization. These one-on-one advising sessions can address such topics as writing bios, resumes and grant proposals, and conceiving long-term projects, career direction, and artistic goals.
Schedule an Advising AppointmentThe Entrepreneurial Musicianship Program
Explore NEC’s academic catalog to learn more about the Entrepreneurial Musicianship program and EM course offerings.
Academic CatalogGrants and Awards
EM offers up to $30,000 in grants and funding for innovative projects and professional development opportunities. The grants provide financial support for unique ideas and collaborations, travel to professional opportunities outside of Boston, advising and career coaching for new graduates, and for students and alumni to develop the business side of their musicianship.
With the support of these grants, internships, and specialized training, NEC graduates go on to perform with world-renowned orchestras, establish private teaching studios, launch arts nonprofits, compose for film and video games, and produce for leading tech companies.
Learn more about past grant recipients and projects:
EM Grants provide up to $1,500 for students to enact their unique ideas and collaborations. Our grants fund innovative and impactful projects and help students develop skills critical to their success: communicating a vision, creating a production plan, developing a marketing strategy, and balancing budgets. The competitive application process is modeled on real-world grants, and students are coached through every step, from first draft to final pitch, by the EM Team.
Apply HereThe Entrepreneurial Student Travel Fund provides financial assistance for expenses related to travel needs of NEC students as they pursue professional opportunities outside of Boston. Travel grants are provided specifically to students who can show significant participation with the EM program, and support the following activities:
- Travel funding for tours of ensembles
- Travel funding for national/international conferences, festivals, and professional training
- Travel to fund original research projects
- Travel and lodging funding for professional auditions
The 2024 EM Alumni Award, sponsored by the Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Alumni Engagement teams, provides funding and support for the aspiring projects of NEC alumni. Granted annually to NEC graduates, the award includes a $1,000 stipend as well as project consulting from the Entrepreneurial Musicianship team.
Apply HereThe EM Spark Award invites graduating students to take deliberate steps toward their career goals. Co-sponsored by the President’s Office and Alumni Engagement, the award includes a $1,000 stipend and individual project advising and career coaching with the EM Team.
Apply HereInternships and Fellowships
The EM Department offers unique field experiences exclusively for NEC students to gain hands-on learning on campus and at Boston-area arts organizations. All field experiences are paid, and some offer professional performance experience. The following are examples of current EM internships and fellowships.
Applications for the Boston Chamber Music Society EM Fellowship and the Spring ’25 Nova Fellowship are open now! The Boston Chamber Music Society applications are due on Friday, November 15, and the Nova Fellowship applications are due on Sunday, December 1. Please email Ryan Mewhorter with any questions.
A Far Cry stands at the forefront of an exciting new generation in classical music. The 18-member string ensemble is a Grammy-nominated, self-conducted orchestra that operates as a democracy. Decisions are made collectively and leadership rotates among the players (Criers). Its mission is to ignite a love for music and utilize its power to bring people together locally and across the globe. Its vision is a world that listens. Learn more at www.afarcry.org.
About the Position
The AFC Intern is integral to the A Far Cry team, providing vital support to a small but growing administrative staff in areas such as marketing, development, box office, and artistic production and operations. The AFC Intern joins the organization at the end of its second decade, an exciting new era of capacity-building and staff professionalization, and will have the opportunity to work closely with musicians and staff to contribute to this period of growth.
Job DescriptionThe Arts Administration Intern will gain hands-on experience in building a replicable public relations strategy for Boston Music Project (BMP), a growing nonprofit focusing on musical excellence and creative youth development. BMP is committed to ensuring the long-term social and musical success of our cities’ less advantaged urban youth by nurturing individual expression, celebrating unique cultures, and developing life skills through quality education and performance.
Interns will assist the executive director and program manager with day-to-day operations while learning about the various components of managing a school-based arts nonprofit, including marketing/communications, press releases, and social media management.
Job DescriptionBoston Chamber Music Society is looking for their next 2025 EM Fellow! As an EM Fellow, you’ll get hands on PAID experience in marketing, fundraising, and concert production as you assist in planning the BCMS ’25-’26 season, better yet, you get to PERFORM with the ensemble in the Fall of 2025!
Does arts administration excite you? What about working with a small, tightly-knit, compassionate team that values working hard, reaching goals, and a healthy dose of good humor? And we top it off with a vibrant, innovative, musical mission you can be proud of.
If so, this position might be for you.
Cantata Singers seeks a motivated, responsible, communicative, and detail-oriented Arts Production and Engagement Intern. Working closely with the Executive Director, Operations Manager, Marketing and Community Programs Manager, and Administrator, an intern at CS will support several aspects of our organization’s processes and outreach. This position provides a well-rounded, hands-on experience in all areas of a performing arts nonprofit with a team marked by camaraderie, professional development, curiosity, and an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Job DescriptionNEMPAC Mission: Rooted in Boston’s North End, our mission is to enrich lives through accessible, exceptional music education and performing arts programs that embrace our vibrant, inclusive, and diverse communities.
NEMPAC Vision: NEMPAC envisions dynamic Boston neighborhoods where music and performing arts fill the city with creativity, spark connections, and inspire us to be our best selves.
NEMPAC is looking for TWO interns this year:
NEMPAC Development Intern
NEMPAC is excited to open a position to help manage the non-profit fundraising and development activity. The part-time development intern will assist with fundraising administration, prospect research, solicitation support, stewardship of donors, and more. The NEMPAC organization delivers meaningful, impactful arts programming to our community, and this position requires an individual who is positive and passionate about NEMPAC’s mission to ensure music and performing arts are accessible to all. The position may require occasional evening and weekend work.
Job DescriptionThe Nova Fellowship, sponsored by the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department, is a semester-long experience where 4 NEC students will be responsible for designing, planning, and producing two events at NEC’s Bower Stage located in the Green Room Cafe of the Student Life and Performance Center. Nova events are quickly becoming the catalyst of campus connection building with attendance at events getting as high as 200 visitors
Job Description
Other Boston-Area Internships
Students may earn credit for completing internships at one of Boston’s many arts nonprofit organizations. Work side-by-side with a working arts professional, providing hands-on contributions to a real organization while earning elective credit. Online resources for finding available internships include:
- Bridge – EM’s online opportunity board
- Boston-specific websites such as HireCulture that post available internships
Most arts internships are unpaid, but unpaid internships that meet certain qualifications are eligible for one (1) elective credit. If you are interested in an external internship and would like help applying, schedule an appointment with the EM team.
Gigs and Jobs
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Bridge
Search thousands of jobs and opportunities from around the world, tailored to you: orchestra jobs, teaching positions, festivals, competitions, arts administration roles, arts grants, and much more. Bridge only posts arts opportunities, so you don’t have to waste time searching through non-arts job boards. It also offers custom job searches based on the location, type of opportunity, and/or musical instrument or area that matters most to you. Browse the board, or turn on notifications — we’ll email you every time a new job is posted that fits your specific interests.
Music Referral Service
​The Music Referral Service (MRS) provides exceptional musicians for all types of events, occasions, and private instruction. The MRS connects available and talented NEC students and alumni with local clients in need of musicians. Our instrumental and vocal musicians are classical, jazz, pop, and folk pros.
Organizations Looking for NEC Interns and Musicians
If you are interested in hosting an NEC student for an internship, we suggest you post your opportunity to the Bridge Opportunity Board. The most successful job descriptions include a list of intended learning outcomes for the student; projected work responsibilities; and an outline of where, how, and with whom a student will work.
NEC understands that some organizations do not have brick-and-mortar offices; however, NEC does require that at least 50% of working hours are supervised in person, and that all supervised hours are completed at a non-residential location, such as the organization’s offices, at NEC, or at a coffee shop. As an internship is meant to be a learning experience, an intern’s job description must not be a responsibility that a host organization would otherwise pay an employee to do. Once an internship is agreed upon, both intern and host must sign a contract that includes job description details and which qualifies the intern as a volunteer.
During the internship, interns must log their hours on the provided schedule and their supervisor must sign off. Both supervisor and intern must also complete mid-semester and final evaluations, to be provided by NEC’s EM Department. Questions? Email EM.
Internships for NEC students must comply with Federal internship guidelines from the U.S. Department of Labor
Entrepreneurial Musicianship Guidebook
The EM guidebook is designed to help students develop and reach their unique artistic and career goals.
Explore Guidebook
