Downloadable announcement available here!
Are you a college student who loves to put your passion for music into words? Are you a musician who’s bursting with ideas about how to reinvent the concert experience? We want to hear from you!
21CM, the National Outreach Program of DePauw School of Music, has partnered with I CARE IF YOU LISTEN to create the “New Voices” Essay Contest. Students currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs are invited to submit short essays on the theme of the 21st Century Musician. The winning essays will be published on both 21CM.org and ICareIfYouListen.com. In addition, winners will receive a signed copy of Mark Rabideau’s book, “Creating the Revolutionary Artist: Entrepreneurship for the 21st-Century Musician,” as well as competitive compensation for the rights to publish their work: The first-place winner will receive $500, second place will receive $350 and third place will receive $200.
To enter, be sure that you meet the requirements below, then submit your essay and proof of enrollment to editor@21cm.org by November 1, 2018. Winners will be notified in December, and the winning essays will be published in January 2019.
GUIDELINES
- There is no age requirement, but entrants must be enrolled either full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Students participating in graduate certificate and artist diploma programs also qualify. You must include proof of enrollment with your submission, such as an unofficial copy of your transcript or a dated photo of your current student ID.
- Essays should be 400-750 words in length.
- Essays must reply to one of the provided prompts. Include the text of the prompt you used at the top of your essay.
- Essays should be journalistic in nature. If you choose to interview someone for your essay, you may include quotes from the interview. Your essay should be free of any grammatical or spelling errors. The discovery of any factual errors or plagiarism will result in disqualification.
- Essays must be original and unpublished. 21CM and I CARE IF YOU LISTEN retain exclusive rights to publish.
- Email your entry with the subject line “New Voices Submission.” In the body of your email, please include your name, age, degree program and school. Include essays and proof of enrollment as attachments. Name essay files as FullName.NewVoices.Prompt#. Example: AmyBeach.NewVoices.Prompt2.
PROMPTS
What is the 21st Century Musician? There are many ways to define one, but some of the traits they have in common include: going their own way, creating their own opportunities by embracing a spirit of entrepreneurship and viewing their audience as an active partner in their success. As you write, keep this innovative spirit in mind so you can develop ideas that contribute to the advancement of music as an art form. (In other words, winning essays will not include reviews of standard church basement senior recitals.)
Craft your essay in response to one of these prompts:
(1) Is there a particular musician, organization or musical production that recently inspired you — maybe even changed the way you think about art? Write a profile on this person or a critical response to this project. Describe the ways in which you were affected by this musician and/or project, as well as the impact you think this work might have — or already has had — on the larger artistic landscape.
(2) Being a 21st Century Musician is all about reinventing the way we engage with our audiences, whether that’s from the stage, within our communities or across digital platforms. Do you have an idea about how musicians can better engage with their listeners? Describe your idea, how it would work and why it’s important.
(3) Referring to Prompt 2, maybe you’ve witnessed an initiative that was very successful in engaging audiences in a unique way. Write about this initiative, how it came to be and why you think this work is important.
(4) Write about a powerful musical experience you had in which you engaged with either music or audiences in a nontraditional way. A “traditional” performance is one in which you stand on stage, play your music and the audience applauds nicely. A nontraditional experience could be anything else!
Judges
The judges for this contest are Amanda Cook, editor in chief of I CARE IF YOU LISTEN; Zoë Madonna, music critic for the Boston Globe; and Elizabeth Nonemaker, managing editor of 21CM.org.