Entrepreneurial Resources
Define Your Success
The foundation you create at CIM will prepare you for an extraordinary career. From solo and ensemble performance, composition commissions, teaching positions and portfolio careers, to prestigious graduate programs, students rely on their CIM education to transform their passion into all kinds of professions.
Build Skills For Your Future
CIM offers access to resources that will help you manage your career as a professional musician. Through CIM's First-Year Experience, Senior Seminar and Master’s Seminar, students will explore topics around creating contracts, finance and tax preparation for gigging artists, grant writing, copyright law and music licensing, and non-profit and for-profit business concepts, all taught by preeminent experts. Complement these practical subjects with electives and humanities courses in performance psychology, distance learning, physics of music, digital media, and more. Learn about CIM's curriculum.
Jumpstart Your Idea
Students can participate in Imperfect Pitch to grow and implement entrepreneurial business and innovative performance ideas, learn from professional mentors, and win cash prizes. Read about winning pitches.
Attend Co-curricular Workshops & Conversations
Attend co-curricular workshops and conversations led by world-class artists and thought leaders, including CIM alumni, covering a variety of topics including branding, operating a musical business, performance psychology, entrepreneurism, and more. Past speakers include former Boston Symphony Orchestra president and CEO Mark Volpe; SPHINX president and artistic director Afa Dworkin; pioneering multi-style cellist, singer, composer and educator Mike Block; and Play On Philly founder and executive director Stanford Thompson. Join the CIM Student Community Facebook Group for event news and updates.
Find What's Next
- Audition Cafe: Search audition opportunities by instrument/voice and location.
- International Musician
- Last Row Music
- Magnum Opus: Find a comprehensive list of auditions for orchestras large and small, including recently posted.
- Musical Chairs: Peruse performance, admin and teaching jobs around the globe.
- Sphinx Organization's National Alliance for Audition Support
- Auditionhacker: Learn techniques and strategies for nailing your next audition.
- Travel Assistance Funds: Find resources available only to CIM students and alumni on CIM Studio.
- Peabody Institute's Career Path Explorer: Filter by area of study, community served, and more.
- Peabody Institute's Self-Promotion Resources: Browse advice about marketing your career in music.
- CIM Libguides: View career resources found in CIM’s own Robinson Music Library.
- Fractured Atlas: Find a variety of services and information for independent artists, including venue locators, advocacy and fiscal sponsorship.
- Assembly for the Arts: Cleveland-based non-profit organization offering local artist advocacy, including fiscal sponsorship.
- JumpStart: Unlock the full potential of entrepreneurship to transform entire communities in Ohio.
- Musical America Worldwide: Discover a collection of industry news and blogs, artist manager databases, and more.
- Forte Lessons
- Songburd Music Publishing
- The Path to Funding
- Alice M. Ditson Fund
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
- BMI Foundation: Read about awards, scholarships, and more.
- National Endowment for the Arts: Find grant opportunities by artistic field.
- National Federation of Music Clubs: Find local, state and national competitions and awards.
- New Music USA: Discover grants for individuals, composers and ensembles.
- Ohio Arts Council
- Planetary Music Movement
- The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers: Search awards and competitions for composers.
- Tuesday Musical: Learn about their scholarship competition in Ohio.
- Peabody Institute Festival Guide: Filter opportunities by instrument.
- Case Western Reserve University's Handshake Community
- NEC Bridge (email Sean.Penzo@cim.edu for free access)
- American Choral Directors Association
- Arts Admin Jobs
- Chronicle Vitae: Arts Academic Jobs
- Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- El Sistema Jobs
- Higher Ed Jobs
- Inside Higher Ed: Faculty Jobs
- OPERA America Jobs
- National Guild for Community Arts Education
- National Association for Music Education
- American String Teachers Association