Carrying a new tune, Athens State University officials announced that the school will launch a new bachelor’s degree in Music Industry Studies in the fall 2024 semester. The program is designed to offer relevant experiential training opportunities in the music industry. The focus of the program will include essential skills in music performance and production, recording and audio engineering and music business and management. The required industry training, reinforced through a practical artistic experience that culminates in a supervised internship, will allow graduates of the Music Industry Studies to curate a portfolio and skill set appropriate to a multitude of careers in the music industry or future graduate studies. “One of the most exciting aspects of the program is how much it can be customized to fit the individual goals of those seeking rewarding work in the music industry,” said Kevin Kelleher, assistant professor of Music Industry Studies. “This flexibility is central to crafting a career in a field that offers so many artistic and entrepreneurial opportunities. The benefits of being part of such a vibrant community of creatives at Athens State and the Alabama Center for the Arts are essentially endless, offering a continual immersion in transformative events with a plethora of hands-on experiences for building a marketable portfolio.” Classes for the program will be offered at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur that currently offers about 45,000 square feet to the performing arts. The center is complete with rehearsal spaces for music, dance, theater, as well as a studio theater and recital hall. The facility also features sophisticated resources for recording and music technology. Athens State University and the Alabama Center for the Arts are situated on the I-65 corridor — east of Muscle Shoals, 90 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee — the music industry capitals of the world, making the Athens/Decatur area an accessible location to offer this program. “Launching the BA in Music Industry Studies at Athens State University offers a transformative step for aspiring music professionals,” Pamela Keller, chair for the Fine and Performing Arts and professor of Art at the Alabama Center for the Arts, said. “This program will equip students with the essential skills and industry insights to thrive in today’s dynamic music landscape.” There are aggressive job posting demands for agents and business managers of artists, performers and athletes in Alabama and Tennessee. In 2022, there were 1,002 jobs in the region compared to an expected 806 jobs based on national averages for regions with a similar population size. Music directors and composers also appear on the Alabama Statewide List of In-Demand Occupations, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Industry Studies curriculum would prepare students to pursue this unique career path.

Carrying a new tune, Athens State University officials announced that the school will launch a new bachelor’s degree in Music Industry Studies in the fall 2024 semester.

The program is designed to offer relevant experiential training opportunities in the music industry. The focus of the program will include essential skills in music performance and production, recording and audio engineering and music business and management.

The required industry training, reinforced through a practical artistic experience that culminates in a supervised internship, will allow graduates of the Music Industry Studies to curate a portfolio and skill set appropriate to a multitude of careers in the music industry or future graduate studies.

“One of the most exciting aspects of the program is how much it can be customized to fit the individual goals of those seeking rewarding work in the music industry,” said Kevin Kelleher, assistant professor of Music Industry Studies. “This flexibility is central to crafting a career in a field that offers so many artistic and entrepreneurial opportunities. The benefits of being part of such a vibrant community of creatives at Athens State and the Alabama Center for the Arts are essentially endless, offering a continual immersion in transformative events with a plethora of hands-on experiences for building a marketable portfolio.”

Classes for the program will be offered at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur that currently offers about 45,000 square feet to the performing arts.

The center is complete with rehearsal spaces for music, dance, theater, as well as a studio theater and recital hall. The facility also features sophisticated resources for recording and music technology.

Athens State University and the Alabama Center for the Arts are situated on the I-65 corridor — east of Muscle Shoals, 90 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee — the music industry capitals of the world, making the Athens/Decatur area an accessible location to offer this program.

“Launching the BA in Music Industry Studies at Athens State University offers a transformative step for aspiring music professionals,” Pamela Keller, chair for the Fine and Performing Arts and professor of Art at the Alabama Center for the Arts, said. “This program will equip students with the essential skills and industry insights to thrive in today’s dynamic music landscape.”

There are aggressive job posting demands for agents and business managers of artists, performers and athletes in Alabama and Tennessee. In 2022, there were 1,002 jobs in the region compared to an expected 806 jobs based on national averages for regions with a similar population size.

Music directors and composers also appear on the Alabama Statewide List of In-Demand Occupations, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Industry Studies curriculum would prepare students to pursue this unique career path.