Alliance College-Ready Public Schools’ Post

Last week, Brittany Nickell from Dover hosted a discussion with people from the opera industry who pivoted to tech and I remain inspired and invigorated by our panelists. 🤩 This quote from Gabriel Wyner has really stuck with me as I too struggled with imposter syndrome when I pivoted away from opera and I imagine that this discussion will resonate with many people. “To anyone who might be struggling with some imposter syndrome about moving into a new industry, I just want to throw out that that your willingness to improve on anything actually sets you apart from the vast majority of the workforce. And I don’t mean that like super cynically or just everyone’s terrible or anything like that - they’re not; people aren’t terrible, people are deciding how much energy to give a job. But the amount of energy that everyone who is listening to this has given their jobs up to this point is enormous. And if you give a fraction of that to any job in the tech industry, you will be head and shoulders above most other candidates, even if you don’t have as much experience as some of the other people applying.” To my opera friends who are thinking of making a #careerpivot - especially given the economic realities of the opera industry - know that your career in opera has prepared you well for careers in other industries. Your work ethic, desire to learn, determination, and grit will serve you well wherever your land. In this clip, you’ll also hear great advice from Michele Fisher and Joe Gaines. https://lnkd.in/eNS5iWpG

Ah, Miles... Miles Davis' career exemplifies the creative essence of jazz... Contrary to many jazz purists' judgements, Miles never "sold out" when he created brews of jazz mixed with rock, funk, soul, and pop. His relentless drive to evolve through various styles of music (as well as taking up painting during the 1980's), was his way of expressing his creative energies... regardless of whether he alienated his established audiences (or possibly because he did alienate them?). Like the greatest innovators in any discipline, whether music, visual, written or other art forms, whether in business, sports, sciences, academics, Miles found new ways to explore and achieve his objective--creative expression that impacted his audiences in new, exciting, and relevant ways. Despite often being misunderstood and criticized for not following the "rules" of jazz composition or performance, not cowtowing to people's assumptions regarding his race, or not observing "proper" social behavior, Miles pressed forward into new realms. Not always successful in ways that he or others might like, in comparison to Babe Ruth (most strikeouts in achieving the homerun record for decades) and Michael Jordan (game-losing misses in making record game-winning shots), Miles arguably has a lower misses-to-hits ratio with his experiments than they achieved. Miles was inarguably an insightful, courageous, innovative, hard-driving leader who also was often mercurial, unstable, and insecure. Still, he attracted, collaborated with, and mentored numerous skilled musicians who have been recognized as high achievers and leaders in their own right. I believe we should measure Miles' greatness based on his impact on the course of creative jazz and related music styles, directly and through the musicians he influenced. But after all these words, the proof is in the listening. Check out an album from each of Miles' five major phases of evolution across almost 50 years and enjoy!

It's always fun when electric speakers like Kardinal Offishall inspire our students at convocation, but there's so much more to learn from him. Harrow's career is an important example of what so many of our graduates learn and do in the world after AMPD. Our grads do not stay in their lanes. Like so many successful creatives today, our grads change and evolve their careers constantly: from established companies to freelance work; from theatre to film to videogames and back again; from visual art to animation to visual effects; from indie productions to business. The lessons of a successful education in the arts and design are not only the technique and craft in a specific field, but how to evolve and transition your work over time and in response to so many changes. That's what so impressive about Harrow. He works across fields, disciplines and platforms. He demonstrates how vital it is to keep developing one's craft while also seeking new opportunities and developing an individual voice. Amid all of the challenges, we must continuously refine our programs to support learning in not only disciplinary technique, but also: - Cross-sector adaptability - Innovative problem-solving - Leadership across creative disciplines - Entrepreneurial mindset The creative leaders of tomorrow will excel in today's dynamic creative industries by mastering not just technical skills, but the ability to evolve professionally and learning to embrace and even enjoy(!) the changes and new opportunities. I think it's that sense of joy that makes Kardi such an inspiration for our School. It was exciting to have him speak to our newest alumni and I look forward to what he -- and they -- will do next. School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design - York University

Amateur choir directors are fascinating. They are able to make 30 people with very little technical knowledge (music theory) create products (songs) admired by customers willing to pay for them (audience). Today, after months of practice for a concert, our patron requested us to sing one song that we had never worked before. We had literally 5 minutes to prepare before singing. It was a canon, not the easiest thing to do (not for me anyway). People were thrilled with our performance. How on earth that happened? 1.- Will. We all wanted to make it happen 2.- Communication. Our conductor provided really specific and applicable instructions about how to make it happen 3.- Shared leadership. The ones who got it first jumped in showing the way to others My take away: will, clear direction, and shared leadership, multiplies speed to market, even with the basics :-)

✨ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲? 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Imagine a world-renowned violinist, playing a priceless 1713 Stradivarius in a bustling subway station. Would anyone notice? That's exactly what happened when #JoshuaBell, a musical virtuoso and one of the world's most talented violinists, went undercover as a street performer in 2007. The results were surprising. Despite his immense talent, few stopped to listen, and his earnings were meager (only seven out of the 1,000+ people passing by). 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆-𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻? When was the last time you said to a report or colleague: 🙌 "I'm proud of what you have accomplished", 🙌 "I see your progress", 🙌 "thank you for pushing through" 𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲? 📣 shoutout to my colleague and leader Adam Costner for always making sure these words are shared. #careeradvice #jobsearch #companyculture #talentmanagement #leadership

I know many of us seek out loyal customers to explore product innovations and extensions. Seems like an obvious idea. Who better to consult than a brand’s top loyalist. However, research conducted by Giulia Cancellieri, Gino Cattani, and Simone Ferriani, highlighted in the Economist suggests caution. The trio researched attendance of new stagings of traditional operas among opera goers. The research revealed that frequent opera goers were open to novelty in new productions, but they were less keen on radical changes. The work suggests that loyal customers are the least likely to welcome innovation or change in the products or services they love. Therefore, perhaps better to talk to less committed customers about product innovation. And when a brand does innovate, they should be cautious about over promoting the innovation to their loyalists.

One of the great musicians, David Bowie, was known for his constant reinvention, shifting personas and musical styles numerous times. From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, Bowie maintained relevance and pushed artistic boundaries throughout his career. More recently, Prince, Beyonce and Taylor Swift have illustrated the power of reinvention in maintaining relevance, exploring new creative avenues, and connecting with different audiences throughout their careers. In this week's FTI Consulting Strategic Communications IR Monitor, we highlight an interesting article from the FT discussing how technology is reading annual reports and drawing conclusions based on the changes it sees, and the power of consistency. Studies suggest that companies rewriting their descriptions typically are more likely to suffer from future stock declines. https://lnkd.in/eaejUz82

Are your talents being appreciated? 🤔 In 2007, Joshua Bell, a celebrated American violinist, conducted a fascinating experiment with "The Washington Post." Dressed casually, he played his priceless violin at a subway station as an ordinary street musician. Despite his world-class talent, most people rushed by, oblivious, with only a handful stopping to listen. He collected just $32 in 45 minutes. But he usually commands sell-out concerts. Reflecting on my own career path, having worked across various companies- I've seen firsthand how the environment and the people, especially your boss, can make or break your experience. In some places, I felt as unnoticed as Joshua in that subway station, despite giving my all. It's not just about your skills, but also where and with whom you use them. Like Joshua' unnoticed subway performance, your abilities might go unrecognised if you're not in the right setting or lack support from those around you, especially your leaders. So, are you in your 'subway station' or your 'concert hall' in 2024? Are your talents being appreciated? Remember, the right team, client or company can turn your job into a place where your 'music' is not just heard, but celebrated. I only got to learn this later in my career. #appreciation #leadership #careergrowth

Friday Arts. Here at Springboard Opera, we are about Supporting Emerging Artists. But we also hang our hat on innovation … as in Transforming the Opera Idea. And for us, the first step in Supporting Emerging Artists was, well… To ask them. What THEY need to get themselves started. We get that they are new graduates, putting their best foot out for the first step in a long career path. And they may not actually know what they practically need to get up and running. But then again, they might. They are part of the most educated and empowered generation ever. And they have the tools. So, as well as engaging with the knowledge and experience of those who have gone before, we are asking them, one of our big stakeholders. We may even ask our other big stakeholders, some of whom may not be singers. But they might help us to Support our amazing Emerging Artists and on the way, Transform the Opera Idea! Because this is the Springboard Way. This is Springboard Opera … if you’re up for a 21st century adventure, up for creating something new, exciting and paradigm-busting to support young people, jump over to our website https://lnkd.in/gXgNVTGg, and get involved. Singing optional. Leslie Martin Luisa Tarnawski Gheorja Haidley #Future #TransformationalLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #Directors #Technology #Performingarts #YourNetworkForLife

In celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth, we asked some of our team members to share what they value most about their culture and how it strengthens them both personally and professionally. Douglas Flores, Assistant Field Manager in DC, shares his love for his culture's traditions, especially the music. Check out the full video on YouTube: https://buff.ly/4eeRmYA