Both survey and interview participants unanimously confirmed there were skills they needed to aid in their successful transition to professional opera careers that went beyond vocal technique, acting, and performance skills. Many of them, though, said that they had to learn these skills after graduation. The study applied a theoretical framework that was defined as the
entrepreneurial bricolage theory as it pertains to arts entrepreneurship. Bricolage was put in context as a “theory of production based on an economic state of resource constraint” (Essig, 2015, p. 234). The study examined the details of how this theory related to master’s of music in vocal studies alumni who were transitioning to professional opera singers as it related to the identified gap in research. The responses of both survey and interview participants indicate that inclusion of this non-vocal training seems important enough to include in the core curriculum, rather than leaving students to learn it on their own after graduating. As one performing arts conservatory participant noted, “I do think having a course structure can be a useful way to organize a sequence of necessary tasks and introduce resources that we might not come across on
our own (grant databases, design tools, excel shortcuts, and fiscal sponsorship).” The fact that most graduates are functioning in an environment of scarcity upon graduation makes the argument to include business skills in the core curriculum even more compelling.
Marketing. Schnipper (2017) and the Department of Labor (2019) emphasized the need for having the time to develop marketing and networking skills. While most respondents wrote comments about the importance of self-promotion and networking in launching and developing their careers, all who answered the survey question evaluating the training they received in that area saw marketing as either unimportant or lacking in the correct content. Out of the 27 survey respondents, 10 respondents (37%) rated that marketing classes they received as least useful in their training due to the lack of depth in the content delivered. Seven respondents did not respond to the question about marketing, and additional four saw marketing as not useful and did not see the connection with this skill and the tools needed to promote oneself. A music school survey participant noted, “I haven't gotten to a point where I need to think about a larger branding or marketing scheme.” The researcher believes that there might be a correlation between the length of time after graduation and when a professional then needs to fully utilize marketing skills to their full extent.
Self-Promotion. As determined by the Department of Labor (2019), “there is a need for additional emphasis on networking and self-promotion required for graduates.” All participants noted at some level that self-promotion was an important skill to learn as they transitioned into the business of opera. A music school survey participant noted, “Getting hired in the real world is more difficult than just doing an audition and hoping. There's too many singers in the field and not enough jobs.” This entails making oneself stand out from the crowd and be creative in one’s approach to their profession. This was echoed by a performing arts conservatory participant who
sated, “Self-promotion was mentioned as an abstract idea, at least at my [performing arts
conservatory].” It seems there is a definite need to develop more-in-depth and relevant content to be taught and applied in marketing classes for these graduate programs.
One performing arts conservatory participant took it one step further and noted, “professional social media and promotion [are] obligations.” This is echoed by Matthew who mentioned, “My institution already holds some weight when it comes to branding, so there's a step up when we start our self-promotion journeys. Our courses did prepare us how to dress, market, and process what is unique about us.” And finally, a performing arts conservatory participant stated, “But people now want someone who maybe has a social media following, a brand, something that sets them apart from the other thousands of singers out there.”
Applying the behavioral theory of entrepreneurial bricolage as a framework focused the study on developing the necessary entrepreneurial skills and business acumen for vocal studies students that would allow them to become creative with opportunities that are presented. Baker and Nelson (2005) “developed an integrative definition of bricolage as making do by applying combinations of the resources at hand to new problems and opportunities” (p. 333).
Entrepreneurial bricolage theory plays a pivotal role in understanding what higher education students at music schools and performing arts conservatories need as resources to successfully transition into singing careers.
The business seminars and classes that were presented at the institutions did not go into enough detail and therefore did not provide the necessary information that could be applied to the professional world. The length and information provided in the seminars and classes need to be further developed and taught by educators who are current with their knowledge. As one performing arts conservatory survey participant noted, “They had business professionals who
had been out of the field for a while or had outdated knowledge who gave us instruction.” As literature stated by Bjørnali and Støren (2012) asserted that “a greater emphasis on the development of entrepreneurial skills among students through project and problem-based learning” (p. 417). This aligned with the data that was provided by the survey and interview participants. As one survey participant stated,
While taking this class we talked about the realities of making it in the field, budgeting, side hustles, statistics and creativity all in order to help achieve being a full-time
musician…I know it's much easier said than done but this class is what most prepared me for the life of a musician.
As the literature states from Daniel and Daniel (2015), “all higher education institutions should consider this balance or investigate the extent to which their curricula are providing graduates with sufficient skills to develop and maintain viable careers” (p.423). To further emphasize this point, an additional survey participant noted the lack of content in entrepreneurial or business courses, “They were a nice introduction to prepare us for what we would 'probably deal with if we ever find the work.' There could have been more intensive courses.”
The study showed the lack of business content interspersed in the graduate vocal studies curricula results in students transitioning into a professional world with not only limited
resources, but limited skills to overcome them. The entrepreneurial bricolage theory describes the lack of resources which not having certain business courses confirms. While there was an indication from the participants that they received some, albeit a small amount, of coursework and understanding of the opera business and how to navigate it, they indicated that there was a lack of information that would have proven helpful to them.