<p>Which schools, besides obviously Vanderbilt, has a strong reputation in the Nashville area? both in terms of alumni connections and/or just general presence?</p>
<p>My friends in Nashville hire many grads from Belmont.</p>
<p>Belmont for sure. Lipscombe to a lesser degree. Sewanee is 90 minutes away and has lots of alum in Nashville.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I looked into Belmont; is that the school to go to if one wants to go into the country music industry or to work at one of the nearby recording studios?</p>
<p>*EDIT: What about the state schools? I know they are not the best out there, but do they have many alums or reputations in the area?</p>
<p>Depends on the major. Yes, Belmont is the school to go to for the music & entertainment business as well as for SERIOUS music performance majors. Of course, Vanderbilt is a top 20 university with a 16% acceptance rate last year. University of Tennessee has a lot of alumni in the area, although the school is 200 miles away. MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) is about 30 miles away and also has an excellent music business program (at a fraction of the cost of Belmont.) Lipscomb is a smaller Church of Christ affilated university that is rapidly improving its facilities due to a new provost (formerly at Pepperdine.) Tennessee State University is in Nashville and is a HBCU. </p>
<p>Smaller LACs such as Sewanee (about 100 miles away) and Rhodes (about 3 hours away in Memphis) have an alumni presence as well as most SEC schools such as Alabama, Kentucky & Auburn. </p>
<p>One thing about Nashville that people don’t realize: since the healthcare & music industries are so strong, many people who live & work in the area are transplants. On my cul-de-sac there are alumni from: Ole Miss, Ohio State, Montclair State College, University of Tennessee, University of Georgia, University of Vermont, Pepperdine, LSU, University of Minnesota, SUNY, University of Kentucky, University of Buffalo and University of Delaware.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for that very informative post RobD! I’ll definitely look into Middle Tennessee…I’m definitely applying to Vanderbilt since it’s always been one of my dream schools, since high school. Glad to hear that many other schools are represented in the area.</p>
<p>The Music Business major at Middle Tennessee looks amazing, are they basically on the same level as Belmont when it comes to music & entertainment business in Nashville?</p>
<p>CrownoftheSea, are you interested in the music/entertainment industry?</p>
<p>kelsmom, it is definitely one of the fields/industries that I am interested in.</p>
<p>My D is at Vanderbilt, and she is going into the business side of music. Her major is completely unrelated to music. The thing about the music industry is, so much is about connections. In some ways, Vandy students are almost at a disadvantage compared to Belmont & MTSU students in terms of getting internships (which is an important step in meeting people). My D has been able to get a couple really great internships, but she did not get them through the career center … she found them on her own. She had to sell the first firm on taking her, as they do not normally take on Vandy interns. She got her current internship through connections made in the first internship.</p>
<p>She is very happy that she is at Vandy, because the education is top-notch. It’s just important to know that you will have to work really hard to make your own way in the music world. In addition, it is important to know that you will not earn what your classmates earn right after graduation. This is an industry where jobs are not in abundance, so you have to take what comes up when it comes up. If you are a Vandy grad, you most likely have what it takes to succeed … but everyone in this industry pays his dues in the beginning.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! I’m definitely planning on applying to Vanderbilt, getting in will be another story though.</p>
<p>I’m not too money-obsessed, I love music and always wanted to work around music, so if I am able to get internships or jobs with one of the companies there I would be happy, and wouldn’t mind work my way up either way</p>
<p>It’s a great industry, and you have the right attitude for it. I think it’s important to prepare for other jobs, just in case (that’s why my D’s major is not related to music). Of course, if you are interested in an area of music that requires special training, you would want to major in that area (I am thinking of the types of degrees offered by Belmont).</p>
<p>Absolutely…I’m actually doing one of the traditional business major and I hope to double major in music business I think, that way I have best of both worlds, in case jobs in music doesn’t come through. Another reason I want to attend one of the aforementioned schools is also for the networking and alumni connections, since like you said, it is all about connections and whatnot, I know that’s extremely important in such field</p>
<p>COTS: You do realize that Vanderbilt doesn’t have an undergraduate business major, right?</p>
<p>Here’s a blurb from MTSU’s Recording Industry Major. Middle Tennessee State University boasts the largest audio production and music business program of any school in the nation. The Department of Recording Industry offers concentrations in music business, audio production and technology, and commercial songwriting. In addition to the undergraduate music business, audio production and technology, and commercial songwriting concentrations, the department offers a graduate program in Recording Arts and Technologies.<br>
Here’s a link for more info. [Department</a> of Recording Industry – Middle Tennessee State University: Audio Production Degree, Music Business Degree, Commercial Songwriting](<a href=“http://recordingindustry.mtsu.edu/]Department”>http://recordingindustry.mtsu.edu/)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes I do, I was planning on applying to their econ/history program actually…</p>
<p>OK good! Sometimes people assume that because Vanderbilt has a great B-school at Owen, that they must have an undergraduate business program too. Another avenue lot for people who are planning on business is HOD (Human & Organizational Development) at Peabody.</p>
<p>Wow, I’m actually thinking about taking on HOD as a second major actually, because it seems to be a good major to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills. I figured that could also help.</p>
<p>That is, if I get accepted first and I decide to attend :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you’re looking to go into the country music industry as a musician/artist, then don’t bother with school. I know wonderful artists who are wasting their time at school when they could be out searching for real record deals. Either you have talent to make it or you don’t.</p>
<p>If you’re looking to get in with a record company, yes school I guess would be important, but what’s more important is finding the right internships and making those connections. The music/media business is so hard to get into that you can not just rely on a good school and degree to be able to do the work for you. There is also no time to waste, and if you actually think you have the talent to make it out there start fighting for a career now.</p>
<p>Definitely not trying to break in as a country music artist (no talents there). I’m more inclined towards the country music labels/record companies…specifically one of the big four, hopefully…that’s why I’m looking for a school that offers great internships and has strong industry connections as well…</p>