Thank you for being a Music Forward volunteer. We appreciate your commitment to connecting passions to professions by sharing your knowledge, insight and experience with the next generation of music industry leaders, innovators, and artists.
Pre-Activation
- Complete your Volunteer Profile so we have the details needed for promotion of the event. We’ll need:
- High-resolution headshot (min 500kb)
- Short bio (3-5 sentences, max 400 characters)
- Answer to the prompt “What is one piece of advice you would give a young person related to your area of expertise?” We may pull a short inspirational quote from this answer to use in promotion.
`Volunteer Profile
- Review Music Forward Volunteer Standards of Conduct HERE.
Production Tips
As you prepare for the activation, please pay attention to these production elements. All sessions are recorded and panels are made available as Video On Demand. Content is often pulled for inspiration and promotion to our young audience, we appreciate your help ensuring a quality recording.
- Computer is required, please no phones
- Strong bandwidth/wifi
- Quiet space
- Good lighting (front light is best). Visit NYT How to Look Good on Camera by Tom Ford
- Please choose a background suitable for recording; please remove any clutter, food/drink, or anything private
- Please use a stationary chair to lessen the distraction of movement during broadcast
- Arrival: please plan to arrive at the scheduled calendar time prior to activation for tech run pre-show meeting
- Zoom link: you will receive a unique panelist link from Music Forward, please use this link to enter the room
- You are welcome to acknowledge your pronouns, indigenous land, or any other social components of your community during introductions
- Audience: young people between the ages of 13-24, please be considerate of sharing stories and using language that is age appropriate during the activation
Activation Overview
Please see details below for your specific activation. Additional details for your event will be communicated directly.
Office Hours: Career Discussion Prompts
There will be a Music Forward moderator and 1-2 panelists in the workshop-based sessions of the Office Hours series. The moderator will introduce the session topic and invite insight from the industry volunteer throughout the presentation and may also include career questions from the prompts below, followed by a participant Q&A.
Specific to the Meet A Mentor session, 3-4 industry professionals will meet with participants in virtual breakout rooms to engage in participant-driven, informal conversations regarding professional journey, as well as fielding requests for advice on career planning, entry-level opportunities, and additional feedback for individuals charting their own career in the music industry.
- Tell us about your “career journey.” How did you get to the position you are currently in?
- What are some of the core functions of your career/role?
- What are the opportunities and challenges for someone in your role?
- What are some essential skills and characteristics that have helped you build a successful career?
- What does a day-in-the-life of your role look like?
- If someone in the audience is interested in pursuing your career, what should they be doing right now? (classes, extra-curricular activities, internships, entry-level jobs)
Industry Sessions: Panel Discussion Prompts
There will be a Music Forward moderator and 3 panelists total. The moderator will introduce the session and ask each panelist to share 1-2 minutes about your current role in the industry. Following introductions, there will be a facilitated discussion on the session topic and some of the career exploration prompts below, followed by an audience Q&A.
- Topic specific questions will be communicated prior to your panel
- When and how did you discover your career path?
- Tell us about your “career journey.” How did you get to the position you are currently in?
- What are some of the core functions of your career?
- What is your most and least favorite part of your career?
- What was one of the most memorable projects you worked on and what made it special?
- How has the music industry evolved over the last few years and how do you see it continuing to evolve? What are the opportunities and challenges for someone in your role?
- What websites, networks and tools are you using to stay up on the latest trends?
- What are some essential skills and characteristics that have helped you build a successful career and that someone in your role should possess?
- If someone in the audience is interested in pursuing your career, what should they be doing right now? (classes, extra-curricular activities, internships, entry-level jobs)
- Final piece of advice
Open Mic: Artist Performance Feedback Prompts
There will be an Open Mic host, 2 industry panelists, and 5 emerging artists. The host will introduce you with a brief bio and you will be asked about your lens of expertise; throughout the show you will provide 2-3 minutes of feedback after each artist’s performance. To provide young artists with feedback that supports their professional growth and allows them to connect with you more directly, consider asking questions and providing recommendations in the following areas:
- How often are you creating and releasing new music?
- What are you currently working on creatively?
- Do you work alone or collaborate when writing, recording, performing your music?
- What are your next step goals as an artist?
- Who do you listen to for inspiration? Where do you find inspiration?
- Talk about the intention behind that song or those lyrics
You are encouraged to recommend next steps in developing a career plan, ideas for fueling the creative process, developing lyrics, connecting and collaborating with artists-fans-industry professionals. If the artist has a vibe that reminds you of someone, encourage them to listen to that artist. If you think the artist has a sound that makes sense for certain performances, platforms, or placement, share that insight.
Thank you, we look forward to having you join Music Forward in transforming young lives, inspiring careers, and championing a more inclusive music industry.