The interface for the transition from study to work

According to its mission statement, the MHL defines itself in its basic understanding as a music institution of the 21st century - with a sharpened sense for social and cultural developments and the needs of our time. In order to prepare the future artists and music teachers for their everyday professional life in a practical and contemporary way, trends of change that have already occurred in the diverse professional fields of music and forecasts of the same developments are taken into account. Since the MHL offers the ideal basis for testing new paths and visionary ideas, the establishment of the MHL-Career-Center reflects sustainable measures and approaches, which include the promotion of individual, diverse, but also unconventional artistic developments and their potential impact in the transition from study to work. In this respect, it is ultimately also a matter of the Career-Center being a place that, in synthesis to all areas of education at the MHL, is intended to invite reflection on the music (career), and thus to support the examination of one's self-image as an artist. Because at the MHL we certainly do not want to primarily just send functioning working people on their way. Rather, our future graduates will and should proactively animate and shape the music world through experimental spirit and imaginative handling as well as joy of discovery!

An essential part of the work of the MHL-Career-Center are individual and group counseling sessions for students. In the talks, future options are usually analyzed, wishes and realities are compared, and the realization of one's own project ideas is discussed, or even just the application portfolio, such as the resume with artist biography, is optimized. For certain consultations, the previous attendance of certain music business courses can be useful or even a prerequisite. Consultations can take place in person or online by appointment and are confidential.

Classes in the elective area "music business" are held regularly. A diverse selection of topics guarantees a broad overview. Music business can either be taken as a "package" (useful in the master's degree to prepare for project work) or it can be distributed individually according to interest and level of knowledge over the entire course of study (recommended in the bachelor's degree). Alternative formats are cross-university workshops (also online), which are listed in the course catalog.

In preparation for the profession, project work at MHL is essential. Here, the transition is trained on the basis of practice and knowledge is applied and/or acquired in reality.
The majority of our graduates, and also future musicians in general, will be confronted in some form - voluntarily or out of conviction, or simply because circumstances dictate - with the fact that they (must) assume responsibility in musical ventures that go far beyond playing and/or teaching an instrument and music. This is where the school to entrepreneurship comes in.
The MHL Career Center takes on a coaching role throughout the process of a project workshop: This leads from idea generation to concept development to planning and implementation. Of course, topics such as financing and project management are also addressed. In the optimal case, a student group finds itself and registers a project idea; of course, solo work can also be implemented. In the protected framework of the MHL, the workshop character is important. A project may fail! What is decisive is how and where it is handled and what is learned in the process.
The MHL-Career-Center helps with the acquisition of external partners or suggests project ideas. The preparation of applications for third-party funding (e.g. foundations) is also supported in the Career-Center. A minimum of music business credit points is required for all support areas in the project workshops to pre-set basic knowledge that can be built upon. Existing teaching/learning formats such as the "interdisciplinary projects" and the "improvisation, composition, new media" profile in the Bachelor of Music church music B as well as profile projects in the Master of Education can and should benefit synergistically from the accompaniments in the Career-Center.

Student projects that have the potential to develop and continue beyond the study period are supported in a manner comparable to start up companies. Here, the focus is on the interaction of content development (where the teachers are involved) with business development. For this purpose, business methods adapted to the music scene have to be applied in order to work out a business plan and (afterwards) to sustainably exist on the market. In concrete terms, the focus is on finding an adequate legal form (association, limited liability company, etc.), which is particularly important for fundraising and with regard to liability issues. Furthermore, licensing issues are addressed in order to enable a quick transfer of rights for spin-off start ups (e.g. Creative Commons Licenses). MHL start up workshops can also develop from project workshops.

External job offers, competitions, performance and scholarship opportunities are published within the university on MHLnet. In addition, relevant job portals in the region, in Germany and Europe for music makers and music mediators can be found under Downloads -> Career-Center.

Through membership in the specialist group of art and music colleges of the Career Service Netzwerk Deutschland e. V. (csnd), a cross-university exchange is cultivated. Open and joint events are published here.

MHL-Career-Center
Große Petersgrube 21
23552 Lübeck

presidential staff, director of the MHL-Career-Center
Jens Bracher
Tesdorpfhaus Mengstr. 66-70
T: +49 (0)451-1505 455
Mail to Mr. Bracher