Thursday, November 13, 2014

Saddleback College's Dr. Ariel Alexander, Awarded Entrepreneurship Grant





Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA –Dr.  Ariel Alexander, full time faculty member at Saddleback College, who teaches Popular Music, Music Business, and Music Technology, was selected for a Faculty Entrepreneurship Champion Mini-grant from California Community Colleges Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy program. 

The grant in the amount of $5,000 will aide Dr. Alexander in creating an Occupational Skills Award in order to train Saddleback students to be business-savvy entrepreneurs. Part of the work plan is to expand the current curriculum by emphasizing the small-business and entrepreneurial elements of music production. In tandem with the program’s curriculum, Dr. Alexander plans to create a Music Entrepreneur Guest Speaker Series, which will feature music business professionals from the Los Angeles and Orange County area. She also plans to create a mentorship program in which Saddleback music business students can apply to be mentored for one semester by local music business entrepreneurs. 

Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy presents an opportunity for community colleges to become essential catalysts in California’s economic recovery and jobs creation at the local, regional, and state levels. The programs of the Division of Workforce and Economic Development bridge the skills and jobs mismatch and prepare California’s workforce for 21st century careers. The Division collaborates with employers, organized labor, local communities, and their community colleges through programming supported by these funds to close the skills gap and to foster successful student completion.  California community colleges system is the nation’s largest workforce training provider.

The Music Department has established a comprehensive program which is considered to be one of the finest in California: a complete lower-division curriculum for transferring music majors, numerous performance groups, private and group lessons, a full concert series with faculty and guest artists, and general music courses. The nationally-recognized faculty is dedicated to performance and to teaching in all areas such as vocal, instrumental, jazz, guitar, and piano.  Other music classes include harmony, musicianship, composition, history, and appreciation of western art music, rock, jazz and world. The new Popular Music program offers classes in Songwriting, Multi-Track Recording, Intro to the Music Industry, and Commercial Music Ensemble.
Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers more than 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu.  For Fine Arts events, visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts

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