Berklee Blogs introduces Valerie Teicher, a Music Business major and spring intern, as she begins her internship at BMG Chrysalis, a rights management company representing publishing and recording rights, as well as at The Windish Agency, an independent NYC booking agency serving musicians, bands and DJs. In today’s blog, Valerie tells us how her Berklee skills have come in handy in her professional work environments, as well as the challenge of charting a career path with her internship experience.

Throughout the past few weeks at my internships, I have been observing office dynamics and the work environment in order to gain a better understanding of how the music industry operates on a day-to-day basis. Both of the work environments I have been exposed to are very fast-paced and dynamic, yet I was surprised to see how casual and open the attitude is at both. Relationships between colleagues are very relaxed and personal, and I have come to realize that part of the reason why the industry can move so fast and fluidly is because the relationships between people move it forward. The straight-forward, informal approach to getting things done allows for a quickly adapting environment, and the casual nature of the people keep work light and highly motivated. I have come to realize that in this sense, this balance is crucial. 

The work I have been doing myself at both internships varies greatly on a daily basis. Some of the more mundane tasks may be a little discouraging at times, but I have had the opportunity to partake in some larger-scale tasks and collaborate with other interns. The most valuable opportunities I have had have involved being able to partake in events, showcases, and office-wide endeavors. Although a lot of the work I perform doesn’t directly apply to my long-term career ideal, it allows me to create a more accurate perspective of how things work on a practical level, and has helped me determine which things I do not want to devote my time to in my future career.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see a good amount of my knowledge gained at Berklee coming into play within the internship setting. Things like viewing contracts, licensing requests and agreements, royalty statements, have been familiar and easy for me to understand due to previous exposure within my classes. Having the chance to work with other interns who did not go to Berklee has allowed me to compare this, and shown me in particular how the education I received can be directly transferable to practical tasks.

Although I set out at the beginning of these internships attempting not to have any big preconceived expectations, I definitely feel that I have defined some goals for myself that I hope to accomplish. I expect that at the end of this internship, I will have a better grasp on what the industry is like in a first-hand sense. I will be able to compare the similar yet very different worlds of an independent booking agency, and one of the largest music publishing companies in the world, and define where I see myself best. I expect to learn a lot, make some long-lasting relationships and connections, and hopefully impress my supervisors and gain valuable feedback from them.

Although I still feel that there is a fine line between where I can take initiative and where I need to be more complacent, I have started to find opportunities where I can take on more of a leadership role. I definitely think I have the skills and confidence to do so, but finding the right opportunities without overstepping any boundaries will be an interesting balance. I feel confident about my identity as a Berklee student within my internships, particularly because there are other Berklee alumni and students working around me. The knowledge I am able to pull on and apply make me proud to be a Berklee student, yet every day I grow more into a multi-faceted and experienced individual beyond the borders of Berklee itself. I hope to carry the “Berklee brand” with me, but expand my identity much farther beyond this point, and build on the identity with real-life experience and confidence.

 

Read Valerie’s Other Posts:

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The Right Search Strategy

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Bio
Valerie Teicher is a singer-songwriter and music business student from Vancouver, Canada. Originally from Bogota Colombia and having lived in several places throughout her life, she has a diverse background with a wide range of influences and interests. Having switched paths from studying psychology at McGill University in Montreal, Valerie attended the summer program at Berklee and was granted a scholarship for full-time study. Since then, she has immersed herself in the business major and has continued to build on her songwriting and performance skills. She is currently finishing her last semester, completing two internships in New York City at The Windish Agency and BMG Chrysalis, while working on her first EP as a solo artist.