Auditions set for inaugural class in music business program

Classes for high school students interested in learning about the business side of the music industry are moving forward at Tulane University. Auditions are today (Jan. 16) for the inaugural class by the Fredman Music Business Institute at the Trombone Shorty Academy.

In addition, the Trombone Shorty Foundation, in partnership with Tulane, announced the appointment of New Orleans native and two-time Grammy Award winning producer and recording engineer Chris Finney as lead instructor of the Fredman Music Business Institute.

Auditions for the class will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday at the Dixon Hall Band Room on the Tulane uptown campus. Made possible by a donation from Andrew and Kerin Fredman, the institute is the most recent offering from the Trombone Shorty Foundation.

In 2012 the foundation launched the Trombone Shorty Academy in partnership with the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane. While the academy teaches music performance skills to gifted high school students, the institute focuses on the often-overlooked development of business acumen.

“When I was growing up, I had some of the best musicians in the world looking after me,” says foundation founder Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. “But many times I had to learn about the business side of making music the hard way, which was often by trial and error. This program will hopefully prepare the next generation for any opportunity that comes their way.”

Classes will meet once a week after school throughout the spring semester and will teach students about live and studio recording, event promotion and production, as well as legal, touring and marketing skills.

No specific skills or training are required for admission into the music business institute. “What we are looking for is a positive attitude and an earnest desire to learn,” says Bill Taylor, the foundation's executive director.

More information is available by emailing info@tromboneshortyfoundation.org.