College of Charleston students create songs and life experiences in Sweden
In an effort to broaden the scope of the Arts Management Program and all that it offers, Artist-in-Residence Mark Bryan and Program Coordinator Claire Long led seven College of Charleston students on a study abroad trip to Stockholm and Örebro, Sweden in July 2017.
While there, students embarked on a three-week music industry course. The Program partnered with music production faculty and students of the Örebro Universitet Musikhogskolan and Iphigenia Publishing, the publisher of Black Belt Songwriting. The seven American students worked alongside eight Swedish students to form four working groups that followed the songwriting progression from song conception to audio recording to production mastering, all with the use of major label-quality equipment.
“After we wrote [our] song I thought, ‘That’s it, my work is done,’” says junior Julia Venditti. “Then I learned this was such a fun process. My Swedish group members, Henrik and Jakob, involved [us] so much. They talked us through everything hands on and were extremely patient. I was able to record the tambourine, the high hat, and the piano.”
Under the guidance of experienced songwriters and studio engineers, each group produced their own original, high-quality song. What’s more, the students discovered a cultural exchange where a shared love of music surpassed all boundaries. For many, the study abroad experience offered much more than just a course on the music industry.
“The trip was life changing for me in many ways,” says senior Katie Panopoulos. “It put me out of my comfort zone in a different country with people I didn’t know and things I have never done before. This experience opened many new doors and opportunities to me and introduced me to new friends. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of [it].”
In addition to classwork, students toured the Stockholm archipelago, the Vasa Museum, the Royal Palace, the ABBA Museum, and Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s preserved medieval city center. Students also toured OpenART, Örebro’s contemporary arts festival that incorporates the existing space and structures of the city with an artist’s unique vision.
Following the success of the inaugural trip, the Arts Management Program plans to make the Sweden study abroad course an annual offering. To learn more, please visit our website, contact Program Coordinator Claire Long at celong@cofc.edu, and check out the College’s Center for International Education.