Beyond the Classroom: Joseph Sedarski (CFA’23)
My Internship at Juventas New Music Ensemble
In CFA’s Beyond the Classroom Series, music, theatre, and visual arts students at BU share their work experiences. These Terriers express how the resources at BU prepared them for success beyond the classroom.
A Rochester, Minnesota native, Joseph Sedarski (CFA’23), began interning at Juventas New Music Ensemble, a nonprofit organization showcasing the work of today’s most brilliant emerging composers, as a social media intern. The undergrad student majoring in Music Theory and Composition at CFA’s School of Music then got promoted to marketing coordinator, where he manages email communications, online arts calendars, and more. Read on to hear from Joseph as he shares his internship story with CFA.
What’s your role in the internship? What are your responsibilities?
I started as the social media intern and then was promoted to marketing coordinator in Summer 2020. My current responsibilities include managing email communications, online arts calendars, stage manager for in-person programming, advertising, and growth strategy.
How did you find out about the internship?
I learned about this internship through the CFA Arts Internship Fair in Fall 2019.
Any notable accomplishments from the internship?
During the pandemic, we raised the highest amount of donations in the organization’s 15-year history. We gained press features from [public radio station] GBH, The Boston Globe, and Boston Musical Intelligencer. And we received the American Prize in 2019-2020 and were a semifinalist in 2020-2021.
Did resources at CFA or BU help you prepare for the internship?
I think the biggest resource that helped me prepare for this internship were courses like Introduction to Communication Writing and my first-year writing course. Both classes strengthened my communication fundamentals and helped me to write/speak in a compelling way.
How did the coursework at CFA connect with your internship?
My coursework connects to my work at Juventas by giving me the tools to speak about classical music in Boston and classical music in the 21st century. Courses like Music Theory give a deep understanding of the construction of music while courses like Music History give me a backdrop to see how different social, cultural, and political factors affect artists. This information is particularly pivotal as I aid the organization in creating an equitable environment for our patrons.
In what ways do you think the internship has prepared you for your work beyond BU?
My work at Juventas puts me right in front of the work that I want to pursue beyond BU. I hope to continue to grow my passion for music composition and at Juventas, I get the opportunity to meet composers at each concert, network, and talk to them about their projects. I also get a firsthand look into what goes into running a nonprofit in Boston and how the business of classical music operates.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I love to be a multitasker, but I suck at it (go figure). I learned I can do amazing work when I focus on a single task or build my work based on a succession of logical objectives.
Any advice for current CFA students beginning the internship process?
Stay curious and stay passionate. It can get hard when you commit yourself to a job or a cause, and the truth is, the day-to-day is not glamorous. Take pride in the implemental steps you take each day toward your goals and your passions. If you’re just beginning the internship process, be as plan-oriented as possible. What do you hope to gain from this internship? What do you want to learn and why is that internship going to help you grow? If you have answers to these questions, you shine in front of prospective employers.
What’s next for you?
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I want to continue working in the classical music industry and cultivating my own career as a composer. To that end, I want to redefine what classical music can mean for us and I look forward to embarking on my big dream.
[Check out Joseph’s website and connect with him via Instagram @sedarskimusic]
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