ABSTRACT
As the Director of the Arts Leadership program at the University of Southern California (USC), I interview every student who wishes to join the program. In most cases, these are young artists who have an “idea” – a concept or a vision of some project they want to take on or organization they wish to create. Sometimes they are quite specific: one student wants to start a mixed instrument chamber ensemble; another wants to reinvent how music is taught in the secondary schools in the United States. Others have sought to start a festival, build a performing arts venue, create an after-school theater program and more. I am continually intrigued and excited by the range of ideas that they are considering and their level of commitment to making them become a reality.
