(Photo By NYDailyNews.Com)
Every once in a while a celeb or two will make a grand gesture that reminds the world that for every knucklehead in the industry, there are some decent folks too. Legendary producer/rapper Dr. Dre and infamous music executive Jimmy Iovine recently made one of those said gestures. The duo teamed up, dug into their fortunes, and donated $70 million to the University Of Southern California. The money is for the construction of a new music academy. The academy will include a four year program that focuses on arming undergraduates with the necessary knowledge they need to be successful in the music industry.
Courses will entail subjects such as: engineering, computer science, fine arts, graphic design, business, and leadership training. The classes will be taught by teachers from various USC programs like Roski School of Fine Arts and Marshall School of Business, that specialize in the subjects. Additionally, industry figures will be brought in as guest speakers and visiting faculty members. And the program will provide one-on-one mentoring to the students via the professors. Another interesting fact about the program is that it won’t be run like a traditional academic venture. Students will be able to transition between: classrooms, labs, studios, and workshops; with little to no restrictions or barriers. This due to the fact that the program’s goals are to: help mold future music business minds, influence the way individuals regard artistic media, and encourage impromptu creativity. The program has been labeled the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. It is tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2014 and the first class will consist of 25 students.
**My Two Cents: I love reading about stuff like this. I think the program sounds amazing. I feel like people in the industry lack the proper knowledge when it comes to certain aspects of the business and that ultimately leads to their down fall. See all of the financial/tax cases for example. I salute Dr. Dre and Jimmy for their donations and for doing their parts to bring some education to the game. I wish something like this was around when it was time for me to select a college. Oh well, best wishes to the first class! -MinM
