Trevecca music business major Julie Gant was recently selected as one of the four recipients for the Copyright Society of the South’s annual scholarship.
Unlike most scholarship processes, Gant did not submit any forms or request any recommendations. Instead, she was nominated by her professor.
“I found out that Dean Diehl was an instrumental voice in this story,” Gant said.
Dean Diehl, director of Trevecca’s music business and entrepreneurship programs, is responsible for submitting students’ names to the organization for review of the scholarship. Diehl determined that Gant was a good fit for this scholarship.
“I submit students who are dedicated, work hard, have good reviews from their internships and have expressed a need for additional aid,” Diehl said. “Julie has done an excellent job of finding opportunities to interact with the music industry. She has found several unique ways to work with artists and has provided real value to those artists’ careers.”
Since transferring to Trevecca, Gant made the effort to diversify her experience in the industry. She currently works with LiveNation, one of the largest live entertainment organizations in the world. Her role there varies with each event, but she specializes in site operations and artist services.
“I make sure to gain experience in all areas of music, even though it may not be the job I’m pursuing, like booking, publicity and marketing,” Gant said.
In between working for Beyoncé’s tour, the Grammys, and her work with LiveNation, Gant devotes herself to juggling her assignments in her heavy course load.
“We have to take your regular business classes like marketing, but also music business classes like music law and music marketing,” Gant said. “It feels like a double major.”
Since Gant is a business major, it can be difficult to acquire scholarships to apply to her major because she is not eligible for music scholarships. Gant is thankful for Diehl considering her for this scholarship.
“I was elated because I’m a senior and definitely in need of the extra resource, and Dean Diehl saw that need.” Gant said.
Janice Jackson, a representative of Copyright Society of the South, outlined the criteria for the scholarship which requires recipients to be full-time students with a GPA of 2.5 or above, in need of financial assistance who are pursuing a career in the recording industry and have distinguished themselves as “standout students.”
Because of Trevecca’s location in Nashville and students’ greater access to the music industry, Diehl says he expects all of his students to work toward being standouts. He encourages them to go beyond just “getting the credit” and challenges them to expose themselves to the opportunities the city has to offer, something he says Gant has done.
“I expect music business majors to be ‘students of the discipline,’ meaning they consider themselves part of the music industry now, not just after they graduate,” Diehl said. “The students who excel are ones who get out into the music industry and make a place for themselves.”
Gant’s plans for after college include getting more involved with LiveNation’s touring aspect that she cannot participate in now due to school. Her dream job would be to assist a musical artist like Ariana Grande or Tori Kelly, but any field in music business would be more than satisfactory.
“Even though my primary focus is artist and concert management and live events, I’ve loved all of the areas of the industry I’ve worked in,” Gant said. “It’s disappointing when people imply that you can’t have a worthwhile career in music. You wouldn’t hear music in the first place if there weren’t countless jobs behind it.”
By Audrey Yawn
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695