On taas se aika vuodesta… Aika yliopistohakemuksille, jos tähtäimenä on opinnot Yhdysvalloissa tai Briteissä! Iso osa sekä jenkkien että brittien yliopistohakemuksia on tyypillisesti niin kutsuttu “Statement of Purpose” tai vastaava motivaatiokirje. Olen jälkikäteen katsottuna oikein tyytyväinen siihen, millaiseksi oma lyhyt ja menestyksekkääksi osoittautunut esseeni muodostui, ja siksi ajattelinkin jakaa sen kanssanne myös täällä! Essee heijastaa mielestäni melko onnistuneesti ajatuksiani, tavoitteitani ja ideoitani, ja on tyylillisesti myös juuri sellainen kuin toivoin: ammattimainen, mutta kuitenkin omalla tavallaan aika henkilökohtainen.

Columbian hakemuksessa toivottiin hakijoiden ottavan kantaa seuraavaan neljään kysymykseen:

1. Mikä on päämääräsi taidehallinnon maisteriopinnoissa?
2. Miten olet valmistellut itseäsi saavuttaaksesi nämä tavoitteet?
3. Sen perusteella, mitä tiedät Columbian yliopiston taidehallinnon ohjelmasta ja New Yorkista kaupunkina, mitkä resurssit ovat erityisen arvokkaita tavoitellessasi asettamiasi päämääriä?
4. Mitä sinä tuot, ja mitä voit antaa takaisin näille yhteisöille?

Tulevassa postauksessa ajattelin vielä lyhyesti tiivistää parhaat motivaatiokirjeisiin liittyvät vinkkini. Sitä ennen tässä kuitenkin lopullinen esseeni. Valitettavasti essee on tällä kertaa ainoastaan englanniksi, sillä kääntäminen olisi ollut melko aikaa vievää. Tämän tyyppisiä motivaatiokirjeitä tarvitaan kuitenkin harvemmin Suomessa, joten kielellisesti englanti taitaa olla tässä kontekstissa se kaikkein toimivin! Nautinnollisia lukuhetkiä!

asda

It’s that time of the year… Time for US uni-applications! An important part of university applications in both the US and the US is the Statement of Purpose (or the corresponding Motivational Letter). I am quite happy with how my statement of purpose ended up, which is why I thought I could also share it with you here! I feel the statement reflects my thoughts, goals and ideas very well, and is written just the way I like it: professionally, but with a very personal approach.

The questions applicants were expected to address in their statements were the following four:

1. What are your specific objectives for graduate studies in Arts Administration?
2. How have you prepared yourself to achieve these goals?
3. Based on your research into our program, Teachers College, and New York City, what resouces will be valuable for you in meeting your objectives?
4. What will you bring, or give back, to these communities?

In an upcoming post I’ll do my best to discuss the best tips and tricks I found helpful in writing my statement. However, before that, here’s what ended up being the final result!

“My aim in studying at the Arts Administration program offered by Columbia University is to further develop and achieve my fullest potential as a skillful, versatile, and passionate leader within the creative arts, and to take a significant step forward towards my goal of one day acting as the executive director of one of the biggest opera or concert houses in the world.

I plan to take optimal advantage of the unique opportunities provided by the program. I intend to further deepen my interdisciplinary understanding of the field of arts, adding skills in leadership, business, marketing, fundraising and finance to my already existing artistic and legal abilities. I aim to fully utilize the outstanding opportunities provided by Columbia, and to actively expand my network and intern widely in what is arguably the most important cultural city in the world.

At Columbia, I intend to soak in all the knowledge available to become as well
rounded and experienced as possible to successfully, proudly and profoundly serve the community of performing arts, and classical music in particular, now and in the future. I am certain the Arts Administration program is a unique and outstanding setting for me to continue growing in the field that I have dedicated my life to.“

“These objectives are strongly supported by my earlier endeavors as a professional violinist and a law student. My lifelong experience in the performing arts industry as a violinist has equipped me with thorough intellectual and artistic understanding and deep love of the field. In addition to completing my Bachelor’s degree in Arts, and Master’s degree in Music at the Arts University of Helsinki, majoring in Violin, and complementing my studies internationally, I have also competed as a violinist both nationally and internationally. Beyond my academic accolades, I have worked professionally in the most prominent Finnish orchestras, including the Radio Symphonic Orchestra and the orchestra of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, where I currently also hold a full-time substitute position.

In an effort to further diversify my understanding of the administrative aspects related to arts, I have gained additional experience acting as a student member in different boards, councils, and committees within the field, such as the Classical Music Department Council and Recruitment Committee of the Sibelius Academy.

These positions have taught me a lot about leadership, board activity and communication, and given me broad insight into the fascinating and wide-ranging issues related to arts administration. Furthermore, in the spring-summer season 2022, I will have the opportunity to obtain further insight into the administrative aspects of arts as I undertake part-time duties as the Executive Producer of the Mänttä Music Festival – the biggest music festival dedicated to piano music in Finland.“

“In addition to my extensive pursuits within the field of music, I have simultaneously pursued studies in the field of law, and am currently one semester away from completing my Bachelor’s degree in Global Law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. These studies have further developed my diverse perspective on the world of arts. My interest in the legal aspects of the industry has been present already prior to these studies: in my Master’s thesis I explored the international legal perspectives related to a right to arts.

Furthermore, in an effort to best understand how artistic rights can effectively be protected, throughout 2021, I directed my attention towards intellectual property law, studying additional courses and completing a legal internship at the IPR University Centre, a nationwide research centre with a focus on intellectual property law, diving into the ways copyright law, in particular, is utilized to benefit artists.

This work will continue in the spring of 2021, as I will undertake a legal internship at Teosto, the Collective Management Organization of music makers in Finland. I am confident all of these academic and professional endeavors will strongly support me as I continue working towards reaching my full potential within the field of arts administration.“

“Continuing my academic and professional career at Columbia University’s Arts Administration program will provide me with a wide range of valuable resources, allowing me to deepen and refine my multifaceted understanding of how to support and facilitate the success of the creative industries. I believe an interdisciplinary understanding of society lies at the heart of successful leadership of arts institutions, and therefore value highly the opportunity to undertake classes at Columbia Business School in the course of the program. Improving my business acumen and understanding of the economics underlying arts institutions in this world-class setting would be a privilege and successfully prepare me for a well-rounded leadership role in the administration of arts.

Furthermore, the value of the internship and networking opportunities incorporated in the program cannot be underestimated. The opportunity to develop my professional skills and to gain hands-on lessons in some of the most significant institutions of performing arts in the entire world, such as the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Carnegie Hall, would be a dream come true.

In light of my future career aspirations, the insight obtained and the networks created in the course of such internships are unparalleled. Finally, given the homogeneity of Finnish arts and culture, I am confident the possibility to learn in a multicultural setting such as New York would be significant, further facilitating growth on a personal, artistic and professional level.“

“As a student of the Arts Administration program, I will offer a deep insight into the world of professional musicians, and an interdisciplinary perspective through my legal career. Underlying all my endeavors is a deep love for performing arts and a wish to put my skill set in action to give back and serve its community through administrative means. I plan to facilitate a stronger presence of classical music in society in the future, strengthening its outreach potential and enabling a variety of audiences, in particular the youth and immigrant populations, to get acquainted with the beauty and strength this field of art entails.

Furthermore, I intend to act as a bridge builder and translator between the arts community and public decision-makers in the future, and hope to strengthen mutual understanding of the challenges both sides face when dealing with one another. I believe this bridge-building approach will be of utmost importance in the future, and aim to act in the forefront of these efforts. I am confident the Arts Administration program offered at Columbia University would strongly contribute in helping me reach these goals.

It would be a great honor to put all of the aforementioned skills to use as a member of the class of 2024 of the Arts Administration program in order to take the next steps forward on my personal, lifelong career path, dedicated to furthering the causes of classical music. I believe the value of the program for my continued growth as a passionate, versatile, business savvy and engaged leader in the field of arts would be unmatched.

Thank you for considering my application.“