At the intersection of music education and entrepreneurship is Michigan State University College of Music’s Entrepreneurial Musical Artist in Residence (EMAR) program, founded in 2019 to help students learn about entrepreneurship in the musical arts. One EMAR resident artist brought a unique perspective, with two of the quartet members having graduated from the college.

Thanks to the generosity of the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU), which funded the program, ~Nois Saxophone Quartet came to campus and left a lasting impression on students and staff. Their multi-day residency helped expose current students to professionals with experience navigating the music industry.

~Nois members Jordan Lulloff and Julian Velasco are both recent MSU Music alumni, earning their BMUS degrees in saxophone performance in 2016 and 2018, respectively. With their fellow quartet members Hunter Bockes and János Csontos, they provided unique inspiration for current students. One student who attended multiple ~Nois residency events is DMA student Matt Fox who is a member of his own saxophone quartet, Sound Session. He was thrilled to see how far ~Nois has come over a relatively short time since their graduation.

“Having them come back as performers here at Michigan State is really impressive, and it’s really inspiring,” Fox said. “It’s been great to see their journey and use it as inspiration in my own journey in my quartet, and also (for) a lot of the students here.”

Through EMAR, students have the opportunity to learn networking skills, elevate their online presence, and work with professional musicians in an interactive setting. Fox pointed out that the program helps students gain a sense of the expectations for professionally working chamber musicians in how they present themselves to the public. For their part, ~Nois came ready to show young musicians the importance of developing a brand that cultivates a professional relationship between musicians, communities, the music industry, and audiences.

“They carry themselves a certain way in their performance and in their teaching, their presentation, their communication to their audiences, and I really appreciate that,” Fox said. “I think that a lot of students here really grasped onto that, and it helps build their brand and inspires the students here at Michigan State.”

Returning to MSU as a performer was a nostalgic experience for ~Nois member Jordan Lulloff. Looking back on his time in the College of Music, Lulloff remembers seeking out every off campus competition or festival or musical opportunity that he could. He saw the same curiosity and passion for discovery in the current students and said this inquisitive nature is vital.

“~Nois built our entire career by asking questions of others,” Lulloff said, “so returning the favor to future generations is one of my favorite parts of working with students.” Answering student questions and providing perspective from inside the music industry is a primary goal of the EMAR program.

Christine Beamer is MSU Music’s special assistant to the dean for strategic initiatives, and she has helmed the EMAR program since its inception. It has proven a major enhancement to the College’s career development offerings, which Beamer also directs.

“The ~Nois residency was dynamic because of the number of different ways the group was able to engage across campus,” Beamer said. “One day they were teaching social media branding at the College, and the next they were out in the community with high school music students, and the following they were building connections across campus with students in a Communication Arts and Sciences graphic arts class. They are redefining the boundaries of how musicians can collaborate with other artists, and having great fun doing it.”

Students like Matt Fox enjoyed the outcomes of EMAR that Beamer and her team have organized. For Lulloff, it may have created a bit of envy.

“I think Christine has built such an awesome program at MSU, and I wish I could be a student there now to experience it,” Lulloff said.

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EMAR continues to bring in new artists, welcoming Grammy nominated wind quintet Imani Winds and multi-genre recording artist and instrumentalist Damien Sneed March 28-29, 2023.