College of Music Launches Center for Music Leadership and Community Engagement, Names Director

About the Center

The Florida State University College of Music has launched the Center for Music Leadership and Community Engagement and named Blaire Koerner as its inaugural director. The new center will prepare students for a range of music careers while expanding partnerships with arts organizations and community partners in Tallahassee and beyond.

Purpose and Structure

The center brings together the college's Bachelor of Arts in Community Music, Master of Arts in Arts Administration and music entrepreneurship initiatives to create new opportunities for students while strengthening its ties to the community. The center also will serve as a hub for internships, professional development and community engagement across the College of Music. The center builds on the college's recent launch of the nation's first undergraduate degree in community music.

Community Impact

Students will have opportunities to work with local arts organizations, schools and community partners through internships, collaborative projects and other hands-on experiences. The center also will help strengthen existing partnerships while creating new opportunities for engagement across the region.

Director's Background

Koerner joins Florida State from the Eastman School of Music, where she served as associate director of the Institute for Music Leadership. There, she helped develop leadership programs, expand internship opportunities and build partnerships with arts organizations while preparing students for careers in music.

Director's Vision

Koerner said she was drawn to the College of Music by its strong sense of community and its commitment to preparing students for many different careers in music. During her first year, Koerner said her focus will be on listening, building relationships and learning from the university and community through a listening tour, meetings, and attending events. She said the center will build on the College of Music's long history of community engagement by creating a stronger framework for future partnerships, helping to allocate resources more efficiently, strengthen existing programs and build new ones.

Future Outlook

Gregory Jones, the College of Music's associate dean for engagement, said the center was created as an innovative response to developments in student interest, community needs and social change. He anticipates that in five years the center will offer clear pathways and support for students and faculty to increase their work off campus, yielding FSU graduates ready to lead in bringing music to communities across the globe.