RESIDENCIES
An artist residency consists in providing time, space and adapted equipment to enable artists to focus on their projects and make quick progress in a favorable environment. This kind of support is costly and rarely offered, especially in countries such as Lebanon which don’t invest much in the cultural and artistic sector. Mejwiz offered music residencies to local artists, selected through an open. The residencies took place in the theater of the French Cultural Institute. It offers a decent stage and sound system, as well as modern equipment to enhance creativity.
Artists were selected by the team, with the support of music professionals, on the basis of objective selection criteria. The main requirements were to be based in Lebanon, to have a professional level in music production, to be an original composer, and to provide videos of live performances.
ONE ON ONE COACHING
Music residencies included a tailor made follow-up of the artists by creative experts, specialized in the music industry in Lebanon. The experts provided one-to-one training sessions to build up skills and give informed advice on the musical careers. More specifically, the team was composed of:
- A sound engineer to improve sound performance and the teach how to use technical devices;
- A visual artist to work on scene performance;
- An experienced musician to reflect on the process of music composition;
- A music producer to teach how to use specific musical devices (synthesizer);
- A music manager and entrepreneur who provided personalized advice in terms of career development and business skills.
As a result of these intensive capacity building sessions, artists improved their skills in music composition and production, they learned how to use new musical devices and how to design a solo performance. They also learned how to be more business oriented, to reduce the costs of a show to generate more revenues and to plan better the development of their career.