Culminating Experience
Reflective Report
Chris Wade
2014 Master’s Candidate for
Global Entertainment & Music Business

June 27, 2014
 

 

 


 

Table
 of
 Contents
 


 

 

 
1.
 Summary
 of
 the
 Project
 Completed
 

 
2.
 Process
 

 
3.
 Results
 

 
4.
 Next
 steps
 

 
5.
 Contribution
 to
 the
 Discipline
 and
 Profession
 

 
6.
 Impact
 on
 the
 Student
 Completing
 the
 Work
 

 
7.
 Conclusion
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

2
 

Summary
 of
 the
 Project
 Completed
 
For
 my
 Culminating
 Experience
 (CE),
 I
 chose
 to
 create
 a
 formal
 business
 plan
 for
 an
 
idea
 that
 I
 developed
 during
 the
 course
 of
 the
 school
 year.
 The
 project
 was
 rooted
 in
 
creating
 a
 business
 that
 supplemented
 the
 lack
 of
 music
 education
 in
 schools
 and
 
the
 increasing
 costs
 of
 private
 music
 lessons.
 Based
 on
 that
 foreseen
 need,
 I
 worked
 
with
 a
 team
 of
 classmates
 to
 design
 an
 innovative
 business
 model
 for
 a
 non-­‐profit
 
organization
 that
 paired
 Artists
 and
 Brands
 together
 to
 provide
 Children
 with
 free
 
music
 lessons.
 The
 name
 of
 the
 project
 and
 the
 pending
 company
 is
 Play
 It
 FWD.
 The
 
name
 is
 derived
 from
 the
 act
 of
 extending
 the
 tradition
 of
 music
 education
 as
 a
 form
 
of
 charity
 with
 the
 intent
 to
 keep
 music
 culture
 advancing
 in
 a
 positive
 direction.
 

 
The
 way
 the
 business
 model
 works,
 Children
 will
 be
 taught
 music
 lessons
 by
 top-­‐
level
 music
 Artists
 through
 engaging
 video
 content
 that
 lives
 on
 a
 proprietary
 
website.
 The
 costs
 of
 running
 the
 non-­‐profit,
 including
 developing
 this
 content,
 will
 
be
 supported
 by
 monetary
 funding
 from
 Brands
 in
 exchange
 for
 their
 assets
 
(products,
 logos,
 etc.)
 being
 integrated
 into
 the
 content.
 The
 premise
 of
 this
 business
 
model
 is
 to
 create
 what
 is
 in
 effect
 a
 “Triple
 Win”,
 where
 all
 parties
 involved
 gain
 
something
 of
 value
 from
 being
 associated
 with
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 platform.
 Artists
 are
 
able
 to
 establish
 deeper
 connections
 with
 their
 fans
 (most
 likely
 parents)
 and
 gain
 
exposure
 to
 and
 relevance
 with
 a
 younger
 base
 (the
 children).
 Brands
 can
 leverage
 
Play
 It
 FWD
 as
 a
 cause
 marketing
 initiative
 and
 show
 increased
 relevance
 to
 their
 
core
 consumers
 and
 decision
 makers
 (parents)
 by
 providing
 additional
 value
 to
 the
 
lives
 of
 them
 and
 their
 kids.
 Children
 are
 the
 major
 winners
 within
 our
 model
 


 

3
 

because
 they
 have
 the
 opportunity
 to
 learn
 about
 music
 through
 a
 unique,
 high
 
quality
 experience
 at
 no
 cost
 to
 their
 parents.
 
 

 
The
 focus
 of
 my
 CE
 was
 to
 research
 and
 develop
 a
 functional
 approach
 to
 the
 Artist
 /
 
Brand
 partnerships
 that
 would
 need
 to
 take
 place
 in
 order
 for
 the
 business
 model
 to
 
work
 properly.
 In
 my
 proposal,
 I
 sought
 out
 to
 find
 a
 partnership
 method
 that
 is
 
consistent
 and
 sustainable
 in
 pairing
 Artists
 and
 Brands
 together
 in
 an
 effective
 
way.
 Therefore,
 my
 contribution
 to
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 business
 plan
 was
 centered
 on
 
developing
 a
 functional
 partnership
 system
 that
 connects
 Artists
 &
 Brands
 in
 a
 
manner
 that
 can
 be
 successfully
 replicated,
 as
 well
 as
 provide
 greater
 value
 to
 
society
 in
 the
 process.
 
 

 
Process
 
 
The
 first
 step
 in
 working
 on
 this
 project
 was
 to
 develop
 a
 team.
 As
 a
 part
 of
 a
 module
 
in
 the
 Emerging
 Entertainment
 Business
 Models
 class
 during
 our
 first
 semester,
 I
 
was
 required
 to
 pitch
 a
 business
 idea
 to
 my
 fellow
 classmates
 with
 the
 intent
 of
 
enticing
 two
 of
 them
 to
 work
 on
 the
 project
 with
 me.
 I
 presented
 the
 initial
 idea
 I
 
had
 for
 Play
 It
 FWD
 and
 selected
 Ankie
 Titulaer
 and
 Maxwell
 Wright
 as
 my
 team
 
members
 to
 work
 on
 this
 project
 for
 the
 course
 of
 the
 first
 semester.
 
 During
 the
 
second
 semester,
 in
 the
 Entrepreneurship
 and
 Innovation
 class,
 we
 added
 two
 
additional
 team
 members
 in
 Gabrielle
 Banks
 and
 Manuel
 Delgado.
 
 

 


 

4
 

This
 was
 a
 critical
 component
 to
 being
 able
 to
 start
 and
 complete
 the
 business
 plan
 
for
 Play
 It
 FWD.
 As
 the
 project
 leader,
 it
 was
 necessary
 for
 me
 to
 initially
 build
 a
 
team
 of
 people
 that
 had
 different
 skill
 sets
 from
 those
 that
 I
 have.
 I
 chose
 Ankie
 and
 
Max
 in
 particular
 because
 of
 their
 respective
 backgrounds
 in
 Music
 Education
 and
 
Performing
 Arts
 &
 Creative
 Development,
 in
 addition
 to
 their
 passion
 for
 working
 
with
 Children.
 As
 a
 team
 of
 three,
 we
 applied
 the
 same
 thinking
 to
 selecting
 new
 
team
 members
 to
 ensure
 that
 we
 were
 enhancing
 the
 effectiveness
 of
 the
 group
 
while
 maintaining
 a
 positive
 interpersonal
 dynamic.
 Gabrielle
 provided
 us
 with
 
insight
 and
 knowledge
 to
 Music
 Licensing
 and
 Video
 Production
 and
 Manny
 had
 a
 
strong
 Legal
 background
 and
 a
 keen
 sense
 of
 Operational
 Management
 

 
Throughout
 the
 courses
 that
 were
 taken
 during
 both
 semesters
 of
 the
 program,
 I,
 
along
 with
 my
 teammates,
 applied
 various
 learnings
 and
 analyzing
 tools
 from
 our
 
coursework
 to
 critique
 and
 reassess
 our
 thinking
 about
 the
 business
 model
 with
 the
 
intention
 of
 making
 it
 as
 comprehensive
 and
 thoughtful
 as
 possible.
 We
 leveraged
 
various
 modeling
 techniques,
 such
 as
 the
 Canvas
 and
 RIVE
 models,
 to
 assess
 our
 
project’s
 interaction
 of
 resources.
 We
 used
 marketing
 analyses
 such
 is
 Porter’s
 5
 
Forces
 and
 SWOT
 to
 gain
 a
 clearer
 picture
 of
 the
 competitive
 landscape
 of
 the
 
Online
 Music
 Education
 industry.
 We
 also
 had
 to
 take
 in
 consideration
 various
 types
 
financial
 analysis
 to
 project
 the
 investment
 needed
 for
 our
 start
 up
 and
 the
 
operating
 capital
 required
 for
 our
 first
 year
 of
 business.
 The
 confluence
 of
 our
 
academic
 studies
 and
 our
 personal
 research
 worked
 together
 for
 us
 to
 collectively
 
provide
 input
 into
 further
 developing
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 business
 model.
 
 


 

5
 


 
We
 conducted
 quantitative
 consumer
 research,
 focusing
 on
 parents
 in
 the
 United
 
States,
 which
 was
 led
 by
 Ankie
 Titulaer.
 
 I,
 on
 the
 other
 hand,
 spearheaded
 the
 
qualitative
 research
 that
 was
 necessary
 to
 better
 refine
 our
 approach
 to
 Artist
 /
 
Brand
 partnerships.
 Given
 my
 background
 in
 this
 area,
 I
 contacted
 some
 colleagues
 
that
 either
 currently
 work
 or
 formerly
 were
 involved
 in
 brand
 marketing
 and
 artist
 
management.
 
 

 
Below
 are
 the
 profiles
 of
 the
 interviewees:
 
Donae
 Burston
 –
 Regional
 Marketing
 Director
 /
 Moet
 Hennessy
 USA
 

 
Kwesi
 Fraser
 –
 Former
 Heineken
 Brand
 Manager
 &
 Account
 Director
 for
 Alloy
 Access
 
(Marketing
 Agency
 for
 Heineken)
 

 
Jamal
 Henderson
 –
 Senior
 Brand
 Manager
 /
 PepsiCo
 

 
Paul
 Levatino
 –
 Former
 Manager
 for
 Erykah
 Badu
 
Jeannah
 Ho
 –
 Former
 Assistant
 Manager
 for
 Scooter
 Braun
 (SB
 Projects/Justin
 
Beiber)
 &
 General
 Manager
 for
 Erving
 Wonder
 Mgmt
 (Now
 part
 of
 Atom
 Factory)
 
 

 
I
 held
 90-­‐minute
 interviews
 with
 each
 of
 these
 individuals
 and
 I
 asked
 them
 specific
 
questions
 about
 what
 they
 look
 for
 in
 a
 partnership,
 what
 makes
 some
 partnerships
 
work
 better
 than
 others
 and
 the
 process
 in
 which
 it
 takes
 to
 form
 a
 partnership.
 
Through
 these
 conversations
 with
 experts
 in
 their
 respective
 fields,
 I
 gained
 
invaluable
 insight
 into
 the
 needs
 of
 both
 Artists
 and
 Brands
 and
 developed
 a
 greater
 
understanding
 of
 where
 the
 critical
 intersection
 points
 are
 when
 considering
 
pairing
 any
 Artist
 and
 Brand
 together.
 
 

 

6
 

Out
 of
 this
 research,
 I
 was
 able
 to
 take
 my
 key
 learnings
 and
 develop
 a
 partnership
 
strategy
 that
 was
 effective
 and
 turnkey
 for
 the
 potential
 Artist
 and
 Brand
 
stakeholders
 in
 Play
 It
 FWD.
 The
 method
 detailed
 in
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 business
 plan
 is
 
derived
 directly
 from
 the
 direction
 and
 insight
 of
 these
 industry
 professionals
 and
 
my
 own
 knowledge
 from
 previous
 work
 experience
 in
 the
 entertainment
 field.
 

 
The
 final
 and
 most
 important
 step
 was
 to
 synthesize
 all
 of
 our
 data
 and
 research
 to
 
develop
 a
 comprehensive
 business
 plan,
 detailing
 how
 we
 intended
 to
 bring
 Play
 It
 
FWD
 to
 life
 and
 take
 it
 to
 market.
 This
 was
 a
 very
 collaborative
 process
 where
 each
 
team
 member
 had
 a
 select
 set
 of
 responsibilities
 and
 deliverables.
 We
 would
 share
 
our
 findings
 and
 our
 work
 and
 then
 decide
 as
 team
 as
 to
 what
 should
 be
 included
 in
 
the
 end
 product,
 with
 me
 having
 final
 say
 over
 the
 outcome.
 This
 process
 ultimately
 
proved
 to
 be
 effective
 and
 fruitful,
 resulting
 in
 a
 thorough,
 first
 version
 business
 
plan.
 
 

 
Results
 
 
In
 particular
 to
 the
 focus
 of
 my
 CE,
 I
 learned
 that,
 contrary
 to
 what
 I
 initially
 
thought,
 there
 is
 no
 one
 simplistic
 partnership
 model
 that
 works
 for
 every
 Artist
 
and
 Brand.
 Artists
 and
 Brands
 have
 their
 own
 individual
 identity,
 culture,
 fan
 base
 
and
 set
 of
 values.
 As
 a
 result,
 it
 is
 highly
 improbable
 that
 you
 can
 pair
 one
 Artist
 and
 
Brand
 together
 the
 same
 way
 you
 can
 another
 set.
 There
 is
 a
 small
 possibility
 that
 
this
 type
 of
 method
 could
 be
 developed
 but
 it
 would
 take
 more
 time
 than
 our
 


 

7
 

coursework
 allowed
 and
 would
 most
 likely
 prove
 to
 not
 be
 an
 efficient
 use
 of
 time
 to
 
explore
 –
 as
 that
 time
 could
 be
 spent
 on
 building
 actual
 partnerships.
 
 

 
When
 considering
 Artist
 /
 Brand
 partnerships,
 you
 must
 make
 each
 situation
 
beneficial
 for
 both
 parties
 and
 create
 an
 equal
 sharing
 of
 brand
 equities.
 The
 most
 
important
 element,
 as
 noted
 to
 me
 by
 all
 of
 the
 interviewees,
 is
 to
 make
 a
 process
 
that
 is
 easy
 with
 as
 little
 heavy
 lifting
 on
 their
 end
 as
 possible.
 Therefore,
 the
 
approach
 that
 I
 have
 developed
 for
 Play
 It
 FWD
 is
 completely
 customized.
 In
 our
 
model,
 
 we
 conduct
 the
 due
 diligence
 to
 target
 and
 match
 Artists
 and
 Brands
 
together
 to
 create
 unique
 experiences
 through
 our
 content
 that
 are
 organic
 to
 the
 
consumer
 and
 mutually
 advantageous
 for
 both
 the
 Artist
 and
 the
 Brand.
 
 

 
On
 a
 larger
 scale,
 the
 results
 of
 developing
 this
 business
 plan
 have
 been
 extremely
 
positive
 and
 promising.
 From
 the
 onset
 this
 idea
 has
 grabbed
 the
 attention
 and
 
interest
 of
 many
 people
 within
 and
 outside
 of
 the
 Berklee
 network.
 This
 was
 
something
 that
 I
 always
 used
 as
 a
 barometer
 to
 let
 me
 know
 if
 the
 concept
 of
 the
 
idea
 was
 connecting
 with
 people
 the
 right
 way
 –
 and
 I
 still
 do.
 My
 teammates
 and
 I
 
have
 developed
 some
 great
 relationships
 as
 a
 result
 of
 this
 project
 and
 we
 believe
 
we
 have
 a
 strong
 base
 of
 people
 that
 can
 help
 us
 carry
 it
 forward
 to
 the
 next
 phase
 
of
 development.
 

 
We
 competed
 in
 two
 pitch
 competitions
 during
 the
 school
 year,
 each
 at
 the
 end
 of
 
the
 semesters.
 We
 came
 in
 2nd
 place
 during
 the
 competition
 at
 the
 end
 of
 the
 1st
 


 

8
 

semester
 and
 we
 unanimously
 won
 the
 Venture
 Day
 competition
 during
 the
 Spring
 
semester.
 I
 make
 mention
 of
 this
 because
 after
 losing
 the
 first
 pitch
 competition
 
after
 months
 of
 a
 lot
 of
 hard
 work,
 I
 vowed
 to
 myself
 and
 my
 team
 that
 we
 would
 
win
 the
 next
 competition
 in
 the
 2nd
 semester.
 Through
 this
 series
 of
 experiences
 our
 
team
 bonded
 and
 we
 strove
 in
 unison
 to
 ensure
 that
 we
 all
 came
 out
 successful
 on
 
Venture
 Day.
 
 

 
This
 level
 of
 teamwork
 was
 something
 that
 was
 not
 always
 easy
 to
 accomplish,
 
especially
 at
 first
 because
 we
 had
 to
 learn
 each
 other’s
 strengths,
 weaknesses
 and
 
work
 styles
 –
 which
 might
 have
 been
 the
 biggest
 challenge
 we
 faced
 as
 a
 group
 and
 
me
 as
 a
 leader.
 We
 chose
 to
 put
 the
 work
 and
 our
 goals
 first
 and
 our
 egos
 aside
 to
 be
 
able
 to
 communicate
 with
 one
 another
 and
 gain
 each
 other’s
 trust
 in
 the
 process.
 I
 
believe
 this
 was
 a
 valuable
 learning
 lesson
 for
 all
 of
 us,
 but
 personally
 it
 was
 very
 
imperative
 because
 it
 required
 me
 to
 delegate,
 monitor
 the
 work
 being
 done
 and
 
still
 have
 the
 long-­‐term
 vision
 in
 mind
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 I
 cannot
 say
 that
 this
 was
 
always
 easy,
 but
 it
 did
 teach
 me
 how
 to
 better
 use
 the
 strengths
 of
 my
 team
 and
 
communicate
 with
 people
 in
 the
 way
 they
 needed
 on
 an
 individual
 level
 for
 the
 
greater
 good
 of
 everyone
 involved.
 
 

 
By
 and
 large,
 I
 accomplished
 everything
 -­‐
 personally
 and
 with
 the
 team
 -­‐
 that
 I
 
wanted
 to
 within
 the
 time
 I
 had
 to
 work
 on
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 project
 during
 the
 
academic
 year.
 The
 only
 disappointment
 I
 can
 mention
 is
 learning
 the
 reality
 of
 the
 
time
 and
 investment
 needed
 to
 build
 a
 quality
 beta
 or
 minimal
 viable
 product
 (MVP)
 


 

9
 

for
 the
 business.
 This
 is
 something
 that
 I
 envisioned
 and
 thought
 was
 realistic
 
within
 my
 timeline,
 but
 the
 costs
 of
 building
 a
 proof
 of
 concept
 at
 the
 level
 we
 
desired
 within
 the
 given
 time
 frame
 proved
 to
 be
 more
 than
 we
 could
 take
 on
 as
 a
 
team.
 The
 benefit
 of
 this
 is
 that
 I
 now
 know
 how
 much
 it
 will
 take
 to
 develop
 an
 MVP
 
and
 therefore
 have
 the
 ability
 to
 prepare
 the
 team
 and
 position
 us
 to
 take
 on
 that
 
task
 in
 the
 near
 future.
 
 

 
Next
 Steps
 
The
 long-­‐term
 plan
 for
 Play
 It
 FWD
 is
 to
 develop
 it
 into
 a
 sustainable
 business
 that
 
has
 a
 global
 reach
 and
 a
 revolutionary
 impact
 on
 Music
 Education.
 Although
 that
 is
 a
 
grand
 mission
 I
 along
 with
 a
 group
 of
 my
 teammates
 have
 chosen
 to
 continue
 to
 
work
 on
 this
 business
 idea
 and
 develop
 it
 into
 an
 operating
 business
 in
 2015.
 We
 
are
 currently
 in
 the
 process
 of
 developing
 a
 detailed
 timeline
 of
 action
 steps
 and
 
milestones
 that
 we
 want
 to
 achieve
 through
 the
 2014
 calendar
 year.
 
 

 
Our
 first
 goal
 is
 to
 continue
 to
 do
 deeper
 market
 and
 consumer
 research
 and
 better
 
assess
 the
 costs
 of
 developing
 a
 beta
 or
 MVP
 for
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 platform.
 From
 that
 
point
 we
 want
 to
 revise
 our
 business
 plan
 and
 make
 it
 more
 presentable
 and
 
digestible
 for
 potential
 investors
 and
 other
 interested
 parties.
 
 

 
We
 also
 have
 to
 continue
 to
 create
 our
 content
 strategy
 and
 determine
 exactly
 how
 
our
 content
 will
 work
 to
 educate
 Children
 while
 incorporating
 Artist
 and
 Brands.
 
Once
 we
 have
 a
 solid
 direction
 on
 this
 and
 a
 beta
 of
 our
 platform,
 we
 intend
 to
 test
 


 

10
 

our
 product
 on
 a
 sample
 of
 our
 target
 consumers
 –
 Children
 between
 8-­‐12
 years
 old
 
–
 and
 take
 those
 learnings
 to
 make
 the
 necessary
 revisions
 to
 the
 content
 approach
 
and
 functionality
 of
 the
 platform.
 
 

 
Moreover,
 on
 a
 basic
 level,
 we
 have
 to
 secure
 key
 business
 elements
 such
 as
 a
 
business
 licensee,
 trademarks,
 domain
 names,
 etc.
 as
 well
 as
 file
 for
 status
 as
 a
 
501(c)(3)
 non-­‐profit
 organization.
 
 

 
After
 we
 have
 hit
 these
 milestones
 we
 want
 to
 send
 signals
 to
 the
 market
 that
 we
 
intend
 on
 launching
 in
 the
 near
 future
 while
 simultaneously
 seeking
 out
 funding
 
either
 via
 philanthropic
 equity,
 government
 grants
 and/or
 an
 accelerator/incubator
 
program.
 
 

 
Contribution
 to
 the
 Discipline
 and
 Profession
 
My
 contribution
 to
 the
 disciplines
 of
 Music
 Education
 and
 Brand
 Partnerships
 is
 
analyzing
 better
 ways
 to
 do
 both
 and
 working
 to
 find
 effective
 solutions
 that
 can
 
help
 a
 greater
 number
 of
 people.
 I
 took
 my
 knowledge
 and
 experience
 from
 those
 
two
 industries
 and
 paired
 them
 in
 a
 manner
 that
 has
 the
 potential
 to
 exponentially
 
impact
 both.
 It
 is
 common
 knowledge
 that
 Music
 Education
 is
 lacking
 in
 many
 
schools
 in
 America
 and
 around
 the
 world.
 By
 working
 on
 a
 new
 method
 to
 deliver
 
quality
 Music
 Education
 to
 children,
 it
 is
 my
 hope
 that
 we
 can
 get
 more
 people
 with
 
the
 adequate
 resources
 involved
 to
 reinvigorate
 the
 Music
 Education
 process
 and
 
make
 a
 lasting,
 positive
 impression
 on
 children’s
 lives
 on
 a
 high
 level.
 
 


 

11
 

I
 believe
 that
 working
 on
 this
 project
 will
 also
 help
 pave
 the
 way
 for
 me
 to
 continue
 
to
 develop
 new
 ideas
 and
 approaches
 to
 leveraging
 Artists
 (and
 potentially
 other
 
celebrities)
 and
 Brands
 to
 stimulate
 progressive
 social
 change
 on
 a
 large
 scale.
 This
 
is
 something
 that
 I
 intend
 to
 do
 going
 forward
 as
 a
 part
 of
 my
 entrepreneurial
 
career.
 
 

 
Impact
 on
 the
 Student
 Completing
 the
 Work
 
 
The
 personal
 impact
 on
 this
 project
 was
 tremendous
 for
 me.
 I
 came
 to
 Berklee
 
Valencia
 primarily
 because
 I
 wanted
 to
 evolve
 into
 a
 successful
 entrepreneur.
 The
 
Global
 Entertainment
 &
 Music
 Business
 Program’s
 emphasis
 on
 entrepreneurship
 
was
 what
 really
 made
 me
 seriously
 consider
 leaving
 my
 corporate
 job
 to
 further
 my
 
education.
 With
 that
 being
 said,
 I
 have
 learned
 an
 immense
 amount
 of
 information
 
and
 gained
 skill
 sets
 that
 I
 possibly
 would
 have
 not
 been
 afforded
 to
 acquire
 by
 my
 
own
 devices.
 Moreover,
 the
 international
 relationships
 and
 network
 I
 have
 begun
 to
 
foster
 has
 opened
 me
 up
 to
 new
 ways
 of
 approaching
 business,
 as
 well
 as
 greater
 
opportunities
 in
 the
 future.
 
 

 
Going
 deeper
 than
 just
 career
 aspirations,
 I
 would
 say
 what
 has
 impacted
 me
 most
 
from
 working
 on
 this
 project
 in
 particular
 is
 having
 a
 greater
 understanding
 of
 the
 
inequities
 in
 the
 world.
 From
 conducting
 research
 on
 non-­‐profits
 and
 economic
 
figures
 across
 the
 globe,
 I
 also
 came
 across
 information
 that
 opened
 my
 eyes
 up
 to
 
the
 many
 injustices
 that
 large
 groups
 of
 people
 deal
 with
 on
 a
 day-­‐to-­‐day
 basis.
 
Many
 of
 these
 issues
 we
 are
 aware
 of
 on
 a
 surface
 level
 from
 things
 we
 might
 hear
 


 

12
 

about
 or
 see
 in
 the
 news.
 
 However,
 when
 I
 looked
 at
 the
 data
 and
 saw
 the
 impact
 
that
 the
 lack
 of
 certain
 essentials,
 such
 as
 lack
 of
 clean
 water
 and
 food,
 basic
 
education
 needs,
 limited
 access
 to
 computers
 or
 even
 electricity,
 has
 on
 the
 lives
 
countless
 people
 on
 a
 daily
 basis,
 I
 began
 to
 look
 at
 the
 world
 differently.
 I
 now
 see
 a
 
great
 need
 for
 considerable
 amounts
 of
 work
 to
 be
 done
 in
 these
 areas
 to
 help
 
people
 live
 better
 lives.
 
 

 
This
 type
 of
 information
 coupled
 with
 the
 constant
 thinking
 of
 how
 to
 create
 a
 
positive
 movement
 around
 something
 I
 care
 so
 much
 about
 in
 Music
 Education,
 
really
 allowed
 me
 to
 find
 a
 clearer
 vision
 for
 my
 purpose.
 Prior
 to
 coming
 to
 Berklee,
 
I
 was
 career
 driven
 and
 money
 motivated
 (not
 money
 hungry),
 but
 I
 focused
 a
 large
 
majority
 of
 my
 energy
 on
 what
 I
 could
 do
 for
 myself.
 Many
 of
 the
 teachings
 I
 
received
 and
 my
 personal
 readings
 during
 the
 time
 I
 have
 worked
 on
 this
 project
 
exposed
 me
 to
 the
 realization
 that
 I
 can
 have
 a
 bigger
 influence
 on
 the
 world
 other
 
than
 myself
 and
 my
 immediate
 circle.
 Even
 more
 so,
 I
 now
 have
 the
 belief
 that
 it
 is
 a
 
part
 of
 my
 responsibility
 to
 use
 my
 gifts
 and
 intellect
 to
 help
 aid
 and
 transform
 the
 
lives
 of
 other
 people
 and
 provide
 them
 with
 greater
 opportunities
 to
 enhance
 their
 
quality
 of
 life.
 I
 have
 learned
 through
 this
 process
 that
 you
 gain
 more
 by
 working
 to
 
help
 others
 than
 you
 do
 by
 solely
 working
 to
 help
 benefit
 yourself.
 One
 of
 my
 
favorites
 quotes
 states:
 
 

 “A
 good
 man
 fights
 for
 himself
 and
 his.
 A
 great
 man
 fights
 for
 everyone
 else”
 
 
-­‐
 Philip
 DeFranco
 


 

13
 

It
 has
 been
 through
 this
 experience
 of
 working
 on
 Play
 It
 FWD
 and
 putting
 the
 
interest
 and
 well
 being
 of
 others
 first,
 that
 I
 have
 chosen
 to
 not
 only
 be
 good,
 but
 to
 
be
 great
 and
 work
 at
 making
 incremental
 change.
 
 

 
Conclusion
 
 
In
 conclusion,
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank,
 first
 and
 foremost,
 the
 faculty
 and
 staff
 at
 
Berklee
 Valencia
 for
 their
 continuous
 support
 during
 my
 Master’s
 program;
 without
 
them
 this
 experience
 would
 not
 have
 been
 possible.
 I
 also
 want
 give
 a
 special
 thank
 
you
 to
 my
 Program
 Director,
 Dr.
 Emilien
 Moyon,
 my
 CE
 Advisor,
 Ferran
 Coto,
 and
 
my
 two
 Jury
 Members,
 Patrice
 Rushen
 and
 Troy
 Brown.
 Their
 expert
 guidance
 and
 
feedback
 helped
 shape
 and
 mold
 my
 CE
 to
 its
 greatest
 potential.
 Thank
 you
 for
 
lending
 your
 time
 and
 energy
 to
 the
 development
 of
 this
 project.
 
 

 
I
 would
 also
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 fellow
 teammates
 on
 the
 Play
 It
 FWD
 project,
 Ankie
 
Titulaer,
 Maxwell
 Wright,
 Gabrielle
 Banks
 and
 Manuel
 Delgado.
 Their
 hard
 work,
 
dedication
 and
 contributions
 to
 this
 project
 were
 integral
 to
 the
 success
 that
 we
 
have
 had
 thus
 far.
 I
 also
 want
 to
 share
 my
 appreciation
 for
 them
 choosing
 to
 work
 
with
 me
 and
 trusting
 me
 as
 their
 leader.
 They
 have
 helped
 me
 grow
 and
 develop
 in
 
many
 ways
 that
 they
 may
 not
 even
 know.
 
 

 
Last,
 but
 certainly
 not
 least,
 I
 want
 to
 thank
 my
 parents,
 family
 and
 close
 friends
 for
 
their
 love,
 support
 and
 ongoing
 encouragement
 during
 my
 time
 studying
 abroad
 in
 
Valencia.
 They
 have
 truly
 served
 as
 my
 source
 of
 motivation
 to
 continue
 my
 


 

14
 

education
 and
 excel
 within
 the
 GEMB
 Program.
 I
 am
 forever
 grateful
 for
 all
 that
 you
 
have
 done
 during
 my
 time
 in
 graduate
 school.
 
 

 
Overall,
 I
 am
 very
 thankful
 for
 my
 Master’s
 experience
 at
 Berklee
 Valencia.
 I
 have
 
grown
 as
 a
 businessman
 and,
 more
 importantly,
 as
 a
 person.
 I
 achieved
 and
 gained
 
the
 things
 that
 I
 was
 desirous
 of
 when
 I
 first
 arrived
 and
 I
 can
 honestly
 say
 that
 I
 am
 
a
 much
 better
 person
 for
 it.
 This
 will
 always
 be
 a
 moment
 in
 time
 that
 I
 can
 look
 
back
 on
 and
 consider
 it
 to
 be
 a
 major
 turning
 point
 in
 my
 life’s
 path.
 
 

 

 

 


 

15