Every spring semester, our students are required to come up with a class project. This can be anything that relates to the music industry. Getting creative is key. This year, one of our best projects was done by 5 students who wanted to come “Back to Athens”.
When David [Barbe] gave the assignment for the MBUS 5100 Microcosm project, how did y’all begin to brainstorm? Did you know what you wanted to do?
We all knew each other before and knew we wanted to go the festival route. During our first meeting we all agreed that we needed a festival that was unique so it would stand out from all the other events that are popping up around the country. The group also agreed that we wanted to create something that we were passionate about and could hopefully actually happen. In that first meeting the idea for an Athens/UGA legacy artist festival was created and named “Back to Athens.”
Tell us the idea behind your project and what it’s all about.
The idea behind “Back to Athens” is to help the Athens music scene from within. Its to use the artists that put The Classic City on the map to fund the exponentially growing UGA Music Business Program. This type of fund raiser could keep the Athens music community not only alive, but thriving in Athens for decades to come.
Do you think this is something that you would work to pursue in the real world?
100%. When we started working on the project we immediately thought this is something we want to make happen and that hasn’t changed.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from doing something like this?
I think the biggest thing we have learned as a group from the Microcosm project is how much actually goes into planning a festival. Every little detail needs to be accounted for and all the decisions you make can have an effect on the experience as a whole.
Any word of advice for future MBUS students in their spring semester?
Start early. Communicate. Share the work load. Do something you’re passionate about. We had a blast working on “Back to Athens” because we worked hard as a group creating something we love.