With 22 students we have visited the venue Melkweg in Amsterdam for a guided tour behind the scenes in the morning. After that we went out for lunch with the whole group and 2 teachers from the work field in Tolhuistuin. After that we were invited by Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing from 2pm till 4pm. Bart Wisman (Head of Marketing Benelux), Hans Schlattman (Head of Sync Department Benelux) and Joel de Vriend (A&R, Creative Department) hosted Masterclasses about their work in their offices: A’dam Tower, Amsterdam-Noord.

The focus of the elective: International Music Management, which is open for students from other Universities via “Kies Op Maat”, Exchange students and students within the domain Creative Business, is to connect them with the work field and teach them the different professional roles in the international music business. They learn to create value as an intermediary. It all has to do with bringing the music to the audiences or listening ears and add value to a sustainable music ecosystem. Therefore the program is focused on knowledge (music copyright, cash flows and ethics), skills (scouting, music pitches and contract negotiations), research (new tech developments and trends) and concept creating to apply this in a professional role in the international music industry.

The goal of these business trips is to connect and network with the music industry and give students a better view on the different possibilities for internships in the second half of their third year. Sony Music invited us because they see a gap between educated young professionals and the music industry. “It is hard to find new talent and there are so many vacant internships and jobs in content creating, data analyses, sync licensing, A&R and marketing. Therefore we think it is really important to open our doors for young motivated students,” says Bart Wisman at Sony Music.

Vera van de Loo, student KoM, confirms that it is good for a student to get a glimpse behind the scenes: "Getting a tour around the backstage area at Melkweg and visiting the Sony Music (Publishing) office in Amsterdam was a unique and very interesting experience. Especially the masterclasses from the Heads of Marketing, Sync and Publishing, and A&R at Sony Music were incredibly insightful!" Jana Hör, student Creative Business (EN): "I really liked gaining some new perspectives through the masterclasses not just from the label but also from the publisher side of Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing. It was also very interesting to get to see the backstage area of the Melkweg and learn more about its history and vision for the future."

Last year we also organized business trips in Hilversum to Wisseloord Studio’s, venue De Vorstin and Universal Music. “I think it is great that these music companies welcome our young professionals, which helps and inspires them to make choices for their future careers. It is also important to hear the stories of the experts in the current music business and have the possibility to network in an early stage,” says Neeltje Mooring, Course Leader and Lecturer International Music Management. “Before Corona we also organized international business trips in the U.S. together with our partner Berklee College of Music. We hope we can continue this in the near future to give our students also a more international experience and perspective.”

Pub quiz
We divided the whole group of students in different teams to play a special pub quiz: the best way to get to know each other and find out more about the Netherlands and Haarlem. Kenneth & Andor, students of MEM (Creative Business), were the best quizmasters ever! Team Sweden won the pub quiz and received a basket full of nice typically Dutch products. Swapfiets was also present and gave away two bicycle subscriptions for three months. During the day it was possible to take a picture in the Photobooth in the lounge. A perfect reminder of a new beginning!

ESN Haarlem and Creatrix Populus
Students of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and Creatrix Populus were also present at the Welcome Drink. ESN Haarlem organises events and fun stuff like cultural activities, international dinners, city trips and more for the international students of Inholland Haarlem. Creatrix Populus is the Student Association of Creative Business. They organise crazy activities, interesting guest lectures, parties and special study trips. To join these networks is the best way to meet new people and make new friends.

Next event: bike tour on 27 September
On Friday 27 September Inholland Haarlem and Swapfiets will organise a bicycle tour in Haarlem for the international students. The tour will start at 4.00 pm just outside Start Up Campus Haarlem (SUCH: opposite the building of Inholland Haarlem). The bicycle tour includes short cycling lessons, a brief explanation of traffic rules and an hour-long cycling past beautiful places in Haarlem. We will end up in the city centre. Therefore we advise you to take your personal belongings with you. Sign up quickly. There are only 30 tickets (and bikes) available.

On Thursday 22 March, over thirty Information Technology students from Amsterdam (VU University Amsterdam and University of Amsterdam), Diemen and Haarlem (Inholland) met up at the Start Up Campus Haarlem (SUCH) premises. The first cups of coffee were immediately downed, the laptops flipped open and they got straight down to work. Ten hours to complete your project might sound like enough, but it really isn’t. Danuta Lapina, Information Technology student at Inholland Haarlem and one of the organisers of InHack 2018, explains: ‘A hackathon usually lasts several days. We wanted to have this time too, but it wasn’t possible to use the Inholland building overnight. In order to still achieve high-quality demonstrations at the end of the day, the team were allowed to do a lot of preparation. Everything in fact, apart from the coding. That really had to happen on the day itself.’

Three, two, one … GO!
InHack 2018 didn’t have a specific theme: the participating teams were able to decide for themselves what project they wanted to work on during the big day. From meet-up website for international students to time tracker, from time management app to game – the contributions were diverse. Just like the skill levels of the students. Everyone is welcome, whether you’re a seasoned programmer or a newcomer in the world of apps. ‘That works out, too, because the judges take your level into account when assessing the result’, says Danuta. The projects were judged on technical complexity, originality, functionality and degree of completion. ‘And on your presentation. So here’s a tip in advance: ensure that you have enough time to make a properly functioning demo. Come on, guys, let’s get to work!’ After this starting shot, the clock began counting down and the teams got down to hacking and programming in silence.

Creative ‘abuse’ of Windows
The job was done after ten hours. For most of the teams, at least ... Here and there people were still putting the finishing touches to their demo, jittery fingers on the keyboard. Time had come to close the laptops and present the results. The Plantnation team won the prize for the most innovative idea with an app that reminds you to water your plants. The KeyboardKings were the prize-winning team. Their multiplayer reaction-based game was the best technical design. And there was a special mention for the Patrick’s Late team, which ‘abused’ Windows forms in the most creative manner. The prizes were in part thanks to the sponsors Abercrow, IT jobs recruiter and Podictive, specialist in cyber security. At the end of the event Danuta Lapina was tired but satisfied. ‘We’ll certainly be organising it again next year. But then bigger and longer. At least three days and two nights. Whatever happens then ... believe me, it’ll be really great.’