Greenville University

Why choose Greenville University?

Greenville University is an affordable, accredited, faith-based liberal arts college located near Springfield, IL, St. Louis, MO, and Indianapolis, IN. As part of our commitment to hands-on learning, we offer Experience Institutes that provide students with unique opportunities to immerse themselves in real-world settings.

The Climb Experience is a gap semester for college-aged students to live, study, and serve in the Dominican Republic. It’s a unique opportunity to earn college credits, grow in your faith, and immerse yourself in a rich new culture.

CMC Nashville provides a semester of real-world experience in music, media, and ministry, with four tracks to choose from: Artist, Business, Technical, or Worship. Mentored by industry professionals, students earn college credits and gain practical skills, connections, and confidence to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Website

www.greenville.edu

Community Photos

Jessica Jarvis on Tour with CMC Live - Semester 39, Fall '21 Artist

Near the end of the program, a show gets taken on tour.

Reviews

I attended the Contemporary Music Center during its 39th semester while pursuing my B.S in Music Business and minor in Music Technology. I studied abroad during my second-to-last semester of university, and it dramatically impacted my career in every positive way! The hands-on and real life experience is unmatched. I can firmly say there's no equivalent to the dynamic nature of this program and the diverse set of skills one can obtain! I use my CMC training every day in my thriving career, and I'm forever thankful!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

One of the most nerve-racking moments but beneficial qualities that this program offers is honest feedback. Being in a creative industry, creatives are often their worst critic. We're hard on ourselves because we want to get better. This program showed me the importance of honesty, and the feedback I got from this program, although not always easy, was ALWAYS so valuable. It's difficult coming to terms with how something you created was maybe lackluster in one way or another, but it was always a breath of fresh air when I implemented the notes I was given, because that feedback made me stronger; it made me better; it pushed my creative mind to worlds of creativity I didn't know I had within myself, but they knew better than I did. They knew what I was capable of, even when I didn't believe in myself, and they helped me reach new heights as an artist and entrepreneur. There's no price that you can put on that confidence and amount of personal growth. I'm better from it all!

Pros

I connected with dozens of like-minded individuals at a variety of different experiences which helped me diversify my knowledge and collaborative opportunities.
I was enabled with a vast array of materials, pieces of gear, and on-site resources and if I was ever in lack of something, I was encouraged to think critically and expand my knowledge of resources to better solve problems individually.
I was able to create music and projects that I was proud of and could take home and either release or expound upon, and that's worth the world to me.

CMC equipped me with skills I still use to this day. I went into the program passionate about live production and ready to find a career in the industry. The program director leaned into various skillsets of the students as we learned more about live and recorded music and events. Our strengths were exercised on the tour at the end of the semester. I was then connected with an industry professional who saw my talent and asked me to join their team at the end of the program. This connection was made directly through CMC. I owe my career to this program.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Try everything and don't be afraid to mess up. It's a learning experience and this is a great environment to learn your strengths and weaknesses in live music and production. Most importantly, have fun!

Pros

Individualized attention
Great gear
Convenient housing

Cons

walking up a steep hill to the building
Apartments are across a busy road from the building

This experience was one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. I was able to create lifelong relationships, make unforgettable memories, and have overall growth mentally and spiritually. Meeting everyone in the Dominican, I didn't know what to expect but there couldn't have been a better mix of people that brought so much to the table. I only wish that I had more time there because it had come to feel like home. Every class, person, and mission site we experienced left a lasting impact on my life. I learned a lot of Spanish which I knew would be a little out of my comfort zone, but then I was asked to lead worship at my church in Spanish which was an incredible experience! To see the growth of me leading worship in English when I went to the DR three years previous, to now leading worship in Spanish was truly special. This experience affirmed me in my calling to missions and has set me up to potentially return for an internship and trips in the future. I will forever cherish the people I met and the memories I made, thanking God for this indescribable experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

My advice to future Climb students is to just be present. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you won't want to take for granted. The people you meet and things you learn will be unforgettable and worth every second of your presence. There wasn't a single day that passed that I didn't laugh or smile just soaking in the people who make the Dominican so special. If you go into the program with one thing in mind, being present, God will use you greatly and change will happen in and around you for His good and His glory.

Pros

Immerses you in a different culture where you learn lots of Spanish and a new perspective of life.
Offers growth of your perspective of ministry, how you view your reading of the gospel, and your relationship with God.
Gives you the freedom to reflect on your strengths/weaknesses and potentially explore your calling.

There are so many amazing things I could say about this program!! I loved being able to have this experience to live out of the U.S and out of my comfort zone to see how God would use me and my other classmates! My favorite part about the program was being able to take classes that provide college credits, then go out into the mission field and be able to apply all that we have learned! I also really enjoyed working hard to improve my Spanish and being able to practice all-day everyday with everyone on campus so I could get to know them better! Even after returning home I am still applying those same skills and learning even more with the techniques I was equipped with!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

One of my most nerve-racking moments was when I got asked to share my testimony at church in Spanish! I had never really shared my testimony with anyone especially a large crowd. I was so nervous and It was all I could think about during that week preparing! I wanted to prepare it in English and then have it translated, but I was encouraged to be more confident in my Spanish! Once I got on the stage I just did it and some of the nerves surprisingly went away! I was so relieved but also very proud of myself because if you would have told me in the beginning of the semester that I would have the confidence to do that I wouldn’t have even believed it! I just trusted God with getting me out of my comfort zone and then I was able to grow from that experience!!

Pros

Taking college courses with transferable credits so you won’t be behind if you decide to continue with college later on.
You will be able to learn more Spanish,More about the Bible and how you can read it even better, learn more about theology and more history behind the Bible and then apply all of these things to your daily life in the DR.
Gaining new friends who want to grow in their faith and Uplift you as you grow in this new experience together.

From start to finish, this program was so helpful in helping me gain real world knowledge and experience in the music industry! The environment was fun, and I learned something new every day. The staff is an incredible support system too, they always answered my questions about complex topics.

The 15 weeks I spent here were by far the best of my college experience. I definitely recommend this program for anyone looking to step into the music industry with a prior understanding of how it operates!

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