On Tuesday (Sept. 24), singer-songwriter Laufey performed at the launch event for Syracuse University’s new Bandier music business master’s program. Held at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles, the Icelandic/Chinese singer also revealed her new scholarship fund for international students and those with financial need at the event.
The Laufey Scholarship for Graduate Students will provide $100,000 over the next ten years to the Bandier program. In her remarks, Laufey noted that she was inspired to start the fund by her parents, who are music educators, and by her team, many of which attended Bandier for undergrad.
This includes her manager Max Gredinger (2013 alumni), attorney Harry Roberts (2012), publisher Gabz Landman (2012), digital marketing manager Izzy Newirth (2023) and management coordinator Kaylee Barrett (2024).
“I’m incredibly proud to support this scholarship and be part of such an important moment for the Bandier program. The talent, knowledge and passion that my team brings to our work every day are a direct result of the incredible education they received at Syracuse University,” Laufey said of the scholarship in a release. “I hope this scholarship will help future students find the same success and fulfillment in the music industry.”
Syracuse’s Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries was established in 2006. Named for alumnus and storied music executive Martin Bandier, the school is a regular on Billboard’s top music business schools list.
The expansion into a master’s program has been in the works by the team at Bandier for the last year-and-a-half, and it is said to offer students many of the same features from the undergraduate program, including hands-on learning experiences and job training to help develop the music industry’s next generation of executives. It is set to begin classes in summer 2025.
The curriculum will introduce students to areas like music law, copyright, social media and the latest data tools used by industry professionals. It will also feature a semester based in Los Angeles where students will be able to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the real-world music business.
The Bandier undergraduate and graduate programs are both helmed by former Billboard editorial director Bill Werde.
“An overwhelming percentage of our undergrads are leveraging the skills, network and experiences built in the Bandier program into jobs upon graduation,” Werde said. “We look forward to welcoming these new graduate students into our community and working with them to develop the core that they need to succeed.”
Mark J. Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School of Communications, which is home to the Bandier program, said in a release, “Through the Bandier master’s program, students aspiring to work in the music industry will have exciting opportunities to hone the skills they learn in the classroom in real-world settings. We are so grateful to the Bandier alumni, who play pivotal roles working with such a gifted artist like Laufey, for setting examples for career success.”
