Cross-sectoral Training for Music Industry Professionals

Cross-sectoral Training for Music Industry Professionals

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Edvinas Siliūnas, Mantautas Krukauskas

Design the Video

This step focused on translating the identified training needs into a practical and modular video training format tailored to the needs of music sector professionals. The LMTA team developed a visual and pedagogical concept for the video modules, ensuring that content would be engaging, adaptable, and accessible across different professional and regional contexts.

Drawing from cross-sector expertise, we produced an Interactive Video Production Guide outlining essential steps for content creators: from scripting and technical setup to editing and publishing. This was complemented by a Sample Video Module Plan, which provided a reusable structure that future users can adapt based on their own thematic focus.

To ensure replicability and transparency of the process, we also created a dedicated “How to Make Training Videos” module, an educational video that walks viewers through the production process using simple tools and methods. This meta-module empowers cultural professionals to become content creators themselves, expanding the reach of the training approach beyond the initial pilot.

The visual identity and tone of the training materials were deliberately chosen to be inclusive, user-friendly, and consistent with the broader MI-RAP branding. Video scripts, subtitles, and key visuals were carefully reviewed to enhance clarity, accessibility, and multilingual use where relevant.

This step laid the groundwork for scalable and collaborative training content production, supporting the long-term sustainability of the MI-RAP results.

Supporting Materials:

Interactive Video Production Guide
Sample Video Module Plan
Interactive Video: How to Make Training Videos

Mapping Needs and Target Groups

This first step focused on identifying the concrete training needs and skills gaps relevant to the local and regional music ecosystem, particularly in relation to digital and cross-sectoral innovation. LMTA initiated a multi-layered process to engage stakeholders from music, technology, education, and entrepreneurship fields, combining both top-down and bottom-up insights.

Using a stakeholder identification matrix, we mapped organisations, initiatives, and individuals across the cultural and creative sectors in Lithuania, and assessed their potential engagement in cross-sectoral training. We also applied a training needs mapping template to systematize qualitative input gathered through workshops, expert discussions, and interviews with local actors.

The process was further enriched by the international dialogue carried out through MI-RAP working group meetings and events like LIVE SPACE and InMuse 2025, where Lithuanian participants had a chance to compare local realities with trends across the Nordic-Baltic region. Experts from Canada, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, and Latvia, along with cultural innovation platforms such as the Mosaic and ArtTech networks, shared insights that helped shape and validate the identified needs.

As a result, a clear set of training priorities emerged:

– the urgent need for professional literacy in generative AI and algorithmic tools,

– deeper understanding of immersive audio environments and live digital performance,

– interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation brokerage skills,

– essential entrepreneurial competencies including fundraising, audience development, and sustainable career planning.

This structured groundwork enabled us to move toward modular and flexible training formats that are adaptable and transferable across other cities and contexts.

Supporting Materials:

Training Needs Mapping Template
Stakeholder Identification Matrix
Methodology Infographic
Photos from local events
InMuse 2025 / LIVE SPACE website (link)

Develop the Content

In this step, the LMTA team developed and produced four interactive video modules forming the core of the cross-sectoral training programme, also serving as examples how similar videos can be developed. These videos were informed by the priority themes identified in earlier phases and are intended as modular, easy-to-use learning resources for cultural and music professionals navigating rapid changes in the creative industries.

Each video focuses on a distinct yet interrelated area:

Immersive Audio: Introduction to Spatial Sound

Introduces principles of spatial audio and demonstrates how immersive sound environments can be used in artistic creation and performance.

Creative Workflows with Generative AI

Explores the use of generative artificial intelligence in composition, sound design, and creative process development, with real-life examples.

Cross-sector Collaboration in the Creative Industries

Provides practical insights into interdisciplinary work models, drawing from case studies at the intersection of music, tech, education, and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship for Artists and Musicians

Focuses on essential skills such as project development, funding strategies, audience engagement, and long-term sustainability for independent professionals.

The videos are built around the same visual identity and structure to ensure consistency. They are visually supported for inclusive access and are suitable for both individual learners and institutions seeking flexible educational content.

Each module was co-developed with input from expert contributors in LMTA, and was tested in live and online settings to ensure clarity and relevance.

Supporting Materials:

Sample Video: Immersive Audio: Introduction to Spatial Sound
Sample Video: Creative Workflows with Generative AI
Sample Video: Cross-sector Collaboration in the Creative Industries
Sample Video: Entrepreneurship for Artists and Musicians

Test and Validate

In this phase, the LMTA team tested the developed training videos in both live and digital contexts to assess their usability, relevance, and pedagogical effectiveness. The core objective was to collect constructive feedback from diverse stakeholders - students, educators, creative professionals, and international experts - and integrate their insights into the final refinement of the materials.

Work-in-progress videos were presented during several key public events, most notably LIVE SPACE Workshop which convened regional and international experts in music technology, entrepreneurship, and education. Participants from Canada, Sweden, Iceland, Belgium, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania engaged with the content and provided feedback on structure, accessibility, and thematic scope. Final version of videos were evaluated internally by students and staff at LMTA.

Feedback was collected using a structured loop, including feedback forms and open discussions. Comments highlighted the clarity of visual design, effectiveness of storytelling, and need for further localized examples. One participant noted: “This format really empowers lifelong learning in the arts. It’s practical, reflective, and visually engaging.”

Students involved in internal testing sessions emphasized the importance of topics such as generative AI and cross-sectoral collaboration, noting they are rarely addressed in formal curricula. Written feedback was anonymized and used to fine-tune script clarity, visual layout, and modular usability of the videos.

Supporting Materials:

Feedback Loop Template
Example Training Video Feedback

A key milestone during the piloting phase was the decision to structure the Cross-Sectoral Training Programme around modular, short-form video content, enabling flexible access and easy adaptation to different professional contexts. The training focused on four core themes identified through stakeholder dialogue and expert input: generative AI in creative workflows, immersive spatial audio, interdisciplinary collaboration, and entrepreneurial agency for artists. An additional strategic decision was to include a dedicated module on how to create educational video content, allowing knowledge to be further multiplied within local ecosystems.

Content development and validation were closely linked to international exchange. The programme was shaped through feedback gathered during the InMUSE (Forum on Innovation in Music, Stage Arts and Entertainment) 2025 and the Nordplus LIVE SPACE Nordic–Baltic workshop, which brought together students, artists, educators, researchers, and industry professionals from Lithuania and across the Nordic and Baltic region. Experts representing music technology, creative industries, higher education, and innovation networks contributed to refining both the thematic focus and ethical framing of the content. As noted by participants, “it was inspiring to see generative AI discussed so clearly from both creative and ethical angles,” while others highlighted that “the combination of technology, artistic practice, and entrepreneurship opened new perspectives.”

Feedback collected from viewers of the training videos was anonymized. One participant reflected: “This was the first time I felt like technology, business, and creativity were speaking the same language. It helped me reframe my artistic practice not as a fragile or random, but as an evolving professional path with agency and long-term resilience.”

We believe that the pilot activities made a tangible contribution to the evolving professional ecosystem in Vilnius by opening access to cutting-edge techniques and trans-sectoral conversations often absent from traditional music education or qualification development. It fostered a more inclusive understanding of what creative careers can look like, empowered younger professionals to see their work through a sustainable and interdisciplinary lens, and seeded new collaborations that continue beyond the pilot itself.

Use, Share and Scale

To demonstrate how cross-sectoral training materials can be effectively deployed and reused, the LMTA team integrated the full set of five video modules into an open-access Moodle-based course hosted on the LMTA platform. This pilot course serves both as a prototype for institutional implementation and a model for other organisations wishing to adopt or adapt similar training formats.

The course includes:

All four thematic interactive videos developed during the pilot: on immersive audio, generative AI, cross-sector collaboration, and entrepreneurship.
The “How to Make Training Videos” meta-module, empowering users to replicate or create new modules.
Short self-assessment quizzes accompanying each module, designed to reinforce learning outcomes and demonstrate how test-based elements can enhance engagement.
A final feedback section, gathering input from course users to support future updates and help inform further scaling efforts.

This implementation step reflects commitment to open educational resources and sustainability of MI-RAP results. It also showcases a transferable model for how cultural institutions can structure, host, and share dynamic training tools within their own systems or with partners.

Supporting Materials:

Link to the open Moodle course

Cross-sectoral Training for Music Industry Professionals

Edvinas Siliūnas, Mantautas Krukauskas