Musical match
A New Glasgow company has partnered with the father of two world famous musicians
A company that has made a name for itself providing online learning material, and a music industry expert who knows the industry better than the back of his hand are combining their talents to create an opportunity for those looking to learn about that industry.
Velsoft, a New Glasgow-based purveyor of customizable training materials for online education, has engaged in a partnership with the Knowles Institute for Leadership, Knowledge, Entrepreneurship and Music Business.
Dr. Mathew Knowles is the Founder of World Music Entertainment, the former manager of Destiny’s Child and the father of musicians Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. He announced the partnership between himself and Velsoft in Dartmouth, earlier this month.
The partnership will involve Knowles’ experience and expertise being offered to a global online audience, in the form of more than 900 eLearning courses.
“Dr. Knowles has really achieved as high a level as you possess can in his field, which is managing entertainment and performers,” said Jim Fitt, CEO and founder of Velsoft.
“Destiny’s Child is the number one female band of all time. (Knowles) started with nothing and brought them to the pinnacle of superstardom,” he said.
“We’re working with him to take his knowledge and turn it into online education –learning from him, on demand.”
Fitt said Knowles is working with Velsoft to “take everything he knows and has learned, and share it with others,” in a platform he referred to as a learning management system, consisting of a series of courses.
“We are creating an online campus, made up of his content,” added Fitt.
Classes with the Knowles Institute will use Velsoft’s specialized software to prepare students for the fast pace of the global music industry. The courses will be available to all students online, from anywhere in the world.
Fitt said the courses are “edutainment,” a combination of Velsoft’s specialty – education – and Knowles’ specialty, which is entertainment.
“A lot of the business we’ve done to date is in the workplace and learning performance area – it’s HR, it’s corporate and it’s universities,” said Fitt. “This is going to draw attention to our ability to move into the world of “edutainment,” and give us a chance to be in position to be a world leader in that area.”
A media release from Velsoft stated that Knowles is ready to engage in an industry-changing project that will share his expertise in the field, with a focus on leadership.
“I’m quite pleased with the partnership my team has created with Velsoft,” said Knowles. “Together, we are bringing something fresh and new to the global music scene and completely changing how people get educated and prepared for the industry.”
Knowles has an MBA and Ph.D. in Strategic Planning and Organizational Culture from the Cornerstone Christian Bible College, and is a professor at Texas Southern University, teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses on the entertainment industry.