Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Steorts.
Hi Ken, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Music is important. Musicians will be leaders. Visible train leaders. Visible Music College is an accredited college in Memphis, Tennessee, with a mission to inspire and equip creative students with skills and Christian character for effective service in the music industry and the Church. The college was founded in 2000. The concept of Visible Music College (“Visible”) was developed while founder and president Ken Steorts was touring with the Christian rock band Skillet, which he co-founded in Memphis. The name Visible Music College was inspired by the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who challenged Christians to be the “visible community” in Nazi Germany, and from Colossians 1:15 – “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
Visible Music College is the only independent, accredited music and worship arts college training young people for both the mainstream entertainment industry and church services. Visible provides an educational community experience to students from 50 states and 30+ countries. Managed enrollment size ensures a supportive, experiential education, and students are recruited regardless of their socio-economic status or family background. Visible provides a seamless transition from high school student to college student to creative professional with three sequenced or standalone credentials for influential career and ministry (one-year Certificate, three-year bachelor degree, and two-year Master of Arts in Leadership) in one of five concentrations:
-Modern Music (Instrumental, Vocal, Songwriting/Composition, Worship Leadership)
-Music Production
-Music Business
-Media
-Ministry
-Dance at partner school
Drawing from traditional and vocational educational models and Christian ministry training, Visible pioneered an educational center where a mix of serious music study, technical skill development, and character-building mentorship produces qualified, passionate world-changers who serve their communities, large and small. In an industry and world where business ethics have deteriorated, the college’s foundation is built upon developing the talents and the character of its students in five key areas:
- Global: Students experience cross-cultural community with one another through life together, making music, running cohort business models, and serving.
- Spiritual: Students grow in their relationship with Christ and others by developing and integrating their professed Christian faith into all aspects of their lives.
- Professional: Students acquire technical skills in their areas of expertise and embrace lives of service and leadership.
- Academic: Students develop critical knowledge and understanding in their areas of expertise to equip them to be agents of cultural transformation.
- Visible: Students and Staff welcome others into the community for events, outreach, and worship/prayer.
Visible Music College Facts:
- Visible Music College began in 2000 and is an accredited 501c3 private college for music.
- Visible is located at 200 Madison Avenue in an iconic building in Downtown Memphis.
- The “Student Studios” housing opened in 2017 provides housing for 80 students+20 visitors.
- 120 students enrolled in FY24 in Memphis, and Remote +3 partners with another 150 students.
- 32% of students come from Memphis, 90+% are scholarship recipients, and many are first in the family.
- 92% retention rate and approaching
- 75% BA graduation within 4 years
- Every BA graduate receives a job offer.
- 55% of all graduates live and work in Memphis.
- 93% of Visible graduates are making their primary income in music.
- Visible has a flat rate tuition with no added fees and costs 40% less than all competitors.
- 700+ Foundations and Individuals have supported Memphis students incredibly over the past 24 years.
Highlights
Visible Worship Collective, our diverse Visible student touring band, does 30 dates a year, recruiting students to Memphis and showcasing Memphis talent. In many ways, Visible is decades ahead of traditional college programs, having been founded in response to high-priced, non-career-focused higher ed. Visible uniqueness is bolstered by increased scholarships tied to industry jobs in Memphis for a creative Memphis workforce. Visible has continued diversifying our staff and leadership through our master’s program, international recruitment, and board development. Our support for the Memphis music scene is focused on interns for Artist Development. As the youngest and among the most diverse colleges, Visible has led this global vision for 23 years. The Memphis Music Community should look like Visible alum Terrian Bass (www.iamterrian.com) if Visible is doing it right – connected to every style and artist.
Visible Music College students are primarily between the ages of 18 and 25, with the current student gender ratio of 60% men and 40% women. With a mix of urban and rural young people with little opportunity in their region, most students are first-time college students, and 25% are first in their family to college. The retention rate from the fall to spring semester is 92%. With over 700 graduates and former students, graduation rates have exceeded the national average in every program at 72% since 2005. More than 93% of students now complete the three-year coursework. Visible students become community leaders not only in the arts and business but in the ministry as well.
With an overall projected service to 1,500+ constituents daily and outreach work to 6,000+ constituents monthly, Visible Music College is more than a college campus–it is a community of deeply committed Christian artists, technicians, and business people serving the church and society with their collective energy and talents through worship and innovation in all music and ministry for the glory of God.
As part of their practical and vocational training, students intern in music leadership/mission placements regionally near our campuses and around the globe. Visible students also provide community service across cities, serving thousands of hours yearly. Students are placed in area churches in positions of music, worship, youth leadership, audio support, and musical education.
Visible provides hundreds of churches of many denominations with team training and our brand of music and community expression. Madison Line Records students are placed in professional internships within the music industry, where they work diligently to revitalize the independent music industry in Memphis. Visible Music College has a staff of 60, and 29 of these are faculty members.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In some ways, the journey of Visible has been a rags to riches story – moving from an accessible, metal building on the outskirts of town with no founding fund to the premiere mid-century modern building in Downtown Memphis with the Gassner triangle building on Madison Avenue. Over a thousand students from 50 states and 30+ countries are flourishing here, and many are being added to the Memphis Music Community and the local churches.
On the other hand, our message and community meaning constantly struggle to communicate well. Focusing on students with artistic drive and perhaps low school performance, along with international students and under-served local Memphis friends, Visible has kept our tuition as low as possible through many innovative practices to help students carry less debt into their future creative careers. So, we have needed more fundraising than we’ve been able to procure, and we’ve been held back by a lack of understanding of our mission from our three main constituents, between whom we stand as a singular school – the Church, higher ed, and the music industry. As a niche school passionate about all three, we’ve worked hard to equip students for church jobs, record label deals, and master’s degrees.
The struggle for funding has been significant. Our renovation of 200 Madison and the building of a new student housing building in Downtown Memphis for student safety and steady income without rising rents was a significant undertaking, and our dent continues to be a struggle for a small school. Similarly, we’ve struggled as a small school to see a realization of the local, national, and international marketing and partnering we’ve done to make us known enough to attract students organically. We have a niche market globally and have found ways to reach the families that need us, but donors often need to be made aware we exist just right down the street.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a creative and educational entrepreneur. I develop content, systems, and people for life success in the space between the arts (especially modern music), higher education, and the Christian church. I perform this work under a range of profiles and integrated spheres of influence and development, for instance:
- Dr. Ken Steorts – Founder and President of Visible Music College and the Association of Christian Music Schools
- Ken Steorts, Hope Dealer – education and music consultant with Madison Line Records focused on artist development
- Several non-profit and for-profit enterprises for creative contemplation and retreat/vacation locations
- The beep – musical artist of electro-punk music from Memphis with a focus on thebeepLIFE, a brand of encouraging and creative lifestyle work focused on spiritual formation in an innovative, fun context. I am known for songwriting (including teaching workshops and songwriting as therapy), hard rock guitar and vocals, and underground music venue development.
I specialize in encouraging risk and creativity in systems and the intersection of people and programs. I think globally and have experience on 6 continents in working with schools, churches, artists, business startups, and creatives to bring vision and care to projects and people. I am known for Skillet and Visible Music College, which I am very proud of. Still, I also work underneath structures of numerous colleges to help create opportunities for new ventures in creative connection and development, like with the Memphis Chesterton Society for bringing Catholic and Protestant thinkers together, Visible Community Music School for kids’ music instruction across four cities, and The 12, a Memphis based artist audition development event that I undergird for retainment of Memphis talent for the Memphis Music Community.
I am different from other entrepreneurs in that my focus is on others growing their vision alongside connected networks of people globally who can develop and become aware of opportunities together. I press the vision of inspired drive and focus within a together ethos.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
Community. Humans are made for togetherness. We need one another, and we need to grow into working together for mutual benefit. As a Christian, I am enthralled by the idea that we were created by a creative God who trusted himself enough to make us accessible and able to decide for ourselves how we would submit back to him and grow together. How we relate with various people daily in family, work, church, and play is a mystery. I write about this daily and make content that informs and buoys people around me, privately or publicly, through content creation. This life is complex, and people face a lot of stress and conflict alone, mainly because we go inward instead of steadying ourselves together. We need to develop an inward strength and purpose through outward, connected action and remove falsehood in our minds and actions as we walk in concert together. I see this need in workplaces, families, churches, and, of course, media. One of the first and fastest ways to affect or impact culture is through the arts and the creativity of every person.
Pricing:
- Visible Music College certificate is 30 credits for $2,000 ater Pell Grant
- Ken Steorts, Hope Dealer is $150 per session of help in artist development, songwriting, entrepreneurial exercises
Contact Info:
- Website: www.visible.edu, www.madisonlinerecords.com, www.cityretreatmemphis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visible_ken/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ken.steorts
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kensteorts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenSteorts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visiblemc
