Intensive Courses | CMAC Program | Centre for Musical Arts | UNB

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Centre for Musical Arts

Intensive courses

Financial Management Essentials

Feb. 26 - March 9, 2024

Short intensive course:

  • 20 hours of self-paced material over two weeks, offered completely online
  • Two days with sessions of live, online discourse, four hours each day

No matter what role you play in an arts and cultural organization, understanding its financial foundation is critical to your and the organization's success. Understanding how to best manage finances will help to ensure that the resources needed to plan and realize programming are secured and maintained.

You will also be better equipped to communicate with a range of stakeholders including boards, funders, donors, members, lenders, etc. This course is designed to provide this basic understanding.


This course gives an overview, with case studies and examples, of the accounting and financial principles underlying sound management decision-making in non-profit arts organizations. It is divided into two sections:

Financial controls (week one)

  • Understanding financial statements and assessment of fiscal health
  • Basic accounting principles and bookkeeping

Financial planning (week two)

  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Cash flow

The course is delivered online for two weeks in a hybrid synchronous and asynchronous format, combining self-paced independent work with interactive seminar and discussion opportunities. The instructor interacts with students and facilitates group discussions within the online learning platform. There are deadlines for readings and exercises.

Note: Excel is a key tool for financial management, so a basic knowledge of this spreadsheet program is valuable. And if you wish to learn more about bookkeeping, there will be supplementary readings.


This course is open to all applicants, however, ideal registrants will be people currently working within small-to-medium arts and cultural organizations, looking to enrich their experience with contemporary thinking and an in-depth approach.

Course dates: Feb. 26 - March 9, 2024
Live sessions: Saturday March 2 and March 9 from 10 a.m. - noon and 1 - 3 p.m. (AST)

Registration fee: $250 (+ HST)
Registration deadline: Feb. 23, 2024

Apply now



Fostering diversity: Developing policy for inclusion

Short Intensive Course - 20 hours over two weeks in May.

  • Plus, eight live hours online – two consecutive days, four hours each day.

As a leader in an arts and cultural organization, you know that fostering diversity is an important part of creating an inclusive and productive environment. Despite good intentions, it can be very challenging and overwhelming to get started.

Fostering diversity will allow you to reflect and challenge your current beliefs, while moving your organization towards inclusivity. The course is a starting point for your inclusion efforts. You will be equipped with an understanding of key terms related to diversity and with specific tactics to create more inclusive policies for your organization.


This course gives an overview, with case studies and examples, of the key principles and concepts that drive inclusive organizations. It is divided into two sections:

Introduction to diversity (week one)

  • Understanding unconscious bias, equity versus inclusion (and other important terms)
  • The business case for diversity
  • Self-reflection

Building inclusive policies (week two)

  • Setting policy goals and objectives
  • Key components of a diversity policy

The course is delivered online for two weeks in a hybrid synchronous and asynchronous format, combining self-paced independent work with interactive seminar and discussion opportunities. There are deadlines for readings and exercises.


This course is open to all applicants, however, ideal registrants will be people currently working within small-to-medium arts and cultural organizations, looking to enrich their experience with contemporary thinking and an in-depth approach.