Mia Berg

Mia had no plans to work in music. One year at Rønningen was the start of her life as an artist, songwriter and music teacher.

Turning point at folk high school
She grew up singing and music at home, with her mother playing the piano and leading the children's choir. In her teenage years, Ten Sing became her introduction to music, and after high school she chose to take a year at the Ten Sing Norway program at Oslo Folk High School Rønningen.
– I just wanted a year to have some fun before I started my marketing studies.

One year turned into two when she continued as a research fellow, and the experience at the folk high school made her decide to pursue music.

Today, Mia has a rich musical CV. She holds a master's degree in performing music with a specialization in songwriting from NLA Staffeldsgate and further education in cultural management from the Norwegian Academy of Music.

She is also active as an artist and songwriter. In 2022 she released her debut album Sleepwalkers at Noon and has since toured in Norway, Denmark and Germany. She runs her own record label and has experience in both music management and festival production.

– Those were very important years for me, where I was not only guided, but also encouraged.

Back at Oslo Folk High School Rønningen
Now Mia is back at Rønningen as a teacher in the artist/songwriter program – a goal she has had for several years.
– It is a place where showing up and doing your best is good enough. The students will get to spend a year doing something they are passionate about or want to learn more about, and I want to push them to achieve what they want to with this year. I want to give them the same experience that I had.

She is aware that you don't need to be fully educated to be able to write music.

– It's about developing a creative language we can talk to each other in, and giving them tools to explore and create music. My job is to find everyone where they are in that process – and find something that works for them.

– I want students to find their own meaning in music, and learn to express why they like or don't like something.

Mia believes her experiences, both as an artist and from various roles in the music industry, can be useful for students who choose to follow her footsteps out of Rønningen.
– I have knowledge about a lot of what happens around music, what you do with a song after it's made, and how to make a living as a musician today.

At the same time, she emphasizes that it is not the most important goal.
– The most important thing is that everyone has a great year with a lot of personal development, whether they just want to have fun with music now or want to follow their musical dream further.