Musical Life

If you are the new person on the job, there are a few things you should pay attention to. Of course, come prepared with notes learned and the right equipment. Arrive early – twenty to thirty minutes before the downbeat is the minimum. Wear appropriate clothing. Don’t forget a pencil. When you are interacting with […]

Guess what? You’re human! And so are we all. Despite our preparation, we musicians make mistakes on stage, even when we perform at the highest level. Part of being a musician is knowing how to comport yourself both toward your audience and to your colleagues when something doesn’t go according to plan. Let’s look at

Let’s say you have a choice: you are offered two gigs that pay the same. They are both at exactly the same time, and you can only accept one of them. Gig 1 is with exceptional musicians who unfortunately have a reputation for being snide and complaining. Gig 2 is with a fine group of

When we go to school to learn how to be professionals, along the way, our teachers, conductors, and coaches will say things to us to guide us toward better choices or to let us know when something we did was not good enough. Perhaps we are lucky enough to have mentors who guide us gently.

When we make our art with other people, we have many interdependencies. It takes lots of commitment and sacrifice to come together to rehearse and perform.   When one of us isn’t there until just before the downbeat, it causes anxiety among the people already present and ready to go. Even if they show up “just

Let’s talk for a minute about being professional. I’m using the word “professional” as an adjective. If you are a professional, you have to act professional.  You want the gig to go smoothly, and you and everyone else want the group to sound good. If someone sounds not so great, and it’s obvious to everyone

I have a great admiration for musicians who keep their careers alive by transitioning from one area of the music world to another. Whether through the necessity of adversity or a conscious decision to move on, these seven musicians are inspiring to me. Let’s examine how these musicians reinvented their careers. John Williams   Known

No matter your level of fame or musical success, we all have to balance every aspect of our careers and our lives. Managing our calendars and our time use, meeting deadlines, avoiding perfectionism, keeping sight of the big picture, staying connected to our passion—these are the realities that confront us every day. Read what some

Classically-trained musicians as a group are thankfully moving toward reducing barriers between us and our audiences. We connect with our audiences by our presence, with our words, with our movements and facial expressions, our sounds, and with the programming choices we make. As practitioners of what many people believe to be an archaic, irrelevant art

The life of a musician is rarely doing just one thing. Some musicians who attend conservatories hope to “get a job” — to win an audition for a symphony orchestra or a military band, or to land a tenure-track position at a university. But most musicians don’t earn their livings from one employer. The reality