A Community for Up and Coming Musicians
After studying music for several years, I have had the pleasure of being tutored by several talented musicians. In my opinion, it is important to study and learn from a variety of people [musicians and non-musicians alike]. By diversifying your education, you gain access to a multitude of information to learn, recreate, and make your …
Continue reading “How to Get the Most Out of Your Music Lessons”
When I was in high school, I had a classmate that was – and still is – a very talented young musician. I often envied his ability to improvise and even though it took me a while, I worked up the courage to ask him what it was that he did different than me. His …
Continue reading “One of the Most Important Things to Know as an Artist”
In the last article, the difference between a local musician and a touring musician was established. In this post, I’d like to discuss the different responsibilities side musicians (or a “sideman”) have versus the role of a bandleader. Although a side musician and a bandleader have specific duties as part of any group, each play …
Continue reading “Band Leader Versus Side Musician | Career Choices Part II”
This is a guest post from James Barrera, saxophone instructor at Cal State University Long Beach. Having been involved with younger sax players for well over a decade now, (yes, a few grey hairs have shown up) I think one of the most confusing, and important thing in a high school age musician’s life are …
Continue reading “College Auditions Preparation for Saxophonists”
When senior year in high school rolls around, you usually have a good idea of what you want to do after school. Having already been through this process myself, I feel that it would be beneficial to share it with other people who may be going through the stress of the same process. The most …
Continue reading “College Auditions and Applications for Musicians”
Establishing a career in the music industry takes a lot of effort. No matter whether you’re an artist, producer, venue owner, backing vocalist, etc. — it’s challenging. There’s a reason venue owners use these secrets to book better artists or many backing vocalists do it as a side job – it’s hard to establish yourself …
Continue reading “Working as Your Own Booking Agent | The DIY Musician II”
Festivals offer a wide variety of resources to the young musician if they are willing to take advantage of what is available to them. The most obvious thing about festivals is the opportunity to network with all the other students who are performing. The hundreds of other kids walking around are great to make connections …
Continue reading “Music Festival Preparation”
Quite often, in the music industry (and even in school bands), you will find that there will be times where you will be excluded – not even considered, passed up on for a job opportunity, or not included for any variety of reasons. How you handle these situations, will help you maintain a healthy career …
Continue reading “How to Handle Being Left Out”
Just to start out – the most important thing to remember about fans is that no matter what the fans say or do, it is always a compliment. They are your FANS, they love you, so if they say or do something insulting, it wasn’t meant that way! In this article, I have listed some …
Continue reading “How to Treat Your Fans”
In the Jazz world, image isn’t as important as it is in many of the other music industries, but appearance still plays an important role in the shape of your career. Having “been” in the jazz industry and working with or knowing other musicians who have been in it longer or have performed in other …
Continue reading “The Role of Image and Gender in Your Music Career”
