Balancing Family with a Career in Music

“Is it possible to successfully raise a family and have a career in music?”  There’s a question that perplexes many aspiring and emerging musicians.  My answer…absolutely. If you truly want these things out of life, unconditionally YES!  Of course, building a great career in music is never easy.  Nor is having a family.  But the best...

The Success Equation Most Musicians Get Wrong

“People don’t buy what you do.  They buy why you do it.”  Such is the claim made by Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, in the compelling video below.  And the message couldn’t be more apropos to musicians.         I’ve asked musicians from all over the...

Catchy Musician Pseudonyms (to Avoid)

I’m hard at work on my second book (more on that later), and have a few hypothetical characters to name.  Rather than going with the normal Mary P. and Felipe G., I decided it would be fun to use some pseudonyms that reflected musical terms.  What do you think?  Any favorites?  Names to add to the list?       Claire Annette Case Al...

The First 100

It’s hard to believe, but here we are a year after this blog began, on post #101.  What a time we’ve had!  With our commitment to remaining your “Home Base for Music Careers and Entrepreneurship,” below is a summary of where we’ve been and what we’ve covered.  If you’re new to The Savvy Musician universe, here’s a...

Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs

Music employers often receive 50, 100, or even 300+ applications for each job opening, making outstanding cover letters critical. With this kind of intense competition, search committees seek any excuse to purge a file and narrow the pool. Yet hopeful applicants make all kinds of mistakes that get their materials immediately thrown into the...

Dead Perhaps, But Filled With Life

On a trip to Bogota several years back, I began hearing about this incredible group from Medellin that blended Colombian music with jazz called Puerto Candelaria.  From the first listen I was hooked.  Pianist, composer, and bandleader Juan Diego Valencia inventively fuses modern musical elements with traditional Colombian rhythms and...

Structuring a Multi-media Concert

by Jeff Nytch As artist-presenters, we must have a clear idea of:       Who our audience is… and       What we want to say to them.   Why are these things so important? Because without a clear understanding of these two things we are not likely to make a meaningful connection with our audience. The hard, cold, truth is that all too...

It’s Virtually Music!

The Internet changed just about everything for musicians: how we market, connect with fans, distribute recordings, disseminate press releases, experience videos, network.  In fact, just about the only thing that hasn’t changed is the simple fact that musicians must physically be in the same location to create a unified musical sound. ...

Re-imagining the University Ensemble Experience

My article Re-imagining the Music Degree Recital explored ways that solo performances can serve as vehicles for developing critical career and problem solving skills.  But there are many other avenues with the potential to emphasize these aptitudes within music school curriculum. Consider, for example, the ensemble experience. In Fall 2009, I...

Guerilla Chamber Music

Submitted by: Ohio State University by Christine Wu with Talia Lindsley, Norman Cardwell, and Chris Lape (mentor: Mark Rudoff) In response to The Savvy Musician Challenge #2  Attracting New Audiences.  Classical and jazz performances often appeal to only a small segment of our population, typically aficionados.  Design a chamber music...