Are these 5 musicians cliches true or false?

Sex, drugs and rock n roll are what musicians are all about, right? Wrong! Busting these 5 musicians cliches. 

1. Musicians are lazy: It actually takes a tremendous amount of hard work to make it as a musician, from the many hours of practicing to the very few days off.
   
   Most finish work between 10pm an 2am most nights, so they sleep in the morning. Unless you think nurses and policemen are lazy when they rest after a night shift, you should assume musicians worked hard the night before when they do so.
   
   
2. Musicians are drug addicts or alcoholics: There may be more of a tendency for this cliche to be true in certain styles of music and for particular instruments, but unless you personally witness signs of addiction, you can trust musicians to be clean.
   
   
3. Musicians are poor: Most of them tend to be in the lower and middle class bracket. People also believe that musicians who work freelance don't have job security, but a musician's income tends to remain approximately the same from year to year.
   
   
4. Musicians have a big ego: Many performers apply for gigs all the time, which results in frequent rejections, and keeps egos grounded.
   
   Because of the pressure of performing, musicians are often perfectionists, striving to do better at all times. This leads them to maintain a healthy, or sometimes even fragile, ego.
   
   
5. Musicians are unreliable: Reliability is actually one of the most crucial aspects of a musician's life.
   
   Many instrumentalists work in three of four different places every single day, so they must show up at the right place at the right time.

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2008/08/changing_their_tune_the_rock_s.html

What undergrad music majors need to know before learning piano

Undergrad music majors do not want to learn to play piano.

They don't see the point. They are too busy with classes, and they'd rather practice their own instrument than the piano.

On the other hand, it is the rare professional musician who isn't happy to know how to play the piano, or who doesn't regret to not have learned the piano.

How about having students interview their teacher or a professional performer on their use of the piano in their professional life?

When students hear professional musicians talk about the importance of playing the piano, they can only become more convinced of the necessity of learning it, than when they hear that from pianists.



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Accompanists: How to handle these 4 situations

Here are four situations that often happen to accompanists, with ways to deal with them.

1. You show up to play a lesson and no one is there: Immediately call the student to remind them to contact you next time that happens.
   
   If it occurs a second time, call the student again, and mention it to their teacher. If it happens yet a third time, either ask the teacher to directly get in touch with you next time, or talk to someone at a higher rank than you.
   
   
2. Your students want to rehearse with you when their lesson is canceled: make the students aware that if you do rehearse with them in place of their lesson, you won't attend the make up lesson.
   
   If the teacher asks you later to still do a make up, you may do so, but in place of that week's rehearsal.
   
   
3. Your student scheduled a jury without telling you: Take the bull by the horn, and schedule all of the juries yourself. As soon as the sign up sheet is posted, call every single one of your students to arrange their jury time.
   
   The advantage of doing that is that you can actually put your students back to back, instead of waiting around in between juries.
   
   When you can't get a hold of someone, sign up for a jury time anyways. Chances are that time will work for them, and if it doesn't, you can most likely swap it with another  one of your student's time.
   
   If swapping doesn't work, you can be sure that your student will know to keep you involved in the process. 
   
   
4. You're not getting paid: Before you play with someone, agree with them in writing on a payment method and on a schedule for it. To be on the safe side, ask to be paid before your service is done, such as at the dress rehearsal, or right before a jury.
   
   Many schools have a policy which states that should a student not pay their accompanist, they will receive an incomplete for their lessons, or they won't graduate. Print up that policy and post it outside your studio.
   
   When a problem ensues, you can find leverage by telling your student that if they don't pay you within a certain frame time, you will let the university policy take care of it. Students' teachers are usually of great help in such situations, so involve them when needed.

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Why students need to find their neutral

We each talk at the same average volume, with the same average level of energy. That's our neutral level of speaking.

Teachers spend years asking their students to do "more" on their instruments, while students don't understand why when they do give more, it's still not enough.

That's because young singers and musicians wrongly assume that the neutral for their instruments needs to be the same as the neutral for their speaking voice. 

Teachers need to tell students that on the contrary, they have to plan their neutral differently when they play than when they speak.

The clearer the expectation, the clearer the result.



Picture from http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/37269-popup.html

How to prepare your score for your first pit rehearsal

Here are 4 important things to write in your piano-conductor score before your first pit rehearsal, so that your musicians don't end up playing a guessing game.

1. How many beats to count off at the top of a piece: Elements to factor into your decision are the speed of the piece, and the amount of time you have between the previous piece and the piece you're on. Consistency from piece to piece is best.
   
   
2. Change of patterns: Indicate any section where you switch your conducting from 1 to 2 or vice versa, particularly if that change is not written in the score. Plan any actual changes of meters carefully too.
   
   
3. Hand cues:  When a passage needs a hand cue for clarity, make sure to mark the notes you won't play.
   
   Plan ahead of time where you want the musicians to sit, so that you know which hand to cue with for each section.
   
   
4. Instrumental parts that need a cue: Cue a section when they first start playing, when they've had a long rest, and before an important solo.
   
   Not all cues are marked in the conductor's score. Make sure to listen through the show, and compare each part with your own to add any important cues you're missing in your score. 

The more prepared you are, the easier the rehearsal will be. 



http://seattleopera.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

5 summer jobs for musicians

Summer time is a prime time for musicians to work. Here are 5 music job options.

1. Summer camps: Day camps and night camps range from two weeks to the whole summer. There are camps for all styles of music, from classical, music theatre, rock, to jazz.
   
   
2. Theatre: Many theatres hire instrumentalists and music directors for the summer season. They are usually in smaller towns, so they provide housing. They run from May to August.
   
   
3. Festivals: Even non-music festivals need musicians. Find the ones in your area on websites such as festivalnet.com. The sooner you get in touch with the organizers, the better.
   
   
4. Weddings: Email local contractors and venues with your info and audio samples. Advertise yourself online on national wedding websites such as GigMasters.
   
   
5. Busking: learn about the busking laws, how to make money, and how to pick your spot on this website.
   

Who said summer time was for vacation?



Picture from http://www.jeffreymcfadden.com/

Can you be creative when you play a piece?

Is there room for creativity when you play a piece you didn't write?

Are you creative when your decisions come from knowledge of music and theory?

Can you be inspired and not creative?



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