How Black Friday has anything to do with you

I don't know how true this is, but I heard many times that the best deals on Black Friday are for all the big electronic items. So if you've been looking around for a while for a new instrument, you may want to look at them again today.

Here are some websites for great deals on keyboards, guitars, electronic drumsets, speakers, and other smaller items.

• Sweetwater.com: if you need an instrument urgently and have no money, sweetwater is offering a special holiday financing with no interest for 12 months. They are holding major sales on big as well as smaller items. 
• Guitar Center: many items are 40 and 50% off, and they include non-electronic items like drum sticks, bongos, and acoustic guitars.
• Amazon.com: most of the deals right now have $100 to $200 off of their regular prices.
• Musicxspot.com: this website helps you by allowing you to print out coupons for specific items on sale in various stores (walmart, kmart, etc).

Enjoy!

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Which side are you on?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's when family and friends get together that music listening choices becoming important to set up the right atmosphere.

Which leads me to the question: Do you listen to the same type of music you play?



When I've talked to other musicians about this, answers are passionately split into two sides.

On one side, people think that it is their duty to inform their playing and knowledge by listening to the same type of music they play.

For me, even within the same type of music what feels good to hear doesn't always match what feels good to listen. I love to listen to Chopin and Debussy in concerts while not so much Prokoviev, while I prefer playing the latter the best. There is something to be said about what it physically feels like to play a piece.

On the other hand are people who absolutely don't listen to the same style of music they play, because they can't turn their professional ear off, which prevents them from fully relaxing. I mostly listen to jazz, which I don't find rewarding to play but which I love.

Which side are you on?

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What to do when you are an actor who sings

What do you do when you are auditioning for musicals and you are an actor who sings?

ACT!

If you think that because it is harder for you to sing, chances are you think that you have to prove yourself as a singer to the casting panel. In order to do that, you end up focusing solely on your singing and your acting suffers from it.

What happens from there is that casting agents will see you as an average actor and an average singer, instead of realizing that you are an excellent actor who can also sing properly.

So if you are an actor who sings: ACT. ACT. ACT.



Picture from http://blogs.harrisonhigh.org/chris_hall/2010/08/audition--one-act-play-competition.php

What is your kind of power?

Conductors, directors and teachers are in positions of leadership, and have to use their power to get things done. The question is: what kind of power?

1. Coercive power: this type of power comes from a person who gives punishments, and can withhold rewards or other desirable things (think military boot camp). Although effective, this is more of a negative form of power as people who experience it become resentful of it over time. In the arts, this one is best avoided except in extreme case such as scaring an actor to fire him if he's still on book at dress rehearsal.
2. Expert power: related to someone's highly precised skills, this power applies only in that person's skills area, in an environment where people need those skills. Solo instrumentalists hold this one in the public's eye, and often times as well to an orchestra. Soloists have to be careful not to expect to have more leverage from this power with conductors, because they are more on an even-playing field with them.
3. Referent power: this is the most "personal" kind of power because it is directly linked to how people respond to that particular person. Movie stars and athletes have referent power, which is why advertisers use them to promote their products. Anyone on the stage gets that one from the audience, but it's better to underestimate that one than to assume it, except at your own risk of looking like you have a "big head." Oh, and teenage boys who play the guitar have this one too!
4. Legitimate power: legitimate power comes from the position someone holds: the big boss of a company, anyone in a uniform. Conductors, teachers, directors, casting agent, theatre owner, etc.
5. Reward power: this power is held by people who can afford to give rewards, whether financial, extra vacations, more responsibilities, etc. Producers sometimes use that one, theatre camps that give out bonuses, and whomever is in a position to give something away and makes it known.

It is important to be aware of all the different types of power to make sure that we are using the right kind.
It is helpful for actors to be aware of the different kinds to choose the appropriate one for different characters.
And it is also very important to know when it is appropriate to use our power (position of leadership), and when it is NOT (when we're not in charge).

What kind of power do YOU use? Which power do you respond to best?

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Need a motivation boost?

I'm very excited because I just found on youtube the channel of USC's music school, which has tons of great videos on everything!


There are interviews of teacher, alumni; classical, rock and jazz concerts of students and teachers, etc.
Videos talk to musicians at various levels of their career, from high school students considering music schools, to college students, all the way to high level professionals. It's a great resource, particularly for those days where you need an extra push for motivation and inspiration.

Some of my favorites include this one on conducting by Larry Livingston, where he talks about the main qualities needed to be a conductor, and about the balance of technique and musicianship.

Another one is by violin teacher Eudice Shapiro, who talks about studying the viola in addition to the violin.

Kevin Fitz Gerald talks here about the importance of knowing yourself to make great music.



Enjoy!

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How to avoid carrying heavy music books around

Whether you play jazz standards from the Real Book, or you're at that point where you have most of your music memorized, but you still need to keep your scores around to check on them once in a while, the easiest thing for you is to simply transfer your music to your iphone.

 Here are the steps to follow.

1. Download the free ibooks application, which allows you to search for free books, purchase new ones, and add all of your pdf to your virtual library.
2. Open itunes.
3. Drag your desired pdf files into your itunes library.
4. Highlight those pdf files to be added. Right click the file and select "get info." Then, select "media type: book."
5. Connect your iphone to your computer.
6. Plug your iphone into your computer and select "sync books."

No more back problems!!!

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How do you do in the compliment category?

Here are two true stories to illustrate the rules of compliments.

I was 20 and I had been in the US for just a little over three months, when my conducting teacher gave me a free ticket to the local symphony of which he was the concertmaster.

At the end of the concert he introduced me to the conductor. What went through my mind was: "I barely speak English, and anyways, who am I, this young student, to compliment him, this great performer?" So I said hi shyly, and off I went.

My teacher caught up to me and said in a stern voice: "talking to a performer after a concert, you always want to find at least one thing you liked, whether it was something throughout the concert, or one small passage, to compliment them on. Talking about something specific from the concert will always mean more to a performer than if you say "good job," or worse yet, nothing."

The other lesson comes from my dad, who taught me to never tun down a compliment, and to never change its meaning, such as changing "you look great today" into "oh, do I look like crap the rest of the time?" If you do, people will learn quickly to stop giving you compliments and you'll stop receiving them, even when you do deserve them.

As a performer, the world gets divided into two groups: the people who do what you do and to whom you want to be nice, if not for networking, at least for good human behavior; and your audience, who you better be nice to you if you want them to stick by your side.

Remember the two rules of compliments: give them, and take them.



Picture from http://www.sitalruparelia.com/category/social-media/