5 Takeaways for Your Career in Music
Last month I worked with the musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Diversity Fellowship, grad-level string players who are part of a specialized two-year program that aims to fill the pre-professional gap.
I wanted to share a few takeaways from these presentations because I know they can help you, too. They are on par with the things we focus on here!
1. The new ecosystems of music
Old, traditional paths and era of specialization have given way to new musical ecosystems that enterprising and interdisciplinary artists are forging. Does this mean your desire to win a job in an orchestra is out? No, but DO know, accept and celebrate that you have multi-faceted interests, and you have agency over opportunities!
2. Create an edge
First, explore the edges of your thinking, beliefs, and comfort zones What if you followed your curiosity, imagination or desire out of that comfort zone? One thing I know for sure: you'll grow, evolve and improve. Here are a few ways you can create an edge:
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Diversify your approach. Take lessons from dance or acting, philosophy or science and apply them to your music-making.
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Perform more, share more of your work, as Seth Godin says, "ship your work"!
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Build skills and stack them Acquire new skills. Develop skills you have. Combine them! Careers are no longer defined by core skills, but by your agility and ability to learn new, complementary skills. These can also be transferred to new situations ;)
3. Gain experience
If you're 20-something this should be your full-time job! Go out there, say yes to things. Try, fail. Try something else, fail again. Keep trying, get better. Go off on a tangent. Learn this, learn that. If you're older, do the same, only with the wisdom of past successes, failures and insights. As we say until we're blue in the face: you learn by doing.4. Learn to communicate
How you present yourself, tell your story, get an idea across, explain an idea, build a compelling vision, or resolve a conflict can make a big difference in the outcomes you seek. This skill is one of the most critical! Practice writing, speaking, teaching, leading, presenting and communicating clearly and concisely, and you WILL get better at it.
5. More is actually...more.
Being more than a musician isn't subtractive, it's additive. One of the least healthy mindsets we can adopt is that somehow embracing many parts of who we are means it will weaken our musical abilities, or how we're perceived! Instead, doing something else in addition doesn't take away from your musicianship; it's a "Yes, and..."
Do you have to go through phases of intense obsession to become great at something? Yeah, usually. But that doesn't last forever. And at some point, the perspective that comes from doing something different can 100% change the game.
Oh and another big plus: Spend too many years locked in the practice room with a metronome for your only friend, and you'll emerge pasty-faced and blinking into the light of the real world with no life perspective to inform your art. True story.
