The Musician's Way Blog

“For music and service to become your way of life,
you must confront economic realities.”
-The Musician’s Way, p. 299

Aspiring classical musicians commonly study in a context resembling the ancient “master-apprentice” model.

That is, they take lessons from one individual over a span of years and depend on that person to cultivate their artistic, technical, and career skills.

Does that educational arrangement make sense? Continue Reading

“If you’re dedicated to becoming a professional,
you have to prepare to compete in the marketplace.”
-The Musician’s Way, p. 300

Countless young musicians aspire to become professionals, but few understand the music industry well enough to make wise choices about how to grow their careers. Continue Reading

“The most difficult thing about being a musician these days is not talent. It’s sustainability.”*
–Robert Sirota, President, Manhattan School of Music

As Robert Sirota implies, hordes of conservatory graduates struggle to sustain themselves in today’s music scene.

Some people blame the weak economy, but I mainly fault music faculty for failing to incorporate entrepreneurship education into their curricula. Continue Reading

“One must approach music with a serious vigor and, at the same time, with great, affectionate joy.”
–Nadia Boulanger, pianist and composer (The Musician’s Way, p. 292)

When listeners visit musicians’ websites, they absorb the artists’ personalities via images, media, and bios.

All too often, though, musicians write bios that leave music lovers yawning. Continue Reading

“The beauty in playing the instrument is not to be better than the next person
but to stay true to oneself, to set one’s own standards and keep to them.”
–Andrés Cárdenes, violinist (The Musician’s Way, p. 305)

In many ways, we succeed or flounder as artists based on the standards we uphold.

Here are three reasons why.

Continue Reading

“You can’t tell by looking at a piece of paper
what some of the strengths and weaknesses really are.”
–Kevin Kelly, hiring guru, quoted on Forbes.com

In almost every field, job seekers who rise to the top of their applicant pools will be interviewed.

Still, nearly all of the job seekers that I’ve coached – performers, educators, and others – have initially made the same mistake during the pre-interview period: Continue Reading

“Diverse careers are available to musicians because people worldwide consume huge amounts of music-related products and services every day.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 300

Are there too many musicians and music presenters for the marketplace to support?
I think not.

For entrepreneurial musicians, opportunities abound, provided that we’re willing to do the work necessary to gain competitive advantages. Continue Reading

“With a narrow view of success, musicians unconsciously limit their career options.”
–Angela Beeching (The Musician’s Way, p. 300)

Although veteran musicians might derive the bulk of their earnings from full-time jobs, rising artists often depend on multiple income streams.

To assemble such portfolio careers, though, performers require diverse skills, few of which are covered in traditional music curricula. Continue Reading

“Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference.”
–Benjamin Zander, conductor (The Musician’s Way, p. 305)

One of the most powerful ways that we can make a difference in life is to do creative work.

Still, unless we choose our aims wisely, we can feel overwhelmed or undermotivated, and then we won’t create.

How can we discern goals that impel us to act? Continue Reading

“I cannot tell you how much I love to play for people.”
–Arthur Rubinstein, pianist

The October/November issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter brings together a range of important resources for aspiring and veteran musicians.

You’ll find announcements about auditions and scholarships for post-graduate performers, tips for succeeding in professional life, creativity-boosting ideas, and portals for locating grants.

Added to that are guidelines for improving website usability, an article explaining why orchestra positions go unfilled, an inspirational video, some valuable networking strategies, and more. Continue Reading