The Musician's Way Blog

“Programs are a bit like prix-fixe menus in a restaurant: We can’t serve music à la carte . . . so our menu has to be quite diverse and – tasty.”
-Eckart Preu, conductor (The Musician’s Way, p. 212)

Musicians who can transfix audiences succeed because of more than their artistry and charisma.

Spellbinding concerts result from the combined effect of the performers, venue, and the focus of this post – programming. Continue Reading

“There are different programs for different places.”
–André-Michel Schub, pianist (The Musician’s Way, p. 208)

If you aspire to a career as an independent musician, then one of the best moves you can make is to differentiate yourself from other artists in your genre.

Otherwise, you risk becoming run-of-the-mill, which isn’t a formula either for personal or professional success.

Here are 7 quick tips for shaping a distinctive musical identity. Continue Reading

“A concert hall is like a shrine that people turn to for something that they can’t get anywhere else.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 154

If we’re to fill seats in concert halls, we have to present programs that resonate with audiences.

And one way to design compelling programs is to tap into topics that have broad relevance. Continue Reading

“All the inspiration I ever needed was a phone call from a producer.”
–Cole Porter, composer (The Musician’s Way, p. 108)

Many musicians mistakenly deem career-building tasks to be anti-creative.

For them, career development and entrepreneurship equate with writing newsletters, updating websites, emailing presenters, and the like – things that take them away from practicing. Continue Reading

“Your imagination with programming can make the difference between your becoming either a busy performer with an eager audience
or one who performs little.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 216

Why do people attend concerts by rising musicians? Primarily because they feel attracted to the programs they’ll hear and the musicians who’ll perform.

How can emerging musicians create concert programs that get noticed? For starters, by becoming students of programming. Continue Reading

John Cage

“I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas.
I’m frightened by the old ones.”
–John Cage, composer

When I go to classical music concerts here in the U.S., I mostly find older listeners in attendance, even when the performers are college age.

But the classical music audience hasn’t always been graying. In the mid 20th century, classical music was hip in America, and young music lovers flocked to concerts.

What happened? And how can young classical musicians put on concerts that their peers will pay to hear? Continue Reading