The Portfolio Musician: Case Studies in Success

book.

The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.

- Author Kurt Vonnegut

Chapter 1: Today’s Music Profession, An Overview

By John M. Laverty

When I hear an audition by a high school senior to be a university music major, I always ask them what they want to do once they complete their university studies. These conversations are revealing. While I do not expect to hear a clear plan for entering the music profession, I enjoy learning what they think about their future prospects. Many students say they would consider a number of options in music, and someday if things work out they can land their dream job. If an answer is well - thought - out, it includes a broad set of possibilities, not a narrow, all - or -nothing plan. These are the students I want to teach because they have the best chance for success. The music profession with all of its many diverse opportunities rarely results in a narrow, I want to only do one thing career. Frankly, I am not all that interested in a student who does not recognize this reality even at a young age. This type of student is usually not successful in their university music studies, and by the time they discover this, it is too late because they have earned a music degree that rarely leads to a music career.

Since ancient times, there have always been musicians. At the dedication ceremony for the Acropolis in Athens, Greece there was probably a collection of lyre and salpinx players present. Once at the base of the soon to - be - open - to -the - public Acropolis, the musicians, as is tradition, might have looked at each other and in Greek commented, So, I see you are on this gig, too. When the conquering Romans finished the Temple of Zeus in Athens seven hundred years later, there were probably musicians there too, but they were cornu and aulos players. Same city, same type of ceremony, different instruments and different music. Even from the days of antiquity music has evolved, and musicians have had to adjust to changing times. Today in the modern world things are no different, except the music profession like everything else is changing at a faster pace.

Listed below are a few of the career opportunities in music. Making a complete list is impossible because new ones are born every year while others become extinct, never to return. Some of these activities are in decline, while others are more stable. There will always be career opportunities in every area the future for some music careers is murky at best. Students and professional musicians who remain informed have the best chance for success - be it as a music teacher or a freelance musician - if, in advance of deciding to study music, they better understand the world of music they are getting ready to enter.

-Freelance Musician

-Touring Musician

-Broadway Musician

-Jazz Musician

-Studio Musician

-Club/Bar Musician

-Military Musician

-Musical Theater Performer

-Opera Singer

-Chamber Musician

-Church Music Director

-Public School Music Teacher

-Private School Music Teacher

-University Music Teacher

-Private Lesson Music Teacher

-Music Industry

-Publishing

-Artist Management

-Booking Agent

-Concert Hall/Venue Management

-Music Instrument Sales/Manufacturing

-Instrument Repair

-Piano Tuning/Repair

-Live Sound Production

Record Company Management

-Conductor

-Piano Accompanist/Rehearsal Pianist

-Music Therapist

-Composer

-Pop Musician

-Recording Engineer

-Recording Producer

-Symphony Musician

-Full - time Orchestra

-Part - time Orchestra

-Utility Musician

The part of the music profession that is experiencing the most change from this list is the last one, being a symphony musician. It is also the one many university students who earn performance degrees strive to enter once they graduate. One of the reasons conservatories exist in America is to prepare students for this career, and given the skill level of graduates from these schools, their training is indeed remarkable. What is equally remarkable, and troubling, is the fact many of these gifted musicians will never get the chance to demonstrate how well they have been trained for these jobs.

Plainly stated, because of the changing times, orchestra careers are in decline. Sadly, I had front row seat watching this phenomenon happen in my own home town. In October 2010, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) celebrated the start of its 50th anniversary with a concert at the John H. Mulvoy Civic Center in Syracuse, New York. The SSO played its first concert on November 20, 1961, and the 2010 - 2011 season opening concert was supposed to be the start of a milestone year. For a city the size of Syracuse it was quite an achievement to have such a quality, full - time professional orchestra for so long, but the end was at hand. On March 29, 2011 the SSO died, killed by a combination of a bad economy, stunningly bad management, and a dwindling audience base.

The SSO, like other professional orchestras, was at one time made of up fulltime professional musicians who went to the very best music schools in the

world. Prior to the demise of the SSO, each player received a salary, health insurance, and a retirement plan by playing their instruments. Some members spent decades with the orchestra, able to carve out a decent living while doing additional musical activities within the region. The musicians always had to play a large number of services each week to make the SSO work financially, but despite their heavy work load, the SSO still folded.

Eight of these formerly full - time symphony musicians were my colleagues in the Syracuse University School of Music the day the music died. Once the orchestra declared bankruptcy, these part - time teaching jobs provided the bulk of their income. It is unclear if Chairman Mao or Senator John McCain or President Franklin Delano Roosevelt coined this phrase, but with the SSO the saying it is always darkest before it is totally dark held true.

Watching this happen firsthand was eye - opening, making it crystal clear and in easy to understand terms that the music world was changing fast. Following the demise of the SSO, the Philadelphia Orchestra declared bankruptcy, as did the Louisville Orchestra, the New Mexico Orchestra, and the San Antonio Symphony. Practically every other orchestra in America is now running a deficit, meaning pay cuts, layoffs, and more bankruptcies are on the way. What used to be a stable work environment for thousands of musicians is now no longer a reality, and no symphony musician will be immune from this new normal. The high number of talented and well - educated young adults graduating from music schools to be performers also compounds the problem because supply and demand for this limited skill set are completely out of balance. If you want a career as a symphony musician, you better take notice of the changing landscape and plan accordingly, or you may find yourself with enormous students loans to pay off and an employment skill that is unable to provide you with the financial means to make your loan payments. This is part of the new normal.

Orchestras were not the only casualties of the changes following the 2008 economic downturn. Music publishers suffered as well, with some shutting down or limiting what they could offer to paying customers. For living and future composers this means the downsizing of an important outlet for their work. The music publishing industry is changing quickly as technological advancements in how printed music is distributed keeps moving from the analog world of purchasing hard copies of music to the digital world of downloading .pdf files of music. Downloading printed music will never completely replace ordering printed music, but it does put the traditional publisher on the defensive because cheaper is better, and digital is cheaper. If you are an aspiring composer or want to work in this part of the music profession, you better take notice as well.

Thankfully the news for aspiring musicians is not all bad. Because of the same digital world that is forcing publishers and record companies to go out of business, it is easier to make a name for oneself in music than ever before. From personal webpages to targeted use of social media, the means to showcase talent and skills have never been more cost effective. On a relatively small budget, a recording of practically any music can be made, manufactured and distributed. For basically no budget whatsoever, an ebook about any music subject one desires to write can be published and placed on different digital platforms for free. Thanks to music typesetting programs like Finale and Sibelius, anyone can learn to produce professional looking printed music, plus the IMSLP Petrucci Music Library with its seven thousand - plus composers whose works are in the public domain are there to use for any reason. New editions and arrangements of these public domain works are just waiting to be made. There are also thousands of scanned works available for free download from libraries all over the world including the United States Library of Congress.

Future professional musicians will not have the same careers or live the same way as professional musicians from just one prior generation ago did. Those days are long gone, never to return. To be successful in this ever changing world of music will require something other than just being able to do one thing, say, perform well or compose. The musician of the future will have to be able to do many things well, and the future musician will not only be paid for what they can do, they will be paid for what they know. As you read the Portfolio Musicians' questionnaires, think about the prior sentence.

Chapter 2: Lessons from the Road

By Jeff Conner

While John and I were collecting Portfolio Musicians' questionnaires, I had the opportunity to meet with some young musicians who were interested in pursuing a career in music along with their parents. I am always amazed by some of the questions both the students and parents ask. The most frequently asked questions are, Is it hard to make it in music? and Will they be able to find a job? I reply with a question of my own. Do you want the short answer, or the truth?

Short answer to both questions: Yes. Parents always seem to have that deer caught in the headlights look when a professional musician confirms what their children already believe but are afraid to accept themselves because it’s their child entering this confusing, unknown field. During some conversations with students, I get really frustrated when they say, I want to perform, but I'll get my music education degree to fall back on just in case. My response to this statement is usually made to students who play band instruments. Please do not fall back on being a high school or middle school band director. We do not need another mediocre band director! We need great and passionate band directors who are going to encourage and challenge students for years to come. Being a successful band director is similar to being a CEO of a company. The easiest part of a band director’s day is on the podium for rehearsal. The other twenty hours are spent running the band corporation; everything from management, scheduling, programming, and budgets, are part of a typical day.

Long answer: Yes. I feel it’s crucial that both students and parents understand music is a business, and if they expect to make a living in music they need to be prepared in every possible way. Having a career in music can be incredibly rewarding both financially and personally if a musician is prepared, and has every possible resource available to them in their portfolio.

Being a Portfolio Musician is a concept that every student should dive into. When graduation day arrives it is your responsibility, and not your school or your teachers, to make sure your portfolio of skills is overflowing with every imaginable music and business element possible. Every year there are over twenty thousand musicians graduating with some kind of music degree. Young musicians need to ask themselves, What is going to give me the edge for the job, gig, audition, or internship over other graduates? If you ask this only at the end of your studies, it will likely be too late.

Years ago I had the privilege of being Director of Bands at the Fenn School in Concord, Massachusetts. The school’s motto is Sua Sponte, which means it is the students' responsibly to take their education into their own hands. As a young person studying music it is your responsibility to select what goes into your own personalized portfolio.

I recently read an article on CNN Money online about a musician who graduated from a well - known music school with a performance degree and over $180,000 in student loan debt. The article said the musician’s monthly student loan payment was $1,400. After graduation this person was working in a music warehouse moving boxes for minimum wage. I'm sure there are many more unknown circumstances that were not reported, but one important lesson to take from this article is, for $180,000 in students loans, what are music schools doing to prepare their students (consumers) for a career in music? Granted, there are numerous students who have figured out what they have to do to prepare themselves to be successful, but this music school graduate had not.

Unfortunately, there are many other students who have no idea what to do or understand that music is a business. To be a successful musician today you must have an understanding of non - musical elements that include contracts, accounting, budgets, unions, networking, taxes, copyright law, establishing credit, setting up a business, recording, management, branding, scheduling, handling debt, social media, and on and on. Fortunately, many music schools and conservatories are now offering courses and/or degrees in music management and music industry. It is every student’s responsibility to make these elements part of their music education. If your music school does not provide these things, you must acquire them elsewhere. But take heart, this is not as difficult at it sounds.

I have realized over the years there are a few things that have to happen to build a successful career in any field of music. In no particular order, here they are:

PRACTICE: There are no short cuts. If you think you are busy now while in college and you will have more time to practice when you graduate, you could not be more wrong. Become familiar with and be able to play and understand the languages of all styles of music including orchestral, chamber, jazz, big band, concert band, pop, rock, hip hop, Latin, ethno, Dixieland, funk, marches, polkas, etc. If it has a beat, you should embrace it. You should also be attending every masterclass or concert offered by any instrumentalist, singer, composer, or ensemble possible, taking notes along the way. The more you include in your portfolio of experiences the better!

MONEY: You should be as serious about your money as you are about practicing and musicianship. It does not matter if you have a little or a lot, start saving and learn how to make your money work for you from your first day of college forward. Start building and learning about credit for you as an individual and be prepared for building credit for a group, if that is the avenue you pursue. There are great beginning finance books for college students available. These books should be as important as any etude book.

NETWORKING: Start building your musical rolodex of contacts early. This will become part of your brand. Networking is about establishing relationships over the course of your career. Instant gratification is not what networking is about. Always be easy to work with and have a positive attitude no matter the situation. The person sitting next to you in orchestra or wind ensemble might have the power to hire you in five or ten years. What are they going to remember about you? From the first day you enter a music school, you are either building your brand or destroying it. Creating your own brand means being consistent in both quality and perception. Everything you do is being watched by someone. How are people going to perceive you as a person and as a musician?

CONSUMERS VS PRODUCERS: From a student perspective you are both a consumer and a producer. As a consumer you are paying the music school for a service. The service provided is teaching you how to become a better musician, and giving you the necessary skills required to enter the music field. You need to be constantly asking yourself, am I being provided with all the necessary skills for the money I'm spending? As a producer, you have to understand that from every rehearsal to performance you have to be prepared to your fullest capacity. My twelve - year - old son’s life revolves around baseball. I'm constantly reminding him to leave it all on the field. It doesn’t matter if it’s a practice or a championship game, never look back and say, if only....

THE THREE P’s: Former AOL Chairman and entrepreneur Steve Case says to be successful in any organization or as an individual, you need the three P’s: people, passion, and perseverance. While you are in college there are faculty, classmates, or professional musicians you will meet at festivals or masterclasses that are going to have such a positive impact on you it will be life - changing. You have all found your passion and hopefully you will spend the rest of your life in the music field. If you are really committed, the more music engulfs your life and more you realize that there is nothing else you could possibly see yourself doing. This is passion.

There will be times during your career that you will have hurdles. No matter what the circumstances are or the situation is, how you persevere and approach a solution to a challenge will reflect on you indefinitely.

I have some personal experience with perseverance. One of the biggest obstacles Boston Brass overcame was being involved with the downfall of Community Concerts in the early 2000’s. During this time period Boston Brass was managed by Trawick Artist Management (TAM) and on the Community Concert roster. TAM bought Community Concerts, but because of poor management and a lack of vision, TAM drove one of the great American musical institutions into the ground. After months of touring (on our own dime) followed by bounced checks (not getting paid anything for our efforts), Boston Brass had some serious decisions to make. Our season and thus income was centered on sixty to seventy Community Concerts and the money generated from those engagements.

After not being paid, one option included joining other ensembles on the Community Concert roster in a class action lawsuit against TAM. We wanted to continue performing but realized if we were going to get involved with legal action, we might damage our own branding and along with it create unintended negative effects on audiences and other presenters outside of the Community Concert organization. Another option included shutting down Boston Brass completely. After hours and hours of discussions with management and Community Concert presenters, Boston Brass figured out a way to get paid and honor all of the remaining Community Concerts for the season, keeping the group alive. Unfortunately, we had a front row seat to see what perseverance was all about.

The downfall of Community Concerts and the near demise of Boston Brass taught me the hard way about the importance of perseverance. As Boston Brass struggled, I thought, is this it? Do I have to put aside my entrepreneurial impulses and passion about playing in a touring chamber music ensemble? Absolutely not! We came through this ordeal stronger and with a better understanding of the music business while seeing firsthand the dark underbelly of the profession, something that nearly destroyed all of our hard work and for me personally, fifteen years of my life’s work.

Almost half of the Portfolio Musicians profiled have shared their stories of perseverance. Surviving things like personal injuries, medical conditions, and psychological challenges have helped make these artists who they are. They have demonstrated that no matter what obstacle or bump in the road is thrown at them, their passion and perseverance will take them to the other side.

You will see in the following pages that everyone’s journey in music has similarities and differences. The differences are obvious, but what is more fascinating are the similarities. For example, they all had people in their past who were or are still a major influence in their success. Personally, I would not be doing what I'm doing if it were for Al Ezer, my high school band director, and Jerry Kazanjian, my middle school band director. These wonderful and inspiring teachers gave me an understanding and passion for music. There’s not a concert hall in the world I have played on that I haven’t thought about these great musicians and educators.

We all have good days and bad days, but you will see that believing in yourself and being able to persevere is a consistent lesson to be learned from the Portfolio Musicians. As you will discover later on in the book, some musicians have had to deal with health issues or injuries, while others have had to deal with personal loss or tragedy. If you haven’t had to deal with these things in your life, you just haven’t had to deal with them yet. Having a well - stocked portfolio will not only help you get through the tough times, it will keep you in the field of music, keeping your passion for music alive.

Believe in yourself and realize that someone, somewhere is going to be doing what you want to do, so it might as well be you. Good luck, and remember: Sua Sponte!!!!

We asked Cedric Solice to contribute to The Portfolio Musician by weaving together his experiences dealing with musicians and Division One collegiate athletes. Cedric has a bachelors and masters degree in music and is an Assistant Coach with the Syracuse University Women’s Basketball program.

Chapter 3: Preparing For the Draft

By Cedric Solice

And the first pick of this year’s NBA draft is....

These are words that almost every young boy, and now young girl dreams about as they explore their interest in a variety of sports. Visions of walking across those famed stages to shake the commissioner’s hand, and receive their team’s hat that signifies a connection with an organization that has just committed to invest in them as a professional athlete burns vividly in the minds of many. Draft day is a celebrated national event for athletes and fans. For the drafted athlete, draft day brings about a complex combination of emotions, new beginnings, and a culmination of years of training and sacrifice focused on achieving one goal and one goal alone: being a professional athlete.

It may sound strange, but I have observed that college musicians who become professional musicians embark on a similar process. This chapter is designed to focus on your preparation for the next level in your music career. Once you are enrolled in college to study music, your draft day is approaching much faster than you realize. Are you preparing for it with the same type of commitment and effort as college athletes do for their draft day?

In my journey as a performing musician, music instructor, athlete, and coach, there has been one unifying truth every step of the way. Time is one of our greatest assets but it can become your enemy when used unwisely. Draft day favors those who have typically chosen to maximize their time in the pursuit of collegiate achievement followed by professional success. Drafted athletes have committed an extraordinary amount of time refining their craft. Activities like hanging out with friends have been sacrificed so they can