Let's Form a Union
This past spring I received an email signed by a dozen or so Eastman students. It was sent to Eastman School jazz students and faculty. This group had met out of frustration. It seems that within the...
View ArticleSave Your Love—Don’t Give it Away
In the music world there will always be someone who is willing to do something more cheaply than you. Students are typically in this category. Look at the music scene around any music school....
View ArticleCollege Music Performance Majors—A Bridge to Nowhere?
Music educators have been doing a fantastic job. The level of musicianship of college-age music majors continues to rise each year. Jazz players are entering as freshmen at skill levels equal to...
View ArticleAntidote for the Music Major’s Bridge to Nowhere—Use Your Legos
Legos. You know what they are, little pieces of plastic that have an interlocking system that allows the user to combine them in an infinite number of ways. With Legos you can make things like...
View ArticleAnother Antidote for the Music Major’s Bridge to Nowhere—Create You, Inc.
All musicians don’t have to be performers. Though they may start by singing or playing an instrument, some musicians transition to composing or studying music history or theory. An amateur does this...
View ArticleWhat is a Brand and is Yours a Good One?
What is the first thing you think of when the company Coca-Cola is mentioned—how about Apple or Mercedes? These are all strong brands that have distinct images associated with them. As a musician you...
View ArticleMore on Your Brand—Know Your Image
For a professional musician this is important. Your image lives within the minds of the market, and not within your wishful thinking. You can try to put forth the image that you want, but your...
View ArticleJobs Don't Grow On Trees
In a recent article in the New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin points to the seemingly large number of orchestral positions that are currently open at some of the nation’s top orchestras. Of course we...
View ArticleYouTube Symphony–Year Two Coming
Here’s an article that appeared in the Entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times last week. The author says she is cynical and that is apparent, but I’m even more cynical about the article itself....
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