Making the Music Happen: Reflections on a Summer Internship

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Earlier in June, I posted a blog about my initial experiences as an intern with the Midsummer’s Music chamber music festival in Door County, Wisconsin, and how the events of the first week alone caused me to view the process of organizing and presenting concerts from a fresh perspective. Now, six weeks, twenty-five concerts, and countless mosquito bites later, my internship has come to an end, and I am able to reflect upon the many educational and enlightening experiences I was fortunate to have during my service to the festival. While I learned many things in Door County, some lessons were particularly eye-opening, and, in my opinion, quite relevant to any student cherishing an interest in arts administration (this internship was completed in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Arts Leadership Certificate I am a candidate for at the Eastman School of Music). It is these particularly valuable insights that I would like to share here.
1. Office work can often require just as much concentration as performing.
OK, so the prospect of sitting behind a desk all day does not seem nearly as daunting as playing a concerto with an orchestra, but it’s nevertheless important to maintain a similarly undivided focus when attending to administrative duties. The work may sometimes seem mundane–and potential mistakes as relatively inconsequential–but a lax attention to detail can come back to bite you once an advertisement with a glaring typo has been printed in a thousand newspapers, or you have to void someone’s credit card because you charged for two tickets instead of one (while I luckily avoided committing errors such as these, I quickly became aware of how easily I could!). Tabulating the contents of the cash box is no insignificant task, either–this is real money we’re talking about here, with real penalties imposed upon its accidental misuse by the IRS. Given the constant mental focus necessary to complete these and other tasks, it’s unsurprising that I often found myself more exhausted after a long day at the office than a long day of practicing the cello!

2. Always, always, ALWAYS respect the customer.
It may seem obvious that a person serving in a customer service capacity should continuously strive to meet the needs of his customers in a respectful and professional manner, but we’ve all met the odd bank teller, waiter, or box officer worker who seemed to regard us with disdain for merely showing up. After taking phone calls, taking tickets, and simply talking with patrons during my time at Midsummer’s, I’ve come to realize just how important it is not to act in such a way. Thinking back to some interactions I had, and imagining how they might have turned out had I not maintained a pleasant demeanor and positive attitude, it’s very clear to me that getting testy with an already vexed customer is akin to pouring gasoline into a raging fire: it will only make things worse!
3. You will make mistakes.
Nobody’s perfect, and interns are certainly no exception. While I didn’t do anything too terrible, I certainly had a few “duh” moments over the six weeks, and they weren’t all confined to clerical work. One particularly memorable occasion occurred right at the beginning of the festival, on opening night. We had over a hundred people in attendance, and as the start time neared, it became apparent that we were running out of programs. Luckily, our ever-prepared marketing manager had an extra program box in the trunk of her car, and hurriedly gave me her keys, telling me to unlock the trunk and then toss the keys into the front seat (this may seem rather reckless, but we were in northeast Wisconsin, where there’s practically a 0% crime rate). I hurried out to the car as instructed, unlocked the trunk via electronic keypad, and quickly grabbed the (surprisingly heavy) box of programs. However, my Rochesterian instincts suddenly kicked in, and I automatically pressed the lock button again, not stopping to comprehend that this would mean, lo and behold, that the car was now locked.  I then proceeded to throw the keys through the driver’s seat window, which was down just a crack, and triumphantly ran back inside with the programs. Of course, I completely failed to realize that I had just locked my boss’s keys in her car, and remained unenlightened until I received a somewhat playful, somewhat concerned voicemail from her late that night after nearly everyone had left the concert. Luckily, a patron with what I can only assume were extraordinarily flexible arms had managed to reach inside her car and push the unlock button, but I was quite embarrassed nonetheless, and apologized profusely to my boss, who was thankfully not all that upset (although I did have to subsequently endure a fair bit of teasing about the incident). Lessons learned: you will make mistakes, so be prepared to handle them graciously and move on. And also, if you lock a motor vehicle, try not to throw the keys inside immediately thereafterwards.

4. Be prepared to serve in multiple capacities.
While some internships are focused on the regular completion of a singular task, others require the intern to be very versatile. Mine was of the latter variety. Throughout the festival, I served variously as a secretary, social media coordinator, blogger, marketer, ticket/payment processor, parking attendant, box office worker, stagehand, furniture mover, bartender (some of the concert receptions involved wine), parking attendant, photographer, and even as a page-turner when the large instrumentation of a couple pieces left no musician available to assist the pianist (this wasn’t part of the job description, though–I volunteered my services). While this list sounds a bit overwhelming, I discovered it wasn’t actually too difficult to don my various “caps” as long as I understood the essentials of whichever job I was currently working. Some of these, such as pouring wine, were obviously straightforward, while others, such as working the ticket counter, required a bit more attention to detail. But whether I was taking down a Visa number or helping someone park their car, I always took care to exhibit professionalism and remain calm at all times. As I mentioned earlier, the customer is much less likely to become distressed if you don’t become distressed, and so most of the time, things will work out to everyone’s satisfaction.
5. The music makes it all worth it.
Although I obviously have an interest in arts administration, I am first and foremost a cellist, and so listening to the twenty-five concerts that took place over the six weeks was certainly the highlight of my internship. Interestingly, I found myself enjoying the concerts to an even greater extent after having put so much time and effort into making them happen. As each program began, I would experience immense satisfaction as I’d look around whichever venue was serving as the performance space for that evening, proudly watching all the pieces of the complex logistical puzzle come seamlessly together. There were all of the audience members whose ticket orders I had taken, and whom I had greeted at the door; there were the musicians whose water and other necessary amenities had I supplied; there were the stage lights I had gingerly laid into the back of my boss’s car to transport to the venue; and now here was the music I’d discussed so enthusiastically with people on the phone, in the local villages, or at previous performances. Ultimately, it was these experiences that taught me the most important lesson of my internship: if you are truly passionate about what you are working towards, everything will be worth it in the end.
Midsummer’s summer season has obviously finished, but the ensemble will be presenting a series of concerts over Labor Day Weekend, so consider checking them out if you’re going to be in the northeast Wisconsin area! More information is available at www.midsummersmusic.com.