2018 Editor’s Choice

First, thanks to all our readers out there! We appreciate you and always strive to provide you with practical, helpful content that will be useful and inspiring to you. As we look back on 2018, we thought we would do a round up of some of the content that resonated the most. Here goes:

An 8-Step Guide to Creating Your Next Music Project | January 15, 2018
A project-based lifestyle goes beyond the parameters of the more common and discussed “gig economy” – in which musicians, artists, creatives, and beyond are tethered to temporary work. What happens when you want to create the opportunity, not just react to it? I have built a career that revolves around a fluent timeline, from directing the programs of my non-profit, Kadence Arts, to designing performance installations with my collective, Masary Studios, no day or week is ever the same. Each project comes with its own challenges, but I’ve noticed a pattern in my process that has enabled me to create work more wisely, quickly, and sustainably. Read more…

Achieving Audition Success | November 12, 2018
Auditions can be the cause of an undue amount of stress for many musicians.  To others, they appear as a necessary evil but surely the audition winner must possess some form of musical magic.  The mere mention of the word sends still other musicians running away in terror.  The key to successfully navigating the audition process and emerging as the winner? Preparation, preparation, and preparation. Read more…

Think Like a Business (and an Artist) | June 13, 2018
For some musicians, it can be eye opening to learn that they own and operate a small business. Do you play an occasional gig and get paid directly for it? Do you write compositions and arrangements and sell them? Do you teach private lessons from home? You are a small business! There are many ways that musicians operate as a small business, offering our products and services for sale.  So, we have the challenging task of thinking like an artist and producing our best work, and ALSO thinking like a business. What does it mean to think like a business? Read more…

Interrupting Disruption: Reinventing Classical Music for the 21st Century | September 24, 2018
In recent decades, the music industry has experienced total disruption. Surveys by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) show that between 2008 and 2012, audience attendance declined for traditional art forms (theatre, classical music concerts and museums). Although attendance by the 55 and older crowd had increased by 2.5 percent during this period, only 8.8 percent of adults under 55 had attended a classical music concert. There are many reasons for this, including the rise of the Internet and new technologies, a diversifying audience, and an increase in entertainment options. Read more…

Spotlight on Innovation: The Big Trouble | October 15, 2018
Hey everyone, it’s Drew and Ivan. We started a band called The Big Trouble and wanted to share a few things we’ve learned after our first year working together. In 2017, we were awarded a $15,000 Arts Grant from The Boston Foundation which enabled us to compose new music together, record and release a debut album, and produce two professional quality music videos. In 2018, we have been composing songs for a new album together via Instagram. Ivan lives in Austin and Drew lives in Boston, so we’re sending 60-second videos back and forth to build our songs track by track. Instead of keeping the tracks all to ourselves until they’re complete, we’re publishing on Instagram as we go. Read more…

7 Professional Writing Tips | May 16, 2018
You may already know this, or perhaps you are just starting to suspect it: Musicians do A LOT of writing in their careers.  Think resumes, cover letters, grant applications, project proposals, news releases, bios, program notes, website content, blog posts…and the list goes on! So, it stands to reason that we should put some serious thought and effort into our writing to make it the best it can be. Read more…

Resources to Help Private Music Studio Teachers Thrive | July 25, 2018
Are you hoping to launch a private teaching studio in a new city? Want to grow your existing teaching studio? Looking for ideas related to billing and policies? Take a few minutes and listen to a recent podcast episode on Music Studio Startup featuring saxophonist Sean Murphy, whose private teaching studio was at one point over 100 students!  Sean shares the story of how he grew his private studio from 12 students to 112, and how he managed all the logistical details associated with his thriving teaching studio. Read more…

Spotlight on Innovation: Brooklyn Duo | April 18, 2018
he husband and wife team of Marnie and Patrick Laird make up Brooklyn Duo – a cello and piano ensemble they started together in 2014.  In just 4 years, they have built an incredible following of over 600,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel! They regularly release high quality videos of pop song covers that they arrange for cello and piano. Graduates of the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, Marnie and Patrick have found a way to connect their classical training with a wide audience (beyond just classical fans) who love to hear their performances. What makes Brooklyn Duo innovative? How about connecting pop music and classical music in a way that really resonates with people? Read more…

Helping You Find More Grants | August 1, 2018
In an effort to help you find more grants that you / your ensemble / your organization might be eligible for, we have compiled a list below of some of our favorite grant listing websites for music. Read more…

Finance Resources for Musicians | October 10, 2018
We recently came across a great blog, FinanceForMusicians.com, which has a number of helpful posts for musicians. Read more…