JAVS Spring 2011

C RAFTING Y OUR P ROFESSIONAL C AREER

First Rule in Sales: Everyone Is a Salesman No one is beyond selling them selves; everyone sells, including peacocks. Ever notice those feath ers for attracting mates? Yet, not all of us are successful. If we knew that every performance, every video we uploaded to YouTube, every comment we made on Facebook was a sales pitch, would we not approach this all differently? For instance, how many of you have Facebook accounts and are friends with someone in your community who is not a musi cian? Probably most of you read ing this. How many of you would like more students or at least to be able to raise your rates? If you want either, then people need to be willing to pay for it, thus necessitating the establishment of a good reputation. This will be lost if you are ranting about peo ple you don’t like, using unattrac tive language, etc., in your wall posts. If you are constantly post ing lightning-rod comments on Facebook or poor videos of you practicing your viola on YouTube asking for help, you are hurting that reputation and the ability you have to sell yourself as a knowledgeable expert.

by Jason Bonham and Adam Paul Cordle

musician must work to achieve a skill set that is not taught in stu dio class. “Out of the Box” Thinking Makes Money and GetsYou Noticed No matter the genre, artists need to set themselves apart. A few years ago, the world didn’t need another cola drink, so we now have Red Bull. The world may not need another wedding musi cian or another person to call the local contractor looking for work, so here is your opportunity for a new path. One of the first things my Music 303 (Romantic Period History) professor taught was that the composers we know and remember are the ones who changed the landscape. So, blaze your own trail. Perhaps there is a need for a type of ensemble in your area no one has yet to try? Perhaps the only local chamber series in your town focuses on classics leaving open the idea of a series featuring new works by composers of eclectic nationalities? Perhaps there are more violin teachers who teach viola than good conscience would dictate, but no one in your area is

Part I. Promoting Yourself

Much like a car ride from Chicago to Denver, the road to professional music life has changed suddenly, almost without notice. Five to seven years ago, most music students exiting con servatories had several strong employment options that would include salary, benefits, and long term security. Today, that isn’t necessarily so. Newspapers are regularly reporting the perils of symphony orchestra budgets, while university music program budgets are struggling as well. In these uncertain artistic times, today’s violists are left to create their own teaching and perform ance gigs. In a previous article on being a “WebViolist,” I wrote of the need for all musicians to explore simple business practices in their careers; including branding, website building, etc. What I originally viewed as a set of skills that I needed to incorporate into my own career, I now see is part of an emerging trend that has left new musicians in the position of mar keting, PR, business development, and fundraising duties—all while trying to play in tune. Beyond the scope of fine musicianship, today’s

offering an outreach to local schools in music education.

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