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A blog about performing music, teaching music and the business of music.
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."-John Wooden
Make mistakes in the practice room, with your writing, with your teaching, with your entire career.
Grant yourself permission to make mistakes in every aspect of your life.
If you can't or won't, I just granted you permission. So make some mistakes.
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For this episode we were joined by Jim Nova, trombone player for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Jim talked about how his successful audition for the Pittsburgh Symphony was the 39th of his career! He also shared a very moving story about the loss of his mother and the trombone that she saved up money to buy for him before she passed away.
He told some really great stories about his father, a professional accordion player turned pizza parlor owner turned composer. Jim's story of the time his father hired an orchestra in Bulgaria to record some compositions he had written for him is one for the ages!
Finally, he talked about a side project he's been doing that recently got the attention of none other than John Williams himself.
https://soundcloud.com/jimnova
http://www.jimnova.com/
You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!
"All kids dream big. They want to be super famous, super meaningful, super powerful superheroes...But as we mature, these grand fantasies are typically educated out of us."
-David Cutler, Author of The Savvy Musician
The above quote is from a really great blog post by my good friend David Cutler over at savvymusician.com. It is must read.
He points out that people's dreams either grow or shrink over time and that it's usually the latter. It is his contention that this is not good.
As David points out in his excellent post, you should never let the system educate your dreams out of you. Every single person in this business who you look up to started by dreaming big and never changed that fact.
Many call Dennis Brain the greatest horn player to ever live. The mark that he left on the music world has no signs of fading any time soon.
Effortless is a word I probably use too often to describe the greatest players in the world. But Dennis Brain is possibly the best example I know of from the brass world.
His phrasing is natural to the point that he truly sounds like a vocalist without words.
Here is Dennis Brain performing the Beethoven Horn Sonata.
Enjoy!
I recently read about a great exercise for growing your network. (This comes from the fantastic book "Book Yourself Solid" by Michael Port.)
Make a list of 20 people in the music business that you don't know personally but would like to know. Think in terms of impact. Who can most help you to achieve your goals in the business.
(Note: The most successful networking is done between two people who can help each other, not just a one-way street. That's a topic for another day but very important to mention!)
Next, try to figure out proactive ways to introduce yourself to the people on your list. Maybe you will be attending the same conference. Maybe they are passing through town with a touring orchestra. Maybe they are good friends with your current or former teacher.
Figure out some kind of commonality with the first person on your list and plan your first step towards connecting with them. Always think about whether your route to connect with them will be convenient for them. This is very important.
As anyone who has ever seen me present or perform knows, I am always happy to speak with anyone afterwards. But there have been plenty of times when I had another engagement (particularly at a conference) and only had 10 minutes to speak with the eight people who wanted to introduce themselves.
Maybe send someone an email ahead of time explaining who you are and get creative about how you might introduce yourself. If we are in the music business, we are creative people by definition! (Or we shouldn't be in the business!) Use this creativity for things like networking and not just how you finish a phrase.
This is a topic that could be covered in detail over 20 different blog posts. This is just one small idea of how you can proactively attempt to grow your network.
While you have to have the skills to back everything up (or everything else is moot!), the music business really is all about who you know. So do something about it!
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Jim Stephenson is a full-time composer and arranger based out of Chicago. His story is a fascinating one.
Jim was a trumpet player in the Naples Philharmonic before he began to arrange and compose. His writing career eventually took off to the point that he quit his steady job with the orchestra to focus on it full-time. Who does that? People as driven as Jim, that's who.
His career path is reminder after reminder that you never quite know which direction you are about to head in in the music business.
Topics Include:
"Many players see a low dynamic marking on a part and let that turn them into apologetic, frightened musicians. I think it is beneficial to do the exact opposite. "
-Weston Sprott, Acting Principal Trombone of the Metropolitan Opera
The above is a quote from a fantastic article by Weston Sprott that he posted on his website. It is only two paragraphs long and well worth the 30 seconds.
As the title of the article says, don't be shy!
And don't miss the awesome conversation we had with Weston on The Brass Junkies. It will get you thinking about some really important stuff.
This is one of the all-time classics. I can't ever get enough Bach. There is so much to focus on at any given time that you can hear a piece like his Mass in B Minor for the 500th time and hear something new.
This is from the BBC Proms in 2012 at Royal Albert Hall in London with Harry Bicket conducting The English Concert and the Choir of the English Concert. The soloists are:
Joélle Harvey soprano
Carolyn Sampson soprano
Iestyn Davies counter-tenor
Ed Lyon tenor
Matthew Rose bass
Enjoy!
"Make the simple beautiful."
-Marty Hackleman, former horn player for the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, and National Symphony Orchestra
The next time you are bored in your warm up, think of this four word quote from Marty Hackleman and I guarantee you it will get better.
While technical wizardry on any instrument can be quite engaging it is actually the simple or "easy" music that the best musicians in the world can make sound way better than the rest of us can.
Making the simple beautiful should be a goal that is at the forefront of your mind every time you pick up your instrument or baton.
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We were honored to be joined by one of the best horn players in the world and a dear friend of mine, Marty Hackleman! As you will hear, the mindset that he brings to his craft is truly phenomenal. And it all stems from a decision he made when he was 16! It's an inspiring tale.
Marty also talks about the many stops along his incredible career, including winning his first professional audition at the age of 19.
He is the only person who was ever a full-time member of both the Canadian Brass and Empire Brass and discusses how it came to be that he and Dave Ohanian came to switch quintets.
And he has some tough love for Jens!
