TAG: classical music careers

Cultivate the Happiness Habit: Maximize Flow in Your Creative Career

Last week, I had the privilege of teaching at the Juilliard Lower Strings Seminar, taught by Astrid Schween, the fabulous cellist of the Juilliard Quartet. The  class provides strategies on how to succeed in the world of music.  My topic was how to cultivate the happiness habit and experience more flow in your creative career. Happiness Breeds Success I am …

Design Thinking for Music Entrepreneurs: Using Empathy to Connect with Audiences

This semester, I am teaching The Entrepreneurial Musician at the New School, Mannes College of Music, a required entrepreneurship course that helps master of music candidates to explore how to create meaningful and sustainable careers in the arts.  Last week, we learned about design thinking, a 5-step human-centered design process whose aim is to design products and services that fulfill …

Cultivating Optimism for Music Entrepreneurs: 5 Questions to Help You Manage Uncertainty

My coaching groups at Yale are off to a great start this semester!  Students meet with me on a bi-weekly basis to share their successes and challenges in creating successful careers as musicians and artists.  Through honest, trusting and confidential sharing, they open up about their vulnerabilities and we explore how to manage the many challenges associated with a music …

Top Tips for Managing Your Portfolio Career: Embrace the 4 P’s of the Entrepreneurial Mindset

I have been collaborating with iCadenza, a fantastic resource that helps musicians think like business people and grow as artists. I am honored to have been included in iCadenza’s most recent blog post on “How to Manage a Portfolio Career: 7 Arts Entrepreneurs Share Their Tips.” My advice to successfully manage your music portfolio career? Start with adopting the mindset …

New Digital Media: Opportunities and Pitfalls of the New Digital World: Part II

Last time, we discussed Sean Hickey’s advice to students at the Yale School of Music on how today’s musicians can leverage new digital media and  work with a label to promote your recording.   Now, let’s hear Sean’s insights on how today’s artists can proactively shape their careers, generate new revenue streams and gain greater exposure using the new tools of …

New Digital Media: Opportunities and Pitfalls of the New Digital World: Part I

Recently, we were delighted to welcome to Yale Sean Hickey, an award-winning composer and the VP Sales and Business Development of Naxos of America in charge of all physical sales for in North America and digital sales throughout the world.  With these impressive credentials, Sean spoke to our students about new digital media and how today’s musicians can navigate the digital world. …

Flow Passion and Purpose: The Keys to Inspired Leadership

Last spring, I was honored to have been selected by the students of the Yale School of Music to speak at Inspiring Yale, a one-day campus-wide event showcasing the work of thought leaders from the 13 graduate and professional schools at Yale. While my work at Yale centers on launching the brilliant and talented musicians and arts leaders at the …

The Mindset of Today’s Music Entrepreneur:  The 4 Elements of Success

What’s the starting point for creating a successful career in today’s music world? To me, it’s having the mindset of success. I define mindset as your attitude and how you perceive the world based on your experiences:  how you feel about your ability to translate your musical talent into a successful career as opposed to the FACT of what instrument …

Share Your Big Goals: How SMART Goals Set You Up for Success

One of the highlights of my summer is teaching the Art of Career Planning at the So Percussion Summer Institute, the wonderful program for budding percussionists founded by my buddies at So Percussion.  In our session, I help these aspiring musicians to gain greater clarity on their career goals. And this year, one of our students surprised everyone by sharing …

Demystifying the College Teaching Job Process: The Search Committee Review and On-Campus Interviews

In my last post, I introduced the four-step process for applying for a college teaching job according to Yale percussionist Professor Robert Van Sice and covered how to find a college job posting and create great materials. What’s next? This week, we will demystify the Search Committee Review Process and the On-Campus interview.  Step 3: The Search Committee Review Process Initial Review …