Now this week we had some great excitement! Wednesday was our big gig at Fat Sams in Dundee.
I can't wait to see the video :) of us all strutting our stuff. As you will see from this post, it was a great chance for me to exercise my skills on my path to becoming a professional performing musician.
My band "(insert name here)" had a last minute rehearsal in the morning, showing our commitment to the cause. We tried out an idea of mine in one of the songs but in the end we were better off just playing it as is, this showed, however, that I am not adverse to putting across my ideas to peers (people skills and confidence). They were willing to try it out and we worked as a team trying many ways to make it work and decided as a group to keep it simple (teamwork).
I headed on the train to Dundee with my friend Calum Bryson who I have known for many years and is studying sound engineering on the course. Bryson did the live sound for the band of Claire Komar, Jamie Stewart, Katy Forrest and Lauren Cooke that day. At the station we met Jenny Baillie and she joined us on our journey. We arrived (and met Katy Forrest) with plenty of time for lunch (timekeeping- oh yeah!) before we had to report to Gav at the venue. Thus being reminded of my dislike for Subway (I seem to be alone with this view), but that's another story.
I would like to point out at this time that it really is a shame that the gig had not been able to happen before now, as there are other students on the course that I hadn't really had the opportunity to socialize with as they are in a different class. I am confident in saying that on Wednesday I did make new friends and contacts (networking).
When my fellow band chums had arrived I took a strong stance with Gav and negotiated that we play after six o'clock (when my friends would be able to come along) this showed initiative and negotiating skills (people skills and self-reliance).
When the first band started at 5 I decided not to sit back but to go and stand at the stage and watch their performance where they could see that I was supporting them. I did this for every band because I felt that it was important that they had a captive audience, I certainly would have hated to have had to perform to a vast empty space. This also helped as when it came to our turn I pointed out the fact that I had given the an audience and suggested they might like to do the same, we ended up with one of the biggest crowds of the night in front of the stage which made it a lot easier to perform with confidence and a lot more enjoyable. (confidence, people skills, customer orientation)
As for the performance itself, I'd like to think it went well for us. The first song "Big Ten Inch" went according to plan although in hindsight I probably could have played it up a bit more. Our second song "Empty Walls" was very different from our other choices and the most challenging vocally. To be honest I cannot tell you for sure how this went as I had difficulty hearing myself over the monitors. As a result of this, during our last song - Cee Lo Green's "F**K You" (a song that is already quite ridiculous and cheesy) I was very over the top and played up to my audience of peers and friends. I had a great time performing it and they seemed to enjoy it also, and the guys in my band were wonderful. (confidence, self-motivation, teamwork)
I loved being able to hear what the other bands had done, I was very proud to be among such talented and passionate people. Congratulations to you all, see you in Creative Industries...
LcB
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Some downright funky jazz
Hello people of the internets!
Ok, so I have had a pretty busy week. So I have two entries tonight.
Anyway, last weekend I stayed in Edinburgh (Friday - Sunday). On Saturday night (after a busy day at the zoo) myself and Mr B visited a jazz bar. This, inventively named, one - http://www.thejazzbar.co.uk/. It's just what I was hoping for, red and black with a little corner stage, long bar and little tables and booths. As we entered there were two musicians doing alternate sets. One was a cowboy (he had the hat and everything) doing an acoustic country set, the other was a guy who was obviously very talented and appeared to be able to play any instrument you cared to throw his way, he even sang a song acapella.
The band we were there to see, however, were called Head2Head. They were a phenomenally talented sextet fronted by Graham Robb (this guy - http://www.grahamrobb.com/bio *). Even from onstage he seemed to be the nicest guy in the world, an extremely talented bass player and composer and was obviously having a ball playing his own material with an amazing band, most of whom had only met that week!
*1984-90: created and lectured at rock music course at Perth College
Wow SMALL WORLD!
So we conversed with some jazz types about music and about performing, thus illustrating my skills in networking and, of course, people skills. Most of them were pretty nice people too and we enjoyed discussing jazz and the like.
Another skill I showed off wonderfully this week was that of organisation. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not the most organised person in the world by any means. My Mondays are currently providing a challenge for me as I cram in college followed by 3 rehearsals (Lord of The Blings: The Hip-Hopera, The Streets, Guys and Dolls) after these I collapse in a heap on my sofa and an hour later try to scrape together enough energy to climb the stairs to bed. Time-keeping is essential on this day as is, of course, commitment.
That was last week... stay tuned...
Ok, so I have had a pretty busy week. So I have two entries tonight.
Anyway, last weekend I stayed in Edinburgh (Friday - Sunday). On Saturday night (after a busy day at the zoo) myself and Mr B visited a jazz bar. This, inventively named, one - http://www.thejazzbar.co.uk/. It's just what I was hoping for, red and black with a little corner stage, long bar and little tables and booths. As we entered there were two musicians doing alternate sets. One was a cowboy (he had the hat and everything) doing an acoustic country set, the other was a guy who was obviously very talented and appeared to be able to play any instrument you cared to throw his way, he even sang a song acapella.
The band we were there to see, however, were called Head2Head. They were a phenomenally talented sextet fronted by Graham Robb (this guy - http://www.grahamrobb.com/bio *). Even from onstage he seemed to be the nicest guy in the world, an extremely talented bass player and composer and was obviously having a ball playing his own material with an amazing band, most of whom had only met that week!
*1984-90: created and lectured at rock music course at Perth College
Wow SMALL WORLD!
So we conversed with some jazz types about music and about performing, thus illustrating my skills in networking and, of course, people skills. Most of them were pretty nice people too and we enjoyed discussing jazz and the like.
Another skill I showed off wonderfully this week was that of organisation. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not the most organised person in the world by any means. My Mondays are currently providing a challenge for me as I cram in college followed by 3 rehearsals (Lord of The Blings: The Hip-Hopera, The Streets, Guys and Dolls) after these I collapse in a heap on my sofa and an hour later try to scrape together enough energy to climb the stairs to bed. Time-keeping is essential on this day as is, of course, commitment.
That was last week... stay tuned...
Sunday, 13 February 2011
A Look at Skills (continued)
Hey there, I'm just going to dive right back in with a look at...
Self-Reliance Skills
A performer definitely needs to have confidence and be able to stand up and talk in front of an audience. They should be self-aware and have belief in their abilities and talent. They need to be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses so they know what they can use to attract employers and what they need to improve on.
On that note, willingness to learn is of import. The ability to be self-motivated and to seek to better oneself is something that would be good to find in a performer. The improvement of musical knowledge and practicing to improve performance is, of course, essential.
The ability to promote oneself is invaluable for a pm, being resourceful and self-efficient are important skills to have for this.
Being able to talk to people easily and make long lasting contacts is a valuable skill to have as having a useful network of people can be very beneficial to a pm as they can provide jobs, resources and opportunities that may be crucial to the advancement of the pm's career.
Self-discipline and time-keeping skills are essential for success in any career. Being unreliable is a surefire way of losing employment and annoying the contacts one has made, potentially ruining any chance of advancement. Being able to juggle more than one project at once and stay organised could prove challenging but would be important for a pm to be able to do. This is why action planning and self-regulatory skills are important.
Specialist Skills
Being adaptable on the job and meeting the requirements of an employer is, obviously, important. Learning new skills for future needs that would benefit the employer/ company would be beneficial and also please said employer/ company. Skills in languages, IT or public speaking, for example.
An understanding of the music industry and creative sector would be of benefit as it means the pm would be ahead of the game in understanding what the trends in the industry are and if there are any gaps in the market.
Having a good background knowledge of a company/ person you are applying to work with will always be beneficial, it shows that one is genuinely interested in the position. It would show that the pm has people-skills, business acumen and ambition.
I think that, overall, the five most important skills that a professional musician should have are as follows;
1. Confidence
Having the ability to really put yourself out there is something that a pm just has to be able to do. Not only when performing but when trying to gain work and contacts. Confidence is a trait that pulls people in, it gives the impression of someone who is secure and happy with themselves.
2. Musical Knowledge
This includes the industry side and the creative side. As I said above, knowing the industry is a real bonus. Having a knowledge of the pecking order in music label companies, knowing the rights, laws and organisations that are associated with the industry, this information is all useful. Drawing influences from other performers is a way of learning and progressing, which a musician should never stop doing. It is important to know what other bands/ performers are doing in the music scene. Knowing what the people want is crucial as music needs to have a target audience.
3. Teamwork
As I said previously, teamwork is essential. Be it in a band that you constantly work with or a new group of people you are with for one project, there needs to be clear communication, honesty, and an alround ability to successfully function as a group.
4. Technical Musical Knowledge
I wouldn't say that it is essential for every performer to have a full music degree or have the ability to compose a 16 page manuscript of a full orchestral masterpiece, I would never say that. If that was the case I would be in BIG trouble and in for a lot more work than I had imagined! In any case I do think that at the very least a basic understanding of theory is required. The ability to read music to some extent is somewhat important. Sight reading may be more important to, say, a session musician, but the ability to sing/play through a piece, at least coherently, the first time through would look good to any employer.
5. Passion
I know what you are thinking, and yes, passion is not technically a "skill". In my opinion though it is the most essential part of being a musician. Passion is what drives a performance, it creates the energy and adrenaline and helps create beautiful pieces of music. Without the other skills the passion and of course the talent may not get very far, but without the talent and the passion, the other skills alone would not make a musician.
I will end on that note and bid you a good night.
LcB
Self-Reliance Skills
A performer definitely needs to have confidence and be able to stand up and talk in front of an audience. They should be self-aware and have belief in their abilities and talent. They need to be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses so they know what they can use to attract employers and what they need to improve on.
On that note, willingness to learn is of import. The ability to be self-motivated and to seek to better oneself is something that would be good to find in a performer. The improvement of musical knowledge and practicing to improve performance is, of course, essential.
The ability to promote oneself is invaluable for a pm, being resourceful and self-efficient are important skills to have for this.
Being able to talk to people easily and make long lasting contacts is a valuable skill to have as having a useful network of people can be very beneficial to a pm as they can provide jobs, resources and opportunities that may be crucial to the advancement of the pm's career.
Self-discipline and time-keeping skills are essential for success in any career. Being unreliable is a surefire way of losing employment and annoying the contacts one has made, potentially ruining any chance of advancement. Being able to juggle more than one project at once and stay organised could prove challenging but would be important for a pm to be able to do. This is why action planning and self-regulatory skills are important.
Specialist Skills
Being adaptable on the job and meeting the requirements of an employer is, obviously, important. Learning new skills for future needs that would benefit the employer/ company would be beneficial and also please said employer/ company. Skills in languages, IT or public speaking, for example.
An understanding of the music industry and creative sector would be of benefit as it means the pm would be ahead of the game in understanding what the trends in the industry are and if there are any gaps in the market.
Having a good background knowledge of a company/ person you are applying to work with will always be beneficial, it shows that one is genuinely interested in the position. It would show that the pm has people-skills, business acumen and ambition.
I think that, overall, the five most important skills that a professional musician should have are as follows;
1. Confidence
Having the ability to really put yourself out there is something that a pm just has to be able to do. Not only when performing but when trying to gain work and contacts. Confidence is a trait that pulls people in, it gives the impression of someone who is secure and happy with themselves.
2. Musical Knowledge
This includes the industry side and the creative side. As I said above, knowing the industry is a real bonus. Having a knowledge of the pecking order in music label companies, knowing the rights, laws and organisations that are associated with the industry, this information is all useful. Drawing influences from other performers is a way of learning and progressing, which a musician should never stop doing. It is important to know what other bands/ performers are doing in the music scene. Knowing what the people want is crucial as music needs to have a target audience.
3. Teamwork
As I said previously, teamwork is essential. Be it in a band that you constantly work with or a new group of people you are with for one project, there needs to be clear communication, honesty, and an alround ability to successfully function as a group.
4. Technical Musical Knowledge
I wouldn't say that it is essential for every performer to have a full music degree or have the ability to compose a 16 page manuscript of a full orchestral masterpiece, I would never say that. If that was the case I would be in BIG trouble and in for a lot more work than I had imagined! In any case I do think that at the very least a basic understanding of theory is required. The ability to read music to some extent is somewhat important. Sight reading may be more important to, say, a session musician, but the ability to sing/play through a piece, at least coherently, the first time through would look good to any employer.
5. Passion
I know what you are thinking, and yes, passion is not technically a "skill". In my opinion though it is the most essential part of being a musician. Passion is what drives a performance, it creates the energy and adrenaline and helps create beautiful pieces of music. Without the other skills the passion and of course the talent may not get very far, but without the talent and the passion, the other skills alone would not make a musician.
I will end on that note and bid you a good night.
LcB
Friday, 11 February 2011
A Look at Skills
Hello again!
As I was saying in my last post, this blog will focus on my goal of becoming a performing musician. To start I am going to look in to the skills that I think a performing musician should have to succeed.
NB: In my posts from this moment, I will sometimes refer to a performing musician as 'pm'.
First of all:
People Skills
In many ways it is important in all careers to have good people skills to some extent. In the case of a pm teamwork is extremely important. There would be a number of people a pm could have dealings with during their career, for example bands/ orchestras/ musical directors. They should be open-minded and supportive of other peoples ideas, whilst not being afraid of putting across their own ideas or opinions.
Of course dealing with all of these people demands an understanding of peoples sensibilities. The ability to listen and advise, to communicate well and compromise where necessary are all important interpersonal skills to have. They would need to be able to build up good rapport with different types of people, always be polite and courteous and non-discriminatory. This is all important as having good contacts in the music business is invaluable and the need for a good first impression and a good work relationship is essential to be successful.
Customer orientation would be important as the pm would have to be willing and able to accommodate to the needs of the customer and other people important to their employers business. If, for example, the pm was touring with their band, they would need to be diplomatic and respectful of the venue owner, venue staff, customers and any other bands playing. This is so they would have a good working reputation that others may hear about and more job opportunities could arise from.
Communication is important as saying the wrong thing conveys the wrong message. How well you convey your message can also say a lot and a pm would need the skills to say the right message the right way to get anywhere. Being able to speak clearly and concisely to prospective employers/ fellow musicians is extremely important. Written skills are important when needing to apply for a job/ gig/ grant or to promote an event/ release of recorded material. If keeping an online blog such as this or a webpage, the pm should be able to construct proper sentences and have adequate spelling and grammar skills (apologies for any mistakes of this kind on my part).
Generalist Skills
Problem solving skills would be useful to a pm, they should be able to analyse information and create solutions to problems that may come their way. The ability to manage different projects would be important as there may be a need to organise and time-manage many jobs at once.
Being comfortable with technology is a must for a pm as the internet can really aid the success of a music career, it gets music out to an audience and keeps musicians in touch with their fans. Office skills and a good knowledge of how to use and manage email would be very important for networking.
In any music career the ability to adapt and be flexible is essential, the creative industries sector demands one to be versatile and open to change. Venues/ the material they are performing or musicians they are working with may change last minute and the pm would have to be obliging and helpful should big changes occur.
Basic numeracy skills would be important as a pm should be able to organise their money, to know how much they are making and what their expenses are. There should be a knowledge of percentages as an employer may offer payment this way.
A good head for business would be very important. A pm should want to be innovative and competitive so that they can stay ahead of the game and offer something that other acts cannot. Being able to market themselves well would save them money as they would not need to hire anybody to promote them. An ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally would benefit them, as said above.
Being dedicated to the project they are working on and having a genuine interest in it will lead to a more successful outcome. Skills in commitment are those of punctuality, reliability and loyalty. These are skills much looked for in any business, the music industry included. Employers want somebody they can trust and will look at the experiences the pm has had in the past. They may talk to people the pm has previously worked with to find out if they posses these qualities and whether or not they are worth hiring.
*sips hot chocolate* Well, that is all for tonight, I shall continue along these lines in my next post where I will be looking at self-reliance and specialist skills.
Regards, LcB.
As I was saying in my last post, this blog will focus on my goal of becoming a performing musician. To start I am going to look in to the skills that I think a performing musician should have to succeed.
NB: In my posts from this moment, I will sometimes refer to a performing musician as 'pm'.
First of all:
People Skills
In many ways it is important in all careers to have good people skills to some extent. In the case of a pm teamwork is extremely important. There would be a number of people a pm could have dealings with during their career, for example bands/ orchestras/ musical directors. They should be open-minded and supportive of other peoples ideas, whilst not being afraid of putting across their own ideas or opinions.
Of course dealing with all of these people demands an understanding of peoples sensibilities. The ability to listen and advise, to communicate well and compromise where necessary are all important interpersonal skills to have. They would need to be able to build up good rapport with different types of people, always be polite and courteous and non-discriminatory. This is all important as having good contacts in the music business is invaluable and the need for a good first impression and a good work relationship is essential to be successful.
Customer orientation would be important as the pm would have to be willing and able to accommodate to the needs of the customer and other people important to their employers business. If, for example, the pm was touring with their band, they would need to be diplomatic and respectful of the venue owner, venue staff, customers and any other bands playing. This is so they would have a good working reputation that others may hear about and more job opportunities could arise from.
Communication is important as saying the wrong thing conveys the wrong message. How well you convey your message can also say a lot and a pm would need the skills to say the right message the right way to get anywhere. Being able to speak clearly and concisely to prospective employers/ fellow musicians is extremely important. Written skills are important when needing to apply for a job/ gig/ grant or to promote an event/ release of recorded material. If keeping an online blog such as this or a webpage, the pm should be able to construct proper sentences and have adequate spelling and grammar skills (apologies for any mistakes of this kind on my part).
Generalist Skills
Problem solving skills would be useful to a pm, they should be able to analyse information and create solutions to problems that may come their way. The ability to manage different projects would be important as there may be a need to organise and time-manage many jobs at once.
Being comfortable with technology is a must for a pm as the internet can really aid the success of a music career, it gets music out to an audience and keeps musicians in touch with their fans. Office skills and a good knowledge of how to use and manage email would be very important for networking.
In any music career the ability to adapt and be flexible is essential, the creative industries sector demands one to be versatile and open to change. Venues/ the material they are performing or musicians they are working with may change last minute and the pm would have to be obliging and helpful should big changes occur.
Basic numeracy skills would be important as a pm should be able to organise their money, to know how much they are making and what their expenses are. There should be a knowledge of percentages as an employer may offer payment this way.
A good head for business would be very important. A pm should want to be innovative and competitive so that they can stay ahead of the game and offer something that other acts cannot. Being able to market themselves well would save them money as they would not need to hire anybody to promote them. An ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally would benefit them, as said above.
Being dedicated to the project they are working on and having a genuine interest in it will lead to a more successful outcome. Skills in commitment are those of punctuality, reliability and loyalty. These are skills much looked for in any business, the music industry included. Employers want somebody they can trust and will look at the experiences the pm has had in the past. They may talk to people the pm has previously worked with to find out if they posses these qualities and whether or not they are worth hiring.
*sips hot chocolate* Well, that is all for tonight, I shall continue along these lines in my next post where I will be looking at self-reliance and specialist skills.
Regards, LcB.
An Introduction
Hello out there, and welcome to my blog!
My name is Lauren Baillie. I am a 20 year old, female, Scottish Brit. I have dyed red hair and I love to sing, read books and do arts and crafts.
I am currently in my 1st year of studying music at UHI (University Of Highlands and Islands - Perth Campus) as a vocalist.
My goal, career wise, is to be a performing musician. My main interest is in musical theatre and this is the area which my portfolio and this blog shall focus on.
In the following post I will outline the skills that are important in a performing musician.
I hope you will continue to follow me over the course of the next few weeks as I construct my portfolio.
Many thanks for reading, LcB.
My name is Lauren Baillie. I am a 20 year old, female, Scottish Brit. I have dyed red hair and I love to sing, read books and do arts and crafts.
I am currently in my 1st year of studying music at UHI (University Of Highlands and Islands - Perth Campus) as a vocalist.
My goal, career wise, is to be a performing musician. My main interest is in musical theatre and this is the area which my portfolio and this blog shall focus on.
In the following post I will outline the skills that are important in a performing musician.
I hope you will continue to follow me over the course of the next few weeks as I construct my portfolio.
Many thanks for reading, LcB.
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