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