Success Beyond The Score

Let us use this great shot by GL360 Productions to introduce Asharp, the next star in the Time For My Music Evening Showcase’s line-up.

Asharp is a versatile saxophonist who plays all three alto, tenor and soprano sax. She has recently broadened her talents by branching out as a solo artist, and is now a regular performer at the ‘Wednesday Mic Fever’ happening at the Legacy Centre.

This is what she told the audience about her experience with Time For My Music:

I joined Time For My Music—it wasn’t at the beginning, but probably after they’d had about two or three sessions […] What I found has helped me most is learning about technology, because I’m the world’s worst when it comes to computers and technology. Millicent, I don’t know how she has managed to do it. She’s just so patient when I can’t log in or pick up the password. She doesn’t shout at all, she just talks calmly, which is good for me, ’cause I’ll panic at it even more [otherwise]. 

It’s the meetings, the fellowship. Yo

...

The Notebenders is a community big band created by Andy Hamilton (MBE) in 2004. Managed by the Andy Hamilton Trust, it welcomes emerging musicians and supports them in the development of their talent through experience on stage, but also with a variety of training opportunities.

Recently, Millicent had the chance to lead one of these education sessions, an almost three hours long workshop that covered the topics of stage performance and improvisation. She gave them nine specific tips about the former, and elaborated on both that and the latter based on questions and the dynamic of the group. Towards the end of the session, the band went through a song that they were going to play the next day at a gig, and received feedback.

Millicent introduced the idea that a performance doesn't start and end when the artist steps on and off the stage, respectively, but rather when they arrive in the venue, and when they leave it. There are several reasons for this, which benefit the audience, the ...

Today, it’s Melody’s turn to be under the spotlight. She’s a featured vocalist with the Notebenders big band, whose voice has been praised for being smooth and angelic on the high notes when singing classical songs and jazz.

During the Evening Showcase last year, she had this to say about Time For My Music:

[…] Time For My Music is like a sisterhood, a fellowship. It’s togetherness, a way to put ourselves out in the world as musicians together. 

[…] Millicent has a wonderful gift, a very open heart. She’s very patient with us. I can see that she gives, she goes beyond the mile, many more times than that. I’m truly grateful, also, for the support that she receives in doing this from the family, and for the support of the group. It’s one of the reasons I’m standing here, and I’d like to thank Patricia because, when I started to meet up with the community bands and the Notebenders, it was Patricia who told me about Cafemnee, which was a forerunner to Time For My Music. So thank you a

...

Players of over 20 orchestras across the UK have joined forces with the Musicians Union to demand that the government addresses the lack of streaming royalties. While streaming services have made music more accessible than ever, most of the money that they earn never reaches the people who perform the music. This is a particularly harrowing issue with non-featured musicians, including session and orchestral players, as the viola player Rachel Bolt explains in this reel:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Musicians' Union (@wearethemu)

The Musicians Union has assessed that the solution lies on updating the copyright law. As it currently stands, streaming services must give part of their revenue to copyright owners, who are mainly record labels and publishers. Changing it in a way that guarantees equitable remuneration for streaming income would give musicians their due revenue back, without making the State incur in additional expenses.

You can read ...

Today, we want to share the words that Patricia had to say about her experience in Time For My Music during the Evening Showcase last year.

Patricia is a quiet person, rather on the shy side, but the deep rich tones on her tenor sax speak volumes. It’s always a delight to watch her play! Although there were two online concerts before the Evening Showcase, this is the first time she appears on camera, captured wonderfully by the team of GL360 Productions in video and photos like the one you see above.

This is what she said to the audience:

On the second half of the show, we’re supposed to say a little bit about Time For My Music and what it means for us. I’m sure we’re going to be repetitive, so don’t be surprised. But as Michelle says, Millicent is a wonderful person. She’s been blessed with a gift and a talent for playing music. But not only does she bless people with her own music, she has put this group together, which has been going for a good few years now, before lockdown, a

...

An unfortunate old belief about the arts, including music, is that it's not worth it to start pursuing them as an adult. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's never too late to learn how to paint, sculpt, or play an instrument, and doing so brings countless benefits at all levels.

For example, music is a scientifically proven booster of memory and neural connections. Here's a helpful and concise explanation of how it works by Dr. Lewis Clarke:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lewis Clarke (@drlewisclarke)

It's helpful to be aware of this when working with adults in music education, or as part of your own journey through aging. It surely keeps motivation up! If you have personally identified benefits that music gives you as an adult musician, tell us about it.

During the second part of the Time For My Music Evening Showcase, the women addressed the audience to tell them a little about their aspirations, and how the work with the online programme has supported them in their journey. We will share transcriptions of selected fragments, so you can get a better idea of how Time For My Music can support you or someone you know achieve their goals in the music industry.

Let’s start with Michelle, a saxophonist who regularly enchants audiences with the Notebenders at Birmingham Symphony Hall and other prestigious venues, She aspires to become a sought-after studio session saxophonist, and this is what she had to say about Time For My Music:

I’ve been in Time For My Music for some time now, and I never ever thought that I’d actually perform in a setting like this.

What we do is: we meet up in person and online, and we share ideas. We talk about what things have gone wrong. We talk about our ambitions, and about songs we want to learn. [...] With

...

Everything in life entails a risk, even not doing anything at all. Assessing and managing risks is part of life, but it becomes critical in professions that involve large numbers of people, like live music.

If you've followed Millicent as an artist or as an educator for any amount of time, you know that she strongly advocates for musicians getting paid for their work. This is a position that she shares with the Musician Union, of which she has served as member of the Executive Committee and the Midlands Regional Committee. In a campaign called "Work Not Play", the MU offers resources to empower musicians so they don't feel pressured to accept unpaid jobs. This includes a list of fair play venues, a digital tool to define your rates, training to improve your negotiation skills, and more.

Millicent has also created her own resources to tackle this issue. In the free gifts section of our website, you can find the leaflet "Ten Reasons Why They Will Pay You Before Gig Day". In the store, the e-learning course "How To Work Out Your Gig Fee, Collect Your Payment And Manage Your Money" will walk you through everything you need to know in order to get paid as a professional musician.

Remember: b...