Success Beyond The Score

This is the last, but in no way least, post about the stars who shone in the Time For My Music Evening Showcase at the MAC theatre of Birmingham in October last year. Sign-ups for the programme will open very, very soon, and we have a lot in store. Join the mailing list to be the first to know when recruitment starts.

So, here's Tiny Sax. She’s an alto saxophonist with a deep appreciation of Blues, Soul, Jazz and Funk. She fell in love with the sound of the saxophone after hearing the soundtrack to the film ‘Alfie’, played by saxophone legend Sonny Rollins. As well as solo appearances, she also performs regularly with soul band As One Collective.

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

I came upon the group quite by accident. When I was invited, I thought, “great, I’ll go along.” I said, “saxophonists? It’s only me and Millicent who are saxophonists, I better represent!” I opted in really, really confident, and then there were seven of them.

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It may sound like an empty inspirational quote, but it's true: music is part of the human experience, and because of this, it's never too late (or too early) to start playing, writing or even recording.

Mama Kay is a brilliant example of this. This Japanese woman released her first song, titled ‘36 hours’, one day after her 59th birthday. This age is outstanding on its own, but considering the East Asian music ecosystem, in which pop idols tend to fade into obscurity before hitting 30, it becomes even more impressive. The song, a gentle example of Japanese city pop—which is a genre that hasn't been particularly popular since the 80s, although it's been doing a comeback in the last decade—has gathered thousands of hits across social media, and hundreds of thousands of people now follow Mama Kay, enjoying her subsequent releases.

Whilst we celebrate Mama Kay's success, let's not forget that internet numbers don't determine the worth of your music. Social media platforms are promotio...

We’re almost at the end of this series of posts made to introduce—or reintroduce—the stars of the Time For My Music’s Evening Showcase to you. We're also about to open the doors of the programme for new members. If you’re interested, be sure to join the mailing list to stay up to date.

Today is Angela’s turn to shine. She’s an alto saxophonist known for creating a soulful atmosphere in genres like reggae, ballads, and gospel, and praised for her mesmerizing presence at prestigious venues including The Holiday Inn at Birmingham Airport.

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

If you have a gift or have a talent, don’t sit on it.

In Time For My Music, we are with Millicent Stephenson. If you have a gift, women—because, as you can see, it’s just women— you can come and try anything. [If] you feel like you want to stay, you can stay. 

Time For My Music has been really good for me.

It hasn’t been just Millicent. She’s really good with bringing other people in. [F

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No matter at what scale, life very rarely goes as planned. Some things are easier than we thought they'd be, many others are harder. Accidents and inconveniences dot our agendas, we get sudden ideas that we then have to fit in our day somehow. Mundanity gets in the way of greatness and viceversa. We're left juggling constantly while wishing there were more hours in the day.

For example, last year, my family and I finally got around to remodelling the kitchen. It was long overdue, and we were sure that the final result would be very good. However, doing it meant dust, noise, and a cramped house. My piano ended up blocked by a bunch of boxes. I had to keep an eye on what was going on during times I'd normally dedicate to practise. It hindered my creativity for some time, it made preparation for gigs more difficult, too. Yet life didn't stop. The expectations of my clients didn't change. I still had to show up and step firmly on the stage.

Although it was strenuous, discipline made it p...

Whilst the vibrant red of the women’s clothes was a staple of the Time For My Music Evening Showcase, sometimes removing the colours from a photo brings the emotion up. That’s the case with this wonderful shot by GL360 Productions of Angie, the star we want to highlight today.

Angie is a singer-songwriter who stirs hearts with her soulful blend of Gospel and Inspirational music. Her voice, described as “soulful, melodic, and vibrant” by renowned artists like Bunny Melody (UK) and Luciano (International Reggae Artist), carries a message of hope and faith.

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

I was at a point in my life where I felt minimized and not seen for the gift and telling that the Lord has given to me. And so, one day, Millicent said to me: “Angie, I’ve got a woman’s group.” She didn’t know where I was at, but I was at the point of giving up. I was at the point of, “what’s going on?” […] And she said to me, “we’ve got Cafemnee, a wo

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Regardless of the location, stage, or the characteristics of your audience, everybody who attends a concert wants the same: to be entertained, wowed, soothed, and taken away.

For most artists, how to approach the audience starts as at impossible knot of anxious questions: 'am I doing this right?', 'will they like it?', 'what if I make a mistake?'. The key to improve your audience management skills isn't to find the answer to all those questions, but to realise that they don't matter, at least not as much as you might think.

You can look at it like this: what is under your control, like how well you learn your musical pieces, is under your control, so there's no need to worry. What is not under your control, like whether the grumpy looking person at the end of the fifth row is enjoying themselves, is not under your control, so why worry about it? Of course, you should think of your audience, what they want and expect, but not to the point that the thought interferes with your ability...

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

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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

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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:

 

 

 

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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 ...