Success Beyond The Score

It has been almost four years since generative AI technology was made available to the public. During this time, the severely negative impact it has on the job market and the environment has been proven again and again. However, governments across the world have failed to react appropriately. To this day, human creators whose work has been used to train large language models (LLMs) have no way to corroborate so, and therefore, cannot enforce their ownership rights.

Until 29 October 2026, there is a petition to the UK Parliament seeking to fix this issue. It asks for the introduction of a statutory duty requiring AI developers to disclose their training sources and information. As with all petitions submitted through this channel, if this one gets 10,000 signatures before the deadline, the government will respond to it. If the number surpasses 100,000, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Creators need clear rules and regulations that ensure their work is used with consent,...

"The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you."
—B. B. King, blues musician 

Material things come and go. They can be used up, break down, get lost or stolen. Once you learn something, though, it stays with you. Not only that, but the more you use and share knowledge, the more it solidifies and grows. However, the opposite is true: if you don't apply, revisit or otherwise think about what you have learned, you may forget with time. 

•  What are your thoughts about this quote?

•  What are some things you do to retain the skills and knowledge you have learned?

Give it some thought and share your conclusions with us, if you feel like it.

As in every profession, the work of a musician involves legal and social responsibilities. If you want to build a career as a gigging musician, it is essential that you learn and follow the rules that keep the industry running safely. Don't worry, it isn't hard!

In this fragment of Millicent's free webinar, "Legal Know-Hows For Gigging Musicians", she explains two elements that will help you work safely: public liability insurance, and portable appliance testing.

We hope that this information comes in handy for your current projects. And, speaking of projects, we are working in a new, big resource that will teach you how to get your schedule filled with gigs. As part of the development of this product, we are conducting a survey about how you learn best. It takes two minutes to fill, and your input will allow us to cater to your needs in the most efficient way.

Click here to start the survey

It will be open until Sunday 21st June. Please share!

The last individual interview of the podcast Success Beyond The Score had as a guest the outstanding British-Jamaican R&B, Soul and Gospel singer-songwriter Ruby Turner (MBE).

With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Ruby Turner has left an indelible mark in the industry. Her song “It’s Gonna Be Alright’ broke through by hitting number 1 on the US R&B Chart in 1990, and her more than 20 albums and singles are widely known in Europe and North America. She has been a session vocalist for Bryan Ferry, UB40, Steel Pulse, Jools Holland and Mick Jagger. She has written songs for Lulu, Yazz and Maxi Priest.

Ruby is also an actress, and her acting career spans theater, film and TV, including fiction and non-fiction. She has also been a BBC Music Judge for televised choir competitions. Ruby’s awards include an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music.

In the first part of the interview, Ruby and Millicent talk about what it means to be a c...

Throughout the years, Success Beyond The Score has posted resources for emerging and established musicians in all types of formats. Podcasts, booklets, videos, live webinars, in-person workshops; we have made our portfolio as wide and varied as possible, wishing to offer valuable information in ways that suit all kinds of people.

Now, in preparation for our next big resource, we want to know how you learn best. For that, we have put together a two minutes survey. If you could fill it, and also share it with other emerging and established musicians who could be interested in learning how to fill their schedule with gigs, we will be very thankful.

Click here to start the survey

It will be open until Sunday 21st June. After that date, we will put everything together and give you more information as soon as we can. Please, look forward to it!

I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it

—Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to Anthon van Rappard about his process for the creation of the painting ‘The Potato Eaters’

This quote is an interesting counterpoint to the last one we shared, written by Friedrich Nietzsche. The only way in which Vincent Van Gogh can figure out how to paint the subjects of his painting is by trying to paint them, the same way that we learn how to play a song by attempting to play it.

Let's use this juxtaposition to think about perfectionism and our fear of failure. It is easy to fall into the trap of procrastination under the guise of "preparing" for something that we don't know how to do. However, we do need a solid technical foundation and/or context knowledge in order to achieve the things that we want to achieve.

• How do you strive to reach this balance in your music?
• Do you have other ways to fight perfectionism off? 

Give these questions some thought, and...

Interviewing the next guest in this recap of Success Beyond The Score podcast, season 2, presented a challenge in regard to timezone differences: due to lockdown and travel restrictions related to the containment of COVID-19 at the time, the British composer and songwriter Dan Whitehouse was stranded in Japan. Regardless, Millicent managed to have an excellent talk with him.

Dan has released five solo albums. He is a songwriting tutor and mentor qualified in the Sounds of Intent methodology, and he has extensive experience working directly with musicians or through facilitators such as Midlands Arts Centre or Company of Song, to create community through music.

In the first part of the interview, we learn how everything started, how it was going at the time of recording, his experiences of studying music, and everything about being signed to a label.

The second part explores the impact of COVID-19 on Dan’s life and career, after lockdown made a visit to Japan become an almost two ...

Today, I want to tell you about an experience that one of my sax students lived recently, and what there is to learn from it.

My student posted a video of herself playing that got shared to many people. One person from those she reached liked what they saw, and contacted her to book her for an event. It sounded great, until it was revealed that the gig was in only two weeks.

Panic ensued. She did not know what to do. On one hand, she did not want to pass on the opportunity to play in public, even if for free. On the other, she did not feel ready. After consulting with family members and with myself as her teacher, she decided to go for it, playing a song she already knows well, and one she was working on. She did her best, and while she received no complaints, she ended up feeling overwhelmed and a tad regretful. She told me that she wished she could have an entire year to properly prepare. I can understand, I have been there!

Last minute gigs can open many doors, but they can also ...

England, Wales and Scotland: we have had time these past few months to hear candidates out and consider our options. Now, it is the time to decide who we want to represent us in our cities and regions. Whilst it is easy to be negative and pessimistic about the state of politics, democracy is still an invaluable opportunity to make our voices be heard. Don't let it pass!

In regard to the proposals surrounding the arts and entertainment industry, the Musicians Union wrote manifestos for both the Senedd Elections and the Scottish Parliamentary Elections. These manifestos addressed all candidates, and those who committed to consider them could be a good option for you to support, if you are still on the line.

Remember that you have time to vote between 7am and 10pm, and that you must bring a form of photographic identification in order to be allowed to vote. These include passports issued by the UK, EEA states or members of the Commonwealth, driving licenses, bus passes, biometric immigr...

The next pair of episodes of the podcast Success Beyond the Score, season 2, bring us to meet and talk to the brilliant saxophonist Anna Brooks.

She is an international touring and recording artiste with the Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Joolz Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Additionally, she is a music arranger, music director, music preparation specialist and singer. She is also a teacher at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

In the first part, Anna describes herself in the musical world, and then comments on how she balances family commitments and touring. We talk about the pros and cons of having a music degree, and why being self-taught rocks! She also talks about her instrument preferences, dealing with mistakes, and what it’s like being the only female in a band.

In the second part, we delved into how we coped with COVID-19; tips for transitioning your music into a full-time professional career; how Anna started her music career just six weeks after the birth of her sons; mu...