Success Beyond The Score

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 20th 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...

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, in ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’

This quote invites me to reflect about the process inherent to creativity. What comes before what when learning how to be an artist —musician or otherwise. Why is it like this, and how it conciliates with the notion of "learning by doing."

• How does the idea expressed by this quote make you think about your creative process?
• How does this impact your music journey?

I would love to read what you think.

There are a myriad of different jobs under the umbrella of music professions. They interconnect and collaborate to make the creation and sharing of music possible. Some of us specialize at an atomic level, some others pick up more than one skill, some are jacks of all trades. During my many decades in the industry, I have mainly enjoyed performing, teaching and mentoring. For the longest time, though, I had the dream to add music production to that set of skills. 

Whilst I am forever grateful to those who have helped me produce my music, including my album Reflective Notes and my single Take Me To The King, I always nursed the interest to produce for myself. Finally, over the last 15 months, I have been able to fulfill that aspiration by attending courses offered by the Xylo Aria's Music Production for Women initiative. 

I have learned so much, both at a technical and a creative level! Now I am able to do things like this special live arrangement for the band The Mowatts:

 

 

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This year, the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) organised their fifth version of Musicians' Mental Health Month. With a focus on Imposter Syndrome, they are offering a number of resources for musicians, ranging from coaching and therapy sessions to blogs and Q&A articles on the subject.

Imposter Syndrome, which consists in the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills, affects people in all professions. It can become debilitating, opening the way to anxiety and paranoia. If you have confronted these feelings before, please know that you are not alone, and that there is a way out of this negative mindset.

This page on the MU's website contains a summary of the activities and resources of the YCAT's Musicians' Mental Health Month. Share it with friends, it might help more that you think!