Success Beyond The Score

In the first article of this series, we thought about what we want to achieve. Then, in the second entry, we reflected a little deeper to understand why we want what we want. So far, the most practical part of this exercise has been to write ideas down, you haven't had to stand up from the couch just yet.

Now, however, we have arrived to the point where the vast majority of people get stuck: the how. How can we get to where we want to get? What do we need? Where and how to start? The questions and the uncertainty can easily overwhelm you.

The first thing that we need to do is to step back, breathe, and focus on the elements of our vision. What is there that you need to acquire? What do you need to do in order to acquire those things? You'll be surprised by how frequently a daunting task becomes simple and easy just by paying no mind to anxiety, considering instead the logical steps needed to execute it.

Let's say that your goal is to play at open mics in the next year. What do you n...

The podcast Success Beyond The Score was one of the foundational initiatives of the website full of resources that you know today. While the first season is already a few years old, it contains valuable information and perspectives that are still helpful. If you got a moment, why not revisit some of the episodes? Perhaps something in there will be relevant to where you currently are in your music journey.

For your consideration, here are the three first episodes of season 1:

1. Introduction

The what, why and by whom of the podcast Success Beyond The Score.

2. Is age a number?

Is your age important to what you do? Does it elevate or decimate your music? 

3. Who's going to make your music happen?

Who do you need to contact to make your music career happen, get you gigs and help you move forward?

If you have any comments, questions or observations about the content of these chapters, we would love to know!

Last time, I talked about my thought process when I decided to move on from being a hobbyist and become an established musician. I explained how I started cementing my vision by writing down what I wanted to achieve, condensing my beautiful dreams into describable goals. I also invited you to do the same, so you had your own material to follow along this series.

Now that you have the what, the next question is why. What is the reason behind your wish to reach something? What is the purpose that your goals serve to yourself? If you don't understand why you are doing what you do, or you lose sight of it with time, your motivation will dwindle. You need energy to overcome the challenges and obstacles that you will inevitably find on your way, and this energy, this drive that you need, can be fuelled by your reasons.

Just as we wrote down our whats to solidify them, we need to document our whys. Going back to them now and then to remind ourselves of our purpose keeps us focused and pushi...

If you ask an unsuspecting person what preparing for a music gig entails, they are probably going to mention things like rehearsing the songs or making sure the instruments are in good condition. These are, of course, very important parts of the process, but they are not even remotely the only ones. 

An independent gigging musician is frequently their own agent, manager, producer, technician and stylist. Things like figuring out transportation to and from the venue are as much our responsibility as knowing how to play the songs of our set list. After all, it doesn't matter how good you are as a musician if you never arrive to your performance and no one can hear you!

A good example of this happened last Wednesday, when I took part of the civic flag raising ceremony that the Association of Jamaican Nationals Birmingham put together to commemorate the anniversary of the independence of Jamaica. I needed to bring my PA system for the event, which meant I had to use my car. Now, if you'v...

I wasn’t born a full-time award-winning musician. In fact, I spent the first couple of decades of my adult life working in a completely different field. During those years, music was a hobby, a fulfilling one that I loved, but nothing more than that. Whilst I did catch the attention of a record label or two, it never came to anything.

At 42, I attended a concert by a friend. Seeing him shining on stage, being aware of his achievements and career, made me realise that I wanted that too. With my children in secondary and primary school, I was at a point when I finally had time for myself. The conditions were there, I could give professional music a shot! I hesitated for a long time, but finally, I decided to try.

I gave myself a timeframe, which was of five years, and sat to write down all the things I wanted to achieve during that period. At that point, I didn't know how to get there, but that didn't matter. The first step towards reaching a goal is to know what the goal is. Then, in ...

Chad Lefkowitz-Brown is an international award-winning saxophonist specialised in jazz and pop. He also works as an educator, both with institutions like the San Francisco Conservatory, and on spaces of his own creation, like the Global Jazz Workshop.

His teaching operates under the idea that what people would call talent, understood as the innate aptitude to do something, can actually be acquired through practise and work. He elaborates on this idea in the clip below, posted on his Instagram page:

 

 

 

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A post shared by Chad LB (@chadlbsax)

Although there are always nuances to be considered with a statement like this, looking at our learning process under this lens is undoubtedly uplifting. When we stop thinking about certain skills or levels of ability as something inaccessible, or something that you have to be born with (as Chad says, there's no such a thing!), we can work towards acquiring them or adapting them to our ways of express...

There are two days left for you to join Time For My Music. Upon signing up, you will get free trial access to the community's library of resources and information, and you will also get a 20 minutes one-to-one talk with Millicent, in which you will be able to learn more about the dynamics of the group and talk to her about your music journey and aspirations.

You can learn more about Time For My Music here and sign up here.

For your consideration, here are some highlights of the testimonials that the members of Time For My Music gave during the Evening Showcase last year, which was the first face to face concert they put together as a group:

With Millicent's support, we've been able to achieve things that we never thought were possible.
—Michelle

What Millicent gives us is the confidence to come out and play in front of people.
—Patricia

Time For My Music is togetherness, a way to put ourselves out in the world as musicians together.
—Melody

We have been pushed out of our comfort zo...

We're happy to announce that ‘Time For My Music’ is currently open to new members. The community-focused online programme, aimed at women, offers information, resources and support for emerging musicians to reach their goals in the music industry.

Learn more about it in the about page.

This is the right programme for you if you’re a female musician, singer, DJ, rapper or spoken word artiste, and you’re in one of the following situations:

• Music is your hobby, but you would like to take it to the next step by performing and eventually get paid.
• You’re returning to music after a break, and could use some support and a boost of confidence in order to get back in.
• You have gigged occasionally, but it doesn’t seem to be working, and you’d like to give your music one last push to see if you can realise your music dreams.

There's no level of gigging experience required, and you can join from anywhere in the world.

Sign-up now and get access to a free trial of the community group unt...

Stress, stress, stress, and more stress.  We are living in a stressful world. When I was younger, it didn’t feel like that. I don’t know if it was because there were less stressful things, or because I was less aware, less connected with the state of society. In any case, I feel there is so much stress nowadays, with the social and political unrest, the rising cost of living, and the need to balance that with the challenges of relationships and other factors of life.

On top of all that, I’ve learned that menopause makes us more susceptible to stress. This happens due to the changes in our hormonal levels. For example, the reduction of estrogen in our bodies gives way for cortisol, a hormone produced as a stress response, to shoot up quicker and more drastically. Before taking Pamela’s course, I didn’t even suspect that what I considered overthinking and worry could actually be a natural response caused by menopause. That said, the fact that I understood why I was so stressed didn’t me...

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.

...