Success Beyond The Score

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.

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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

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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:

 

 

 

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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

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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.

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Preceded by two online performances, the ‘Time For My Music’ Evening Showcase was the first live concert offered by the women of the Time For My Music programme. The venue was the MAC Theatre of Birmingham, and the date, 29 October 2024.

For those who couldn't attend, and also those who attended and want to relive the experience, the full concert will be made available on Millicent's YouTube channel. Part 1 is already out, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy 50 minutes of music by the talented Angela, Angie Lee, Asharp, Melody, Michelle, Patricia and Tiny Sax:

Part 2 comes out on 23 March, just three weeks from now.

Many thanks to GL 360 Productions (@gl360media) for making a full coverage of the evening showcase, making it possible to share the art of these women with people all around the world. Be sure to play the video in full HD to get the best experience, and if you like it, let us know in a comment or by sharing with your friends!

Despite what some might think, working in music can be quite physically demanding. As a gigging musician, I have to travel to the venues where I’ll perform, often carrying my instrument and PA system with me. I bend, lift, shift and go up and down to set up my equipment. I move around the stage (sometimes off it and through the crowd, even) while performing. As a saxophonist, I really put my lungs to work every time I play, and I can’t run out of breath mid-concert!

Now, our bodies go through important changes during menopause that can have a huge impact on our energy levels and physical endurance. Menopausal people might experience changes in bone density, heart health, weight, body shape and mobility. This can affect our ability to keep working, so it’s important to exercise consciously and regularly in order to counter menopausal symptoms.

To be transparent, I didn’t struggle that much keeping up with physical activity prior to joining the SMART Rewind Metabolic Health 12 Week Pro...

No matter how experienced or learned someone is, how many resources they have, how many measures they take, accidents and mistakes are inescapable. What defines a good musician isn't the absence of hiccups or errors, but rather, how they react to them.

Take as an example this rendition of Queen's quintessential song, Bohemian Rhapsody, played during a concert in Caracas, Venezuela, back in 1981.

Even if you aren't a fervent fan of Queen, it's highly likely that you've listened to this song enough times to tell something goes wrong at the 01:40 mark. Brian May works around the issue to play the solo for that part, but by 02:04, he changes the melody completely. The image isn't that clear, but apparently he missed his cue and broke one of his strings immediately after.

Observe how he doesn't freeze, doesn't stop or reacts in a visibly panicked way. His fellow band members do look slightly confused while they understand what happened, but this doesn't prevent them from playing their...