Success Beyond The Score

Anna Mae Bullock, known as the legendary Tina Turner, passed away three months ago. There are many things that one could say and highlight about her astounding career in the arts, and how she seemed to be able to sing, dance and act in anything she set her mind to. This time, however, we'd like to pay attention at how she kept a healthy work-life balance through her brilliant career, which most likely explains how long and fruitful it was.

When asked during an interview if she woke up in the morning and looked at herself in the mirror to marvel at the fact that she was really the one and only Tina Turner, this is what she replied:

In the current era, when everybody is a little celebrity building a persona through social media, this perspective becomes very valuable. Giving ‘everything’ on stage doesn’t have to include —in fact, it shouldn’t include— that which is more personal to us, our privacy and core identity. We must strive for a...

We live in a busy world.  Our phones keep us active, the internet cries for our attention, and on top of that, there are demands and needs coming from our family, friends, work and even our music.  Sometimes, it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, which makes us face a common enemy: stress. 

There are many tips, videos and blogs on the internet giving advice on how to cope with stress. I learnt the hard way how much my health could be affected by working maximum hours with limited sleep. As a result, I started to realign myself since a few years ago, and now I can say it really pays off!

One of the things I did was to consciously plan breaks in my day and week. A break can consist of just a few minutes during which you mentally come away from work by, for example, looking at nature (as I was doing when I snapped the cover photo of this blog around a month ago, when I travelled to the Czech Republic). You can also have a...

Jacob Collier is an English musician whose music often features combinations of jazz with elements from many other musical genres. He's known for his extensive use of reharmonisation (which means altering the harmony of an existing melodic line) and close harmony (which means that the distance between the highest and lowest note of a given chord is of no more than one octave). He's also famous for his energetic and interactive live performances, where he usually conducts the audience to sing.

During many years of spontaneous audience interventions, Jacob had been trying to make the choir go beyond the major scale. During a concert in Rome last year, he finally achieved it:

A chromatic scale is a twelve pitches scale where each of them is separated by a semitone (also known as half-step). The semitone is the smallest interval between pitches in the Western scale, so it's uncommon for untrained musicians to sing it intuitively. Suffice to say, that, that an entire theatre...

When the community of Time For My Music decided to have a Drink, Chill and Chat event in person, the question of the venue was the first to pop out. Fortunately, a woman who attends the Natwest Accelerator programme with Millicent mentioned the OLDP Women's Hub to her.

OLDP is the acronym of "Opportunities for Liberating and Developing your Potential", the name of the charitable incorporated organisation that manages the Women's Hub, among other facilities and programmes. Their objective is the promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by providing training and work experience initiatives targeting girls and women living in Birmingham and the surrounding area.

The Women's Hub is coworking space that women can rent to use as an office, and/or to conduct events, meetings and well-being activities. It counts with multiple spaces and appliances in order to accommodate to the needs of different business. The women of Time For My Music had a...

Here is the transcription of episode 5 of season 3 of the podcast "Success Beyond The Score". Happy reading!

- Watch the video of the episode here: YouTube

- Listen to the audio of the episode here: Kajabi

PODCAST INTRO:

I'm going to be diving into the three reasons why you should be charging for your music starting today! It's really, really warm weather and in fact, I've got a gig later on as well, but I thought I'd come on and speak with you and share some nuggets. And I would love to hear from you too. If you've got a story to tell about getting paid, put that in the comments; I'd love to read it out, give you some tips on that. And if you've got any questions, please do that.

Getting paid is a real vital thing for musicians. I said in episode one, on Monday, that I believe every musician should be paid their worth. I a 100% believe it, believe it, believe it. Of course, it's a journey, and for some of you, you're probably not charging at all —that's why...

In preparation of the Drink, Chill and Chat in person event we'll have this Saturday 10th June on Birmingham, today we want to share a testimonial given by Time For My Music's member Janice about the good things that have come out of being part of the community for her:

Hi all.

I just managed to watch the video from the last DCC. I would like to thank everyone very much for their encouragement and support during my journey as a solo artist. These things mean a lot to me, and I am so lucky to have you all in my life. You all push me forwards and instil me with confidence, self-esteem and belief. Also, thanks to those who were able to attend the “Wednesday Mic Fever“ where I was featured. I really appreciate the feedback and lovely comments. It was truly an amazing experience that I will treasure forever. Things would not be the same, though, without the women from Time For My Music. The sessions have prepared me for the future and I still have a lot more to...

After years operating online due to the conditions of the pandemic, Time For My Music will have a meeting in person! We are very excited to finally see each other in the flesh and share some quality time. In addition, we want to use the occasion to hopefully introduce more emerging female musicians to the community. If you are a woman in music who can attend an event in Birmingham (UK) this Saturday 10th June between 2pm and 4pm, please know we'd be delighted to have you there!

How to know if this event is right for you? Well, if:

• You are a female musician (for example: pianist, guitarist, drummer, percussionist, wind player, singer, rapper).
• Your music is your hobby, or side hustle, but you are not making much money
• You are stuck with how to take your music forward
• You are looking for a space to discuss situations that affect women in music, without cynical or negative feedback.
• Knowing about mics, and what the buttons on an amplifier/PA system...

No band? No problem! Backing Tracks got you covered, and if you don't know how to use them or want to get better at it, then this course is for you.

Learn where to buy professionally made Backing Tracks that enhance your performances, what software to use in order to adjust them to your needs and style, and how to play them to their max potential during gigs. Get ideas through real life examples, detailed explanations and quick tips that are easy to apply and remember. After this course, your performances will be on a while new level!

Watch the introductory video and get your course clicking here.

You can see more courses and resources in our store. If you want to get familiar with Millicent's teaching style first, there are free gifts for you as well!

Songs are a big thing for me. I guess, maybe for you too.  As a musician I spend time thinking about what to play to suit the occasion.  I spend time listening to new songs.  Learning them.  My ears are sensitive to music wherever I go. 

This week I finalising my set for my live performance with the Not Just Jazz Band. 

It's been a while. Lockdown got in the way, then it was about navigating obstacles and finally rebuilding my music business.  I'm currently inundated with work, but I could not pass up the opportunity of this invitation.  Playing at Wednesday Mic Fever meant I could get the Band together. Although everyone is working on various projects, we have not played together in, I think 4 years, so this for me will be a treat.

When are we playing? Wednesday evening 7th June.  I know it's a Wednesday, a mid-week brightener :-)  

Where are we playing? The Legacy Centre of Excellence, 144 Potters Lane, Birmingham B6 4UU,

What...

Here is the transcription of episode 4 of season 3 of the podcast "Success Beyond The Score". Happy reading!

- Watch the video of the episode here: YouTube

- Listen to the audio of the episode here: Kajabi

PODCAST INTRO:

Today is day four of season three of my podcast, Success Beyond the Score. And if you haven't already watched the first three episodes, one's about "The Seven Stages Of The Gigging Musician", the other was about, um... oh gosh, I can't remember all my titles now! Look, just go back, there's a playlist. Getting old, haha!

Anyway, today is about: "I'm A Musician. Why Do I Need A Business Plan?" And this is a topic most musicians just say: "No, I really, really, really don't need this at all. You know, I do not need this at all. I just want to play!".

By the way, if you can't hear me, drop a message in the chat so that I can make sure you can all hear me 'cause the last thing I want is to, is to be —I think that seems to be working— is to be...