Success Beyond The Score

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 is the event? ‘Wednesday Mic Fever’ night.  A ...

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 talking and you can'...

We know what you first thought was: Is there someone campaigning in favour of female mediocrity?! What's that supposed to mean?!

 In an article posted by the Musicians' Union as part of their guest blogs, Christine Anderson explains her point. This viola player, who's a member of Her Ensemble, as well as an orchestral and chamber musician, shares her experiences and thoughts on women and diversity within the classical music industry in a thought provoking article that starts like this:

The classical music industry is changing. Admittedly, the pace could generously be described as glacial: according to Donne - Women in Music, in the 2021-22 season, across 111 orchestras in 31 countries, just 7.7% of pieces played were by women, of which 5.5% were white (while 27.5% of pieces were by the same ten historical, white European men).

But this is at least a slight improvement on the previous year, where just 5% of compositions were by women. And out with the big, established orchestras, the...

We all have heard about tap dancing, and we also know beatboxing. But have you ever thought about how these two arts could sound together? Well, American dancer Savion Glover and Barbados-born rapper Doug E. Fresh show us how:

This performance happened almost ten years ago, but it's as wonderful as it was the first day. Some times, combinations that should be rather obvious are the ones that surprise us the most. Kudos to the artists!

The COVID-19 pandemic forced artistic venues to close down and all artists across the world face the scary question of how to keep doing our thing when we couldn't even meet with our audiences. After three months of inactivity, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona came up with a solution. On June 2020, they offered a performance to an attentive public that needed no social distancing:

 

 

 

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Shared by im just culture (@imjustculture)

The string quartet in charge of the performance played Giacomo Puccini's "Crisantemi" for a full auditorium of potted plants plus human audiences connected via livestream. Later, the plants were donated, along with a certificate of attendance, to over 2000 healthcare professionals attending the COVID-19 emergency.

The event, a call to reconnect with nature in times of crisis, was the prelude to the Liceu's 2020-2021 season, during which the Spanish authorities permitted the operation of artistic venues and cinem...

Following intense discussions with the Musicians' Union over several weeks, the BBC announced on March 24th that they will not be closing the BBC Singers on September 30th of this year. While these are positive news, the futures of BBC Singers and the BBC Concert, Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras are still at risk.

In order to protect these musicians, and keep the British music community stable and healthy as consequence, the MU is calling us to write to the BBC with the following suggestions:

1. Maintain the BBC Singers as a full-time employed BBC Performing Group with a bright future.
2. Withdraw proposals to make 20% cuts to jobs in the BBC Concert, Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras.
3. Commit to maintaining all six Performing Groups as an essential part of the BBC’s public service remit.

If you want to learn more before taking action, or need a template to know how to write your petition, you can find resources on this post by the MU. Consider following them on Twitter to be...

After two successful online concerts in 2021 and 2022, the women of Time For My Music are ready for a bigger challenge. We have been discussing the format and features of our next performance for some time now, and we would deeply value your input!

If you have attended any T4MM concert, or you have watched the videos afterwards, please answer this short survey for us. (THE SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED)

If you haven't seen any of our work yet, here are the highlights of the first concert:

And here's the second concert in full:

The Musicians’ Census is a joint project by the Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians to get a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be a musician in 2023. The more participants there are in this census, the better these institutions will understand the work and life conditions of musicians in the UK. This will allow them to take more precise action to address our concerns and talk with the government in order to be able to offer:

-Organised support for musicians, regardless of their background.
-Information, advise and training on pay conditions.
-Union services.
-Promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion.
-A steady campaign for a fairer and safer industry.
-Social and legal recognition of musicians' work and importance within the industry.

You can participate following this link: https://www.musicianscensus.co.uk/

Don't forget to share this information with your musician friends in the United Kingdom!

Here is the transcription of episode 3 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:

It's kind of a strange title, really: "killed by sound". But in my experience going through music and watching other people, the sound system, the PA (public address) system, microphone, stuff like that, really gets in the way of our playing. And let's face it, you put in a lot of time practising. You learn the notes, you learn the chords, you learn the rhythm, you learn what you're gonna say, all that kind of thing. And then, it's just time to go and deliver. And when it's time to deliver, what lets you down is a PA system. 

EARLY EXPERIENCES:

Well, my experience —oh gosh, going back a few years— I sort of started playing, um, certainly for my sax, I was in my late teens, early twenties when I started. And that's sort of back in the eighties. And what I did ...