As one of the best-selling jazz artists of all time, Kenny G is a widely known name in and out of the genre. His work is an essential reference of "smooth jazz", a radio-friendly type of jazz that crosses over to popular genres like pop and R&B. As it's unfortunately unavoidable, a sector of the jazz community sees Kenny's formidable commercial success as something negative, criticising him for not staying true to the genre, among other things.
This is what he had to say when asked about it during an interview with The Hang Podcast:
His words ring true and apply to the experience of all musicians, or in a wider sense, to all artists. There's always someone who won't like what you do, and a few more people who won't like that you're successful doing what you do. Part of growing as an artist is to learn from whom to accept criticism, and how to tell the difference between constructive and destructive criticism.
If you're visited by the "jazz police", the...
Here is the transcription of episode 8 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
INTRO:
Hello! I'm so pleased you're here with me again. It's a lovely day. It's cooler than it's been for a couple of days, I've got to admit. I'm still sweating, but hey-ho, that's the life of a gigging musician, menopausal musician, you name it.
Now, today I've really got a very interesting topic, and it might be one that you're already familiar with, but I think maybe I can put a twist on it. So: this is why you should video record your gigs.
There are a lot of benefits for video recording gigs, and it's something I have a lot of experience with, but it wasn't something that came easy. Maybe you're the type of musician that's thinking: "What? Video recording my gig? Nooo, wait, I ain't doing that!" You know, because you don't like the way you look, or maybe you're...
It's a new year and, as with every new beginning, we have the opportunity to take decisions and attitudes to work towards achieving our dreams. For 2024, we'd like to bring kindness to your attention.
Let's be kinder to ourselves. Diligence and discipline can take us very far, always that they remain that and don't turn into self-deprecation and self-mistreatment. Think about it: you are the one best equipped to understand your own rhythm and your limits. There's a difference between pushing yourself to do your best, and forcing yourself again and again to attempt something you can't do yet, until frustration crushes you. As the American actor Jason Alexander quotes during a master class at Boston University: "You don't yell at a bud because it isn't a flower yet. It's going to be a flower, but it opens when it's time for it to open."
Look at the goals you've set for yourself this year and ask yourself whether they are realistic and specific enough to be useful to...
The podcast Success Beyond The Score is soon to have a new season! The wait has been long but we promise it was worth it. We’ll provide details soon (as soon as the end of this week!), but while the time comes, why don’t you listen to the seasons that are already there?
No matter if it is your first time, or if you have already studied the episodes and benefited from applying what you learned to your career, we believe there’s always something new to take from these capsules of key knowledge of the music industry, provided by decades of experience by Millicent and her guests.
You can listen to the two seasons on the following platforms:
And you can watch the videos of season 2 on YouTube.
Stay tunned!
The brand name “Success Beyond The Score” started as a podcast back in 2019. Since then, it grew into the this website full of different resources for emerging musicians. The podcast itself has two seasons with 50 episodes in total, covering all kind of relevant topics for artists who want to achieve their goals in the music industry.
Usually, people stick to the latest content of shows that have been airing for a while. In the case of the podcast "Success Beyond The Score", doing so would not be advantageous. Have you never listened to it? Or maybe you did so long ago and don't remember much? Go to episode one of the first season and start, or restart, your journey into the secrets of the industry.
If you want all the episodes with their respective info, so you can choose what to listen and in what order, you can do it in this link. Share and discuss with your colleagues, and of course, be sure to contact Millicent if you have topic...
We live in a busy world. Our phones keep us active, the internet cries for our attention, and then there is the demands of family, friends, work and even our music. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. You might even find you feel stressed.
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 was affected by working maximum hours with limited sleep, so three years ago I started to realign myself and it’s paying off. One of the things I did was to consciously plan breaks in my day and week.
A break can be a few minutes each day where you mentally come away from work. This could be looking at nature, the sky, having a short sleep, doing something creative, but not music. These things will help your brain, which in this regard is like a muscle, to rest, relax and recover, renewing you to do your next job.
A break can be moments taken to...
Today’s episode of the podcast is perfect to start the year: from each guest, we are going to hear at least three essential tips that you can do now to make it in the music industry and build a full-time career. It condenses all the other advice and experience we have enjoyed through all the season, which is great and so useful, isn’t it?
Find the perfect platform to listen to the audio version in this link, or watch on YouTube.
Recently, I’ve been binge watching ‘Race To The Center of the Earth’. It has adventure, dizzy heights even from my sofa, a little drama, great scenery and of course teams competing for the prize of one million dollars. I love shows like these because I find them inspiring, a little scary (when someone gets hurt or they have to climb up a super high cliff face) but also interesting.
How does this relate to music? Last time, I mentioned I would share with you one of the things I still do now to keep me moving and growing as a musician. On reflection, there are 3 things, but today I’ll illustrate the first one through the Race.
Each of the racers in the Team have a goal. A goal to win the million-dollar prize. They are focused on that goal and all roads lead to that goal. They train for that goal; they strategize towards that goal and at the end they will know if they achieve the goal.
This is something I do. No,...