Success Beyond The Score

The second season of the podcast Success Beyond The Score has two distinct parts. So far, we have revisited the first one. For it, Millicent interviewed brilliant people in the music industry about a variety of relevant and interesting themes. Now, it’s time for the second one, in which we propose a new dialogue format: instead of one person talking about many different topics, you will hear all guests’ opinions on a singular topic.

The opening theme of this part of the podcast is family. Listen about how the guests balance work and home life, what their families have meant for their careers, how they have supported their journey, among other things.

The next topic has to do with the ideas associated with the status of celebrity. There is a notion that famous people live a life of applause, lights, and luxury. That they live far above the mundane. The guests will tell you how it really is. They talk about glitz, glamour and the Monday morning musician.

If long interviews are n...

As in every profession, the work of a musician involves legal and social responsibilities. If you want to build a career as a gigging musician, it is essential that you learn and follow the rules that keep the industry running safely. Don't worry, it isn't hard!

In this fragment of Millicent's free webinar, "Legal Know-Hows For Gigging Musicians", she explains two elements that will help you work safely: public liability insurance, and portable appliance testing.

We hope that this information comes in handy for your current projects. And, speaking of projects, we are working in a new, big resource that will teach you how to get your schedule filled with gigs. As part of the development of this product, we are conducting a survey about how you learn best. It takes two minutes to fill, and your input will allow us to cater to your needs in the most efficient way.

Click here to start the survey

It will be open until Sunday 21st June. Please share!

The last individual interview of the podcast Success Beyond The Score had as a guest the outstanding British-Jamaican R&B, Soul and Gospel singer-songwriter Ruby Turner (MBE).

With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Ruby Turner has left an indelible mark in the industry. Her song “It’s Gonna Be Alright’ broke through by hitting number 1 on the US R&B Chart in 1990, and her more than 20 albums and singles are widely known in Europe and North America. She has been a session vocalist for Bryan Ferry, UB40, Steel Pulse, Jools Holland and Mick Jagger. She has written songs for Lulu, Yazz and Maxi Priest.

Ruby is also an actress, and her acting career spans theater, film and TV, including fiction and non-fiction. She has also been a BBC Music Judge for televised choir competitions. Ruby’s awards include an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music.

In the first part of the interview, Ruby and Millicent talk about what it means to be a c...

Interviewing the next guest in this recap of Success Beyond The Score podcast, season 2, presented a challenge in regard to timezone differences: due to lockdown and travel restrictions related to the containment of COVID-19 at the time, the British composer and songwriter Dan Whitehouse was stranded in Japan. Regardless, Millicent managed to have an excellent talk with him.

Dan has released five solo albums. He is a songwriting tutor and mentor qualified in the Sounds of Intent methodology, and he has extensive experience working directly with musicians or through facilitators such as Midlands Arts Centre or Company of Song, to create community through music.

In the first part of the interview, we learn how everything started, how it was going at the time of recording, his experiences of studying music, and everything about being signed to a label.

The second part explores the impact of COVID-19 on Dan’s life and career, after lockdown made a visit to Japan become an almost two ...

Today, I want to tell you about an experience that one of my sax students lived recently, and what there is to learn from it.

My student posted a video of herself playing that got shared to many people. One person from those she reached liked what they saw, and contacted her to book her for an event. It sounded great, until it was revealed that the gig was in only two weeks.

Panic ensued. She did not know what to do. On one hand, she did not want to pass on the opportunity to play in public, even if for free. On the other, she did not feel ready. After consulting with family members and with myself as her teacher, she decided to go for it, playing a song she already knows well, and one she was working on. She did her best, and while she received no complaints, she ended up feeling overwhelmed and a tad regretful. She told me that she wished she could have an entire year to properly prepare. I can understand, I have been there!

Last minute gigs can open many doors, but they can also ...

England, Wales and Scotland: we have had time these past few months to hear candidates out and consider our options. Now, it is the time to decide who we want to represent us in our cities and regions. Whilst it is easy to be negative and pessimistic about the state of politics, democracy is still an invaluable opportunity to make our voices be heard. Don't let it pass!

In regard to the proposals surrounding the arts and entertainment industry, the Musicians Union wrote manifestos for both the Senedd Elections and the Scottish Parliamentary Elections. These manifestos addressed all candidates, and those who committed to consider them could be a good option for you to support, if you are still on the line.

Remember that you have time to vote between 7am and 10pm, and that you must bring a form of photographic identification in order to be allowed to vote. These include passports issued by the UK, EEA states or members of the Commonwealth, driving licenses, bus passes, biometric immigr...

The next pair of episodes of the podcast Success Beyond the Score, season 2, bring us to meet and talk to the brilliant saxophonist Anna Brooks.

She is an international touring and recording artiste with the Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Joolz Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Additionally, she is a music arranger, music director, music preparation specialist and singer. She is also a teacher at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

In the first part, Anna describes herself in the musical world, and then comments on how she balances family commitments and touring. We talk about the pros and cons of having a music degree, and why being self-taught rocks! She also talks about her instrument preferences, dealing with mistakes, and what it’s like being the only female in a band.

In the second part, we delved into how we coped with COVID-19; tips for transitioning your music into a full-time professional career; how Anna started her music career just six weeks after the birth of her sons; mu...

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, in ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’

This quote invites me to reflect about the process inherent to creativity. What comes before what when learning how to be an artist —musician or otherwise. Why is it like this, and how it conciliates with the notion of "learning by doing."

• How does the idea expressed by this quote make you think about your creative process?
• How does this impact your music journey?

I would love to read what you think.

Continuing with our journey down memory lane, today we bring the two episodes of the podcast Success Beyond The Score dedicated to the award-wining international operatic soprano Abigail Kelly.

Her engagements include a variety of roles, like the female lead in the ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, which she performs in various languages – Italian, Russian, German and French. Abigail is the Ambassador for the National Touring Opera and is passionate about making opera available to all. Abigail is a workshop leader and vocal tutor and has been featured in Black Hair and Beauty magazine.

In the first part, episode 6, Abigail explains why she chose to become an operatic soprano, the things opera singers do which singers in other genres do not, her journey to becoming a full-time musician, and the impact that COVID-19 had on her life and career.

In the second part, Abigail gives her insights on how to bounce back; dealing with fame and the mundane; tips for building a full-time music career...

Contracts, regulations, taxes, liabilities, trademarks and copyright. There is a big legal side to working as a musician. Not all of us, particularly those who are just starting, can afford hiring a professional to take care of that. Even if you have the resources, you still need to know your way around legislation to better communicate with your advisors, protect yourself and your audience.

With all this in mind, on Wednesday 22 April 2026, Millicent will be teaching a FREE webinar via Zoom about legal know-hows for gigging musicians. It is open to everybody who has access to the internet and wants to learn! All you need to do is sign-up following this link.

If you would like to have an idea of how the sessions go, here we have a couple of examples.

• Click here to watch a segment of the session about how to promote your music.
• Click here to watch the answer to a question submitted by a participant to that same session.

Please, share this event with everybody who could be inter...