Success Beyond The Score

We know how it goes: every new year is the same old story. After two weeks of full gyms, busy workshops and classrooms, freshly opened notebooks and brand-new gadgets for all sorts of resolutions, most things gravitate back to their former state. Our storage rooms get a little more full, giving us more work when it is time for spring-cleaning, and we are left with a vague feeling of defeat.

However, it does not have to be like this. With thoughtful planning and pertinent research, you can bring your hazy dreams into focus, turning them into a clear vision that includes both a feasible destination, and the path to reach it. This will allow you to advance consistently, manage frustration as well as your expectations, be better equipped to deal with setbacks, and carry on beyond January 15th.

If you are going to dedicate what is left of December to define your new year's resolutions for 2026, Millicent's advice about the what, why, how, when and where of creating and achieving your visi...

These episodes of the podcast Success Beyond the Score complete the segment about music press kits. If you want to learn more about how to make money from your music and how to promote yourself, be sure to join our mailing list to be notified of our offers on this and other topics.

Have a listen:

19. What should be your killer music track for your press kit?

Sometimes, potential clients ask you for your music instead of your press kit. So, what should be your killer track, the one that gets them thinking you are the one to book? In general terms, what is the client looking for in your music?

20. How to make serious money from your music

Would you like to know how to increase your earning potential through your music? Would you like to earn the money you desire from your music? Millicent shares her experience of making a living from her music in this episode. 

21. What are the top three essential things to have in your music press kit?

Millicent wraps up her series on the Mus

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2026 is around the corner. If you are a woman who has been thinking about taking your music to higher grounds as part of your new year's resolutions, we have excellent news: Time For My Music will open its door for new members in January!

One of the most valuable resources you will get upon joining are the monthly workshops. Becoming part of the community grants you instant access to all the workshops that we have already had, which include topics like:

• How to edit backing tracks
• A.I., cookies and data protection
• Dealing with setbacks
• Creating and achieving your vision

Most importantly, you will be able to attend and interact live in the following workshops during the first half of 2026:

• How to broadcast your performance
• Health for musicians
• Starting from scratch
• Promoting yourself
• Legal requirements and your music
• Getting paid Q&A

If this sounds interesting, be sure to join our mailing list. That way, you will be the first to learn when signups start. You can read...

The following group of episodes of the podcast Success Beyond the Score are all about how to market yourself. While the event discussed in episode 14 has long since past, the process described is a good example of what to expect when trying to get that sort of gigs. From episode 15 onwards, Millicent will talk you through the design of your Music Press Kit.

Have a listen:

14. How to perform in the Commonwealth Games 2022

Would you like to perform in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, which are being held in the city of Birmingham and the West Midlands region, United Kingdom? In today's episode, Millicent explains how to get yourself in.

15. What should you have in your Music Press Kit?

What is a Music Press Kit? Is it different from an Electronic Press Kit? What should be in it? Whether you are in the early stages of your music or performing regularly, a Press Kit is a must.

16. How to write an artist bio

What should you put in your music bio? How should it be written? What sho

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Performance art demands the better and the most from creatives. Our physical and mental capabilities are always being tested. We engage our memory to learn the parts of our act and be able to perform them on stage from beginning to end, and we need endurance to withstand it without losing our energy and presence. We require quick problem-solving skills to react accordingly if something goes wrong (and how many things can and will go wrong!), along with good stress and anxiety management. Our craft has an impact in different parts of our body: tendons and joints for dancers, vocal cords and respiratory system for singers, etc. For all of this, a health service specialised in the needs of performing artists is essential for the survival of our industry.

This is where BAPAM, the British Association of Performance Arts Medicine, comes into play. Established in 1984, it is now the largest provider of clinical services to the UK's performing arts sector, supporting everybody from students t...

In order to improve and diversify the offer for you in Success Beyond The Score, during autumn we conducted a survey about your preferences regarding short courses and coaching sessions. Your answers helped us understand what format, duration and prices are best for you. Now, we are developing our offer to welcome 2026 with new material to boost your career.

Your input is very valuable to us. Thank you for giving us the chance to tailor our products to your needs. Now, while we get ready to launch our new offers, let us remind you of the resources currently available on our website:

• Podcast: Three seasons packed with information about the music industry by Millicent and other professionals with decades of experience.
• Freebies: Get valuable insights on the music industry at no cost.
• E-learning opportunities: From stage craft to backing tracks production, these paid courses will equip you with everything you need to develop as a gigging musician or singer.
• Time For My Music: an on
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Every new app and website we visit asks the same question: "do you want to activate notifications?" The options come next: for news, for offers, for purchases, for chats. To your e-mail, through messages, or pushed directly to your device. Allow them all, or even a number of them, and you will soon find yourself flooded by pings and buzzes calling for you 24/7.

The currency of social media is your attention. Ultimately, all these digital service providers are after your time. They deploy different strategies to keep you looking at your screen, from presenting their content and tools as games where you lose points if you don't "play" every day, to linking themselves with notions like friendship or responsibility, so you feel guilty if you are not available at all hours.

The truth is that you are the owner of your time, and you are under no obligation of giving any part of it to the internet. As the companies behind social media and online platforms are actively seeking your attention,...

One of the things that I learned in the early stages of my music career is the importance of having a sound check.

In the early stages, I would turn in at the start time of the event with my instrument, put it together while I was in my seat, go on stage when my name was called, and play. This made it so I didn't normally get the sound experience I hoped. Fast forward to today, when I arrive 90 to 60 minutes before the starting time of the performance, depending on whether I’m bringing my own PA. I make sure that my sax mic is working, that my setup is correct and that my tracks work. Then, I walk around the stage in order to identify any zones where the signal of the radio mic may drop or stutter, or where feedback could be generated.

This is how I can guarantee a good sound and therefore a good experience for my audience. To illustrate, here is a little clip of me doing a sound check before playing Kingston Town at an event this summer:

As a musician, you may notice that, some times, parts of your body do not respond as quickly as they used to when delivering your music. If you are a singer, you may find that your vocal range has changed or diminished. As a violinist, you may experience pain in your neck and shoulders. Drummers may be familiar with stiffness and soreness on the knees and shins. Every instrument comes with particular challenges to the body and mind that can take a toll.

In Millicent's case, there was a moment when playing the piano brought her difficulties in her hands. She experienced pain on her fingers, and the knuckle joints would cramp or lock. At the time, she got an e-mail from the Musicians' Union, saying that a doctor specialised in musicians' ailments would visit Birmingham soon, and that members could book an appointment if needed. That's how she got in contact with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).

The professionals at BAPAM corrected the diagnosis given by Mil...