When asking graduate students what they want to do, the answer is often "teach at the collegiate level." In fact, I blogged about this in a previous post.
Higher education is a delightful career. The opportunity to mentor students in their final years before entering the "real world" is a powerful position and one not taken lightly.
As graduate students, we learn the ins and outs of performance and pedagogy, observe our teachers, and get inspired to do what they do. But there is much more to consider.
(As a side note... your first gig probably won't be like your graduate school).
Important Consideration Number One:
The job-set skills needed to succeed greatly exceed the ability to give great faculty recitals, well-programmed ensemble concerts, and stellar private lessons.
I plan to address several of these "other duties as assigned" skills in subsequent blogs. Let's start with number one: Event Planner.
Example:
This week, in addition to teaching classes and lessons, I will:
1. Direct three different dress rehearsals.
2. Present my percussion ensemble and steel bands concert.
3. Host a jazz festival with several high school bands, trumpet legend Bobby Shew, pianist Chuck Lamb, PROJECT Trio with beatboxing flutist, Greg Pattillo, members of the USAF Academy Band Falconaires, jazz vocalist Theano Lamb, and in addition to performances by my big band and combos, host a regional big band.
4. Perform and have students perform for our department's community holiday collage concert.
Project management. Event planning. Call it what you will. This is a very important aspect of my job with far reaching implications.
Integral to the above events, the following needed to happen:
1. Countless emails, phone calls, texts, and face to face meetings.
2. Budgets and schedules negotiated. Contracts created and artist fees negotiated.
3. Industry partners acquired.
4. Personal and professional relationships strengthened and finessed.
5. For profit and non-profit organizations brought on board.
6. Advertising campaigns launched and managed (print, radio, internet, etc).
7. Paperwork pushed through several different campus offices.
8. Scheduling. More scheduling. Rescheduling.
9. Forms created from scratch, work-study students supervised (no graduate assistants), and student volunteers coordinated.
10. Oh, and rehearsals.
If hosting a dinner party stresses you out, I'd suggest getting some experience. But where?
As a member of the USAF Band of the Golden West, not only did I play percussion, but I served as a tour manager; a job I credit with making project management a familiar task. I was fortunate to gain these experiences directly out of graduate school.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Book your solo act or chamber group for a multi-day tour.
2. Serve on the board/volunteer for a live music association/music festival and learn the ropes.
3. Plan and implement a local "Day of Percussion/Clarinet/Accordion/Zither."
4. Observe the events you attend and decide what works and what doesn't. Talk to the event planner and ask for any flow charts, check lists, and to-do lists they are willing to share. You can always email me!
Event Planner. Get the experience now and avoid mistakes later.
Visit my website at www.jameswdoyle.com
My perspective as a percussionist and educator.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving. Thank you.
Here's what I'm thankful for:
-A day with such a wonderful name and positive feelings. A reason to stop and reflect.
-Wonderful family and friends, near and far.
-A rewarding life of enriching work in the arts... music and teaching. Giving.
Every day, I'm reminded how fortunate I am for this career, this life. There are many highs and the occasional lows, but a day doesn't pass where I miss the chance to practice my art.
There are trade offs. In higher ed, you move to where the jobs are, and that usually means greater distance from family. Upside- you are afforded the opportunity to create a large community of friends and family, and the long holiday breaks aren't so bad, either.
As musicians, you are beholden to when and where the work is, and that often means distance and busy times during the holidays. Upside- you are given an opportunity to share your art, change someone's world for a time, and have a positive effect on a group psyche. Powerful.
On this day and every day, I am thankful for all of those in my life, past and present, who in one way or another, led me to where I am today.
Thank you.
-A day with such a wonderful name and positive feelings. A reason to stop and reflect.
-Wonderful family and friends, near and far.
-A rewarding life of enriching work in the arts... music and teaching. Giving.
Every day, I'm reminded how fortunate I am for this career, this life. There are many highs and the occasional lows, but a day doesn't pass where I miss the chance to practice my art.
There are trade offs. In higher ed, you move to where the jobs are, and that usually means greater distance from family. Upside- you are afforded the opportunity to create a large community of friends and family, and the long holiday breaks aren't so bad, either.
As musicians, you are beholden to when and where the work is, and that often means distance and busy times during the holidays. Upside- you are given an opportunity to share your art, change someone's world for a time, and have a positive effect on a group psyche. Powerful.
On this day and every day, I am thankful for all of those in my life, past and present, who in one way or another, led me to where I am today.
Thank you.
Monday, November 21, 2011
"Get More Done"
Lately, I've been adding "tips to get more done" as my Facebook status. It's not that I'm particularly efficient or an expert in productivity. What I am is a percussionist and educator who likes to stay busy. As a result, I've collected concepts that work for me and posting these ideas helps keep accountability to myself.
As musicians, we generally carry around a feeling of unfinished business- there's always more to practice. More to learn. Coming to terms with these feelings in an ever-busy world can be the ultimate challenge and an indicator of success or failure.
For the time being, my blog will elaborate on these "Tips to Get More Done."
To follow my daily tips, friend me on Facebook.
1. Walk faster: Well, this isn't exactly fair nor applicable to all, but through casual observation, mopers tend to produce less. Move a little... it's good for you.
2. Close Facebook: Ironic being I am using it as my platform. Like any tool, it can be too much and can become an endless time suck. I challenge you to keep track of your Facebook usage for one day.
3. Enough already. Stop talking and start doing: You've heard the phrase, "death by committee." Talking is easy. Doing is the hard part.
4. Do one thing at a time: Trying to do otherwise is overwhelming. This, too, is ironic being percussionists are known for doing more than one thing at a time. However, we are never really doing things independently, but interdependently.
5. Set tangible deadlines: As in, I will get my inbox cleaned out before the continents revert back to Pangaea. Seriously... work expands to fill the time allotted. Give yourself a realistic deadline and do what you need to do.
6. If you're going to bother doing it, do it right the first time: Think about how you approach practicing. When you get in the practice room, do you learn systematically, relating what you're doing to time (a metronome), working out things correctly? Or do you mess around, hoping you magically absorb the music? Doing it right the first time prevents a pile of mental interference.
7. Stop making excuses. Woman up. Or man up. Take your pick. No one likes a whiner: What more can be said about this one?
This is a week's worth of tips. What are your best tips for getting things done?
Thanks for reading.
Visit my website at www.jameswdoyle.com
As musicians, we generally carry around a feeling of unfinished business- there's always more to practice. More to learn. Coming to terms with these feelings in an ever-busy world can be the ultimate challenge and an indicator of success or failure.
For the time being, my blog will elaborate on these "Tips to Get More Done."
To follow my daily tips, friend me on Facebook.
1. Walk faster: Well, this isn't exactly fair nor applicable to all, but through casual observation, mopers tend to produce less. Move a little... it's good for you.
2. Close Facebook: Ironic being I am using it as my platform. Like any tool, it can be too much and can become an endless time suck. I challenge you to keep track of your Facebook usage for one day.
3. Enough already. Stop talking and start doing: You've heard the phrase, "death by committee." Talking is easy. Doing is the hard part.
4. Do one thing at a time: Trying to do otherwise is overwhelming. This, too, is ironic being percussionists are known for doing more than one thing at a time. However, we are never really doing things independently, but interdependently.
5. Set tangible deadlines: As in, I will get my inbox cleaned out before the continents revert back to Pangaea. Seriously... work expands to fill the time allotted. Give yourself a realistic deadline and do what you need to do.
6. If you're going to bother doing it, do it right the first time: Think about how you approach practicing. When you get in the practice room, do you learn systematically, relating what you're doing to time (a metronome), working out things correctly? Or do you mess around, hoping you magically absorb the music? Doing it right the first time prevents a pile of mental interference.
7. Stop making excuses. Woman up. Or man up. Take your pick. No one likes a whiner: What more can be said about this one?
This is a week's worth of tips. What are your best tips for getting things done?
Thanks for reading.
Visit my website at www.jameswdoyle.com
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