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Teacher Lounge
Trevor Mcpherson picked up the guitar at age 15, beginning a love of music that eventually (but no means directly) led to
studies at Selkirk College in Nelson, British Columbia. It was during these studies that he was introduced to jazz, and the value of theory. He then used that theory to teach
himself the bass and mandolin, and is currently taking a head-on run at the piano.
Since leaving school, he has delved into world music, and exotic scales. Trevor is currently promoting musical events and has co-written music for Film and Dance. He also is a contributing editor to the Pacific Music Industry Association Newsletter.
Diversifying in the Music Business
by Trevor McPherson
Having recently hung up my teaching hat for a (gasp!) day job, I've had occasion to do a bit of a personal inventory. For the past three years I categorized myself as a musician. Between teaching and gigging, I made my money. I still gig, but my involvement with music in my community has changed considerably. I now am involved in event production, booking, management, and promotion. When I bit the bullet and changed careers, I realized there was no such thing as just a musician. If you're just a musician, you'll never play anywhere but your basement. The skills I have that allow me step into an organizer/promoter role, were all a result of being a working musician and teacher. Initiating and maintaining personal relationships, time management, book keeping, public relations, organizational and motivational skills are valuable in all fields of endeavour.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Whether booking your own band or acts for your local festival, never
underestimate the value of a smile and a handshake. Establishing and
maintaining trust is important in dealing with fellow musicians, and the
promoter who is writing all those really big, (hopefully) checks. This is
the part of the game where you build a solid reputation for
yourself, and it makes future activities much easier. The connections
I made as teacher and performer led to my organizing a two-day festival
with 21 hours of live local music attended by over 7,000 people
(equivalent to half the population of our fair town). As a result of
that festival, I booked 12 concerts over the summer. It doesn't end
there! These events all contributed to me landing my current position,
which involves booking and promoting acts for a funky new coffeehouse in
town.
If you're a successful private teacher, you'll know all about it.
If students don't like coming to you, they won't.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Running your lessons on time, allowing for switch over, the tuning of the instruments, and also allowing a little chit-chat in your lessons take conscious planning.
The festival I mentioned above, ran right on schedule until the second day. On the second day, we were out by 25 minutes. I can live with being 25 minutes
out over 21 hours. I'd love to tell you how I developed this particular
skill, but I haven't a clue! Part of it was due to having excellent
stage management and front of the house staff.
BOOK KEEPING
Money in, money out. Who owes you, who you owe. Being responsible,
accurate, and on time, and expecting the same of others.
This one really transfers straight across. Don't be afraid to be up
front about money. Just do it without being pushy. Keep records and
get contracts signed. If you have a fear of calculators, get over it.
Spreadsheets save lives!
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Word of mouth is still the number one way I got students. In the
beginning there were posters and ads in the paper.
In this digital age, it is almost too easy to email your press releases
in. It's better to make your contacts in person the first few times so people can associate a face with the ad. This may not be so effective in a larger centre. It's not
unlikely for me to run into the editors and photographers of our
weeklies on the street, and be asked what's going on, and would I mind
submitting something.
MOTIVATIONAL SKILLS
You kept your students going all year, didn't you? That student that
came in the last week of June and played for you that "hot lick" from the Foo
Fighters' tune is the same one who cried through the
major scale in September and threatened to quit 3 times in December,
right?!?
Getting producers to pay musicians what they're worth, and getting
musicians to play for what you can get is the big game in this line of work.
It could almost be called persuasion in this context. The better the
relationships you have on both sides of the fence, the better off
everyone is. If producers see you have wrangled quality entertainment
for other events, they will be willing to pay a little more. If the
musicians know you have access to quality gigs, they will shine their
shoes, practice a little harder, and put on a better show. The end
result is that both audience and performer have a quality experience,
and the community really comes to appreciate the cultural assets it has
in its musicians and artists.
As a member of your community, you've always got more to give than just
a performance. In smaller towns, the performers, themselves, often
organize events. Making your own opportunities is a way of life, so it's
best to be organized, resourceful, recruiting and delegating. But be sure and book
yourself some "down time", lest you wind up relaxin' at the Camarillo!
Here are some parting words of wisdom, or at least what passes for
wisdom in these parts!
Everything starts with smile and a handshake.
Never underestimate the power of questions. People like to give you
answers you don't have. It makes them feel useful and important.
When wearing the management hat, don't forget that the musicians you're
dealing with are your friends.
Don't let your friends push you around just because they're your
friends!
Improvise on stage – not during the radio interview.
Cheers,
Trev
© MusicStaff.com, 1999
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