I played my first gig in 1973--a 17 year old kid playing lead alto in a pick-up big band at a NCO club.  In the past 34 years (yikes! a long time), the gigs have included the requisite cover band gigs (top 40, country, R & , jazz gigs, reggae gigs, orchestra gigs,  more "legitmate" things like college concerts and recitals, and a lot of church work. Oh yeah, I am also a band director who has conducted MANY public school and college band concerts.

   The nature of the music business has always been a source of fascination and frustration for me. It is fascinating to me because music business and music education are two completely different animals. In music education, students are taught music in a way that primarily focuses on ensemble work ethic. In the music business, individual abillity and ego (even in an ensemble) plays a much greater role.

I would like to have a discussion about the music business. What about it do you love or hate? Did your musical training as a kid prepare you for the world of gigs? How do you interact with other musicians?

Let's talk about it!

Mike

 

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