Grunt Work

I had a nice visit with a former student recently.  She has expressed the notion of beginning a performance career but was flummoxed on the "how-to" part of it.  College programs focus on teaching the student how to play the dickens out of their instrument but rarely address the issue of making a living with it.  That's left up to the individual instructor and many of them have never worked outside of academia.

This past weekend was a terrific example of two classical guitarists who have learned the importance of doing the grunt work.  My FaceBook friend Heike Mattiesen from Germany was performing in Memphis, TN at a guitar weekend.  She is not only a wonderful artist, but she is also a busy one.  She spends a great deal of time every day working the business side of her art.  This effort has taken her on tour throughout Europe, Africa, and at least one trip to the U.S.  You can watch and listen to her here:  https://youtu.be/7B9f4LfcXB0

I wasn't able to make the trip to Memphis for several reasons.  But I was able to meet and enjoy the music of Italian guitarist Giorgio Mirto.  He has been the guest in the home of another former student.  A small party was given in his honor and he was kind enough to play a mini recital of his own compositions.  Two weeks ago he had been performing  in Florida.  Giorgio had taken a couple of chance conversations and turned them into business opportunities.  Here is a clip of him playing some music that has been composed for him:  https://youtu.be/mDEgDIdkJi0

Playing and teaching guitar are the fun parts of my job.  But I confess to dreading the administrative part and procrastinating as much as I can.  I'm not as good a role model as I should be.  But this stuff does need to be done so I give myself a pep talk and then get to it.

In the early part of a career knowing what to do and how to do it can be elusive.  Fortunately, many successful musicians are willing to spend a moment with the "new guy" and give some free advice.  Every career is different so one size does not fit all, but if you listen and pay attention you might have a better chance of figuring it out.  Regardless of the details, they are constantly changing anyway, you still have to do the grunt work.


P.S. I've added a couple of links to this post and I'm thinking of making it a habit.  What do you think?