How to Survive and Succeed as a Musician
Reflections on the journey in a world of business
by
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Chapter 3 As is true about lawyers, doctors, and teachers, a musician has a work history and responsibilities, and when he appears, he embodies experience, skills, reputation, expertise for the use of equipment, knowledge, and reliability. More than that, while those other professionals learn their craft mostly as information and are certified as having a skill, a musician must practice constantly in order to maintain his level of proficiency. He is only as good as his last performance. This makes him unique and one whose value needs to be recognized and compensated by all who request his services. In order to cope with the world, he lives in, he needs to look at his contribution to society and be able to receive the value of his services in that world. This requires a great deal of knowledge, an understanding of all procedures and high self-esteem. Chapter 9… It is not practical for a musician to sit and wait to be hired or give away his rights and ownership. There are many players in the game. He might always have seen himself as a great performer. Now he is also a driver of a host of processes, and whereas, in years gone by, he depended solely on his ability to sing a song, he now must be grounded in something greater and look at his life differently. He must move from that place of hope, as mentioned earlier, to a place of faith that whoever brought him here, and whoever gave him his gifts along with the drive to achieve mastery, has provided a path and the necessary resources.
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About the Book
‘How to Survive as a musician’ looks at musicians over the ages, how they are perceived and how the world responds to them. It discusses the impact of business on their existence and, from a personal viewpoint, shares many of the questions that arise along the journey. It highlights the challenges to the value of the musician’s creativity and the quality of his output as artificial intelligence attempts to drive people’s choices. This easy-to read handbook looks at the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which impacted musicians in a huge way and identifies the lessons that ought to have been learned from the experience. Finally, it looks at new opportunities, and recommends paths of thought, attitude and action the musician could take to improve the quality of his life, and prepare him for future change, so that he can survive and prosper.
About the Author
Joy A Simons Brown is a songwriter, composer, band leader and director of vocal groups. She lives in Jamaica, teaches vocal and instrumental skills and collaborates with musicians internationally on various projects. With expertise in instruction and musical experience she found a place as a judge on the television series All Together Sing, aired on Television Jamaica in September each year. She has authored: • The Joy of Knowing • Mathematics For Life • Sing and Play the Jamaican Way • Twenty, Thirty, Forty years old and counting After teaching math for six years, Joy worked in business, negotiating and administering employee benefits for over a hundred companies. Twelve years later, she left to fulfill her deepest desire, that of pursuing music full - time. She never regretted that decision, but after discovering ‘survival’ challenges faced by the average musician, she decided to write this book offering a unique perspective on aspects of this life that are hardly understood nor addressed.