Klarinet Archive - Posting 000247.txt from 1999/04

From: robert shaw <theshaws@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Masters Degree soon
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 13:10:23 -0400

Neil,
Thanks for your advice. I have already attempted to contact a couple of
orchestras in our area, and (after my recital on tuesday) will try to contact
the rest. I didn't know about the International Musician. I will subscribe
to this as soon as possible. Do you have an address?
Thanks again,
Deborah

Neil Leupold wrote:

> On Sat, 3 Apr 1999, robert shaw wrote:
>
> > I will be finishing up my Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance in just
> > a few weeks. There are no job openings in my area at this time, and I
> > am unable to move for another year and a half (my husband is working on
> > a degree). My plans are to continue playing part time in our local
> > symphony (I am the second clarinetist) and continue to build my studio,
> > which has been strong for the last five years. What I need are
> > suggestions on how to persue other playing opportunities that would be
> > good to include on my resume and that pay something. There are lots of
> > opportunities to play for free around here. I am close to Tulsa, Kansas
> > City and fairly close to Little Rock. Any suggestions on how to find
> > out about sub positions, etc.?
>
> I don't know if this is at all helpful, but selling yourself as
> an artist (or as a businessman, or in any line of work really)
> is best undertaken with a pro-active attitude. For the sake of
> argumentation, assume that every paying group within driving
> distance has a sub list with room for one more clarinet player
> -- you. Make contact with the orchestra manager for every one
> of those groups, and ask if they will take a look at your resume
> and allow you to audition for their sub list. Even if the oppor-
> tunity to join a particular group's sub list is not immediately
> offered, the effort was not wasted. A by-product of the canvass-
> ing, whether fruitful or not, is that you are putting your name
> out there, letting these groups know that you exist. The act
> of networking is an art all by itself, and an important one at
> which to become skilled. In your particular situation, become
> intimately familiar with every regular paid gig in your geograph-
> ical area, and view each one as a potential employer to be won
> over with time and persistence. If you don't have one already,
> get a subscription to International Musician (you don't have to
> be a union member to get the rag) and keep your ear to the ground
> on the music scene all over. After your skill as a musician and
> clarinetist, some of the most important qualities to develop re-
> volve around exposure, connections, and salesmanship.
>
> Neil
>
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