The Musician's Way Newsletter

Welcome

The Musician's Way Newsletter explores music making, creativity, career building, technology, and diverse aspects of living the musician's life. Enjoy! Gerald Klickstein

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From The Musician's Way Blog

Popular posts from the past two months:
The Essence of Stage Presence. 4 ingredients that enable us to captivate listeners.
Psychic Income. 7 tips for fostering meaning in the music profession.
Do Musicians Often Resemble Underpants Gnomes? A sensible alternative to ill-conceived career plans.
The No. 1 Mistake Interviewees Make. Avoid this misstep and triumph at all sorts of job interviews.
The Primary Error Response. A straightforward technique for handling on-stage mistakes.

Building Resilience

Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, calls resilience "the ultimate killer app because it allows us to adapt, to learn, to turn setbacks into progress." Read more on his blog.

The Yearning Biz

Teaching artist Eric Booth addressed the graduates of the New England Conservatory this spring, urging them to redefine themselves as "agents of artistic experience" who are in "the yearning business." The text of his must-read speech is now posted on the NEC site.

Elevate Your Pitch

The Harvard Business School website publishes an Elevator Pitch Builder, a valuable tool for crafting effective pitches. For more networking tips see my post "Ninja Networking."

Western Classical Music in India

In India, Western classical music hasn't caught on to the degree seen in China, but a recent article in the LA Times points to an uptick in interest.

Kickstarter Tips

If you envision raising funds via Kickstarter, be sure to read "9 Essential Steps for a Killer Kickstarter Campaign" published on Mashable.com.

The Practice Warrior

Jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding portrays her approach to practice as an “everyday, diligent, warrior-like mentality.” In an insightful post on Psychology Today, Robert Woody illustrates the motivating power of such a mindset.

Swaying to the Boat

Playing on a cruise ship comes with many perks, but dealing with a ship's motion probably isn't one of them. Learn more in pianist Julian Gargiulo's piece "Ship-Shape on a Classical Cruise."

Fighting Cancer with Music

At the age of 22, bassist Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Now 23, she documents her recovery and the importance of music in her life in her New York Times column Life, Interrupted.

Strategic Giveaways

Many musicians use free downloads to grow their fanbases, but in "Can You Recover from Free Music?" Mark Knight cautions against "giving away your core product" and instead proposes that we use freebies "to retain and reward loyal fans."

Responsive WordPress Themes

A "responsive" site adapts to a user's device, adjusting for things such as screen size. On the Vandelay Design blog, a post lists "55 of the Best Responsive WordPress Themes."

A Boost for Arts Journalism

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Knight Foundation have launched the Community Arts Journalism Challenge: “A competition to create new arts journalism models in eight cities.” NPR.org reports on some of the innovative programs that have been funded.

Avoiding Avoidance

Do you ever dodge practice or other creative work? If so, try this anti-avoidance technique described in a classic post on The Musician's Way Blog.

The Power of Professionalism

Career consultant Andrea Kay needed to hire one or more musicians to perform at an event. In "Want a Job? Act Like You Want It" she describes how cellist Rhett Barnwell's professionalism won him the gig.

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