Entrepreneurs in Music — and Don’t Forget about Mozart!

Yvonne: I think there’s a key sentence in there, Kate: “having a good head for business and being extremely well organized”…can you give us some details about those? (singing in the car is a good example of using every second of your time…) Do you have to file complicated tax forms? Any suggestions for juggling work and family when you don’t have a “regular” schedule?

Kate: Keeping organized: I write everything down,keep files and lists of what I have to do and bring – music to learn, arrangements to write, personnel to hire, notes and dates of phone conversations, requested songs, equipment, food to bring, will I need stand light(s)?, directions to venues, names and contact info of all parties.

I have well-organized gig books for all ensembles and groups so I never have to make sure the music is in the book – part of the job is putting everything back AFTER the gig. I practice for gigs and write arrangements well in advance. Having kids taught me that – you never know when you’ll have to drop everything you have concentrated on and take care of some urgent matter.

All this keeps me from stressing out about something I might forget when I am running out the door and can’t collect my brains.

Business, money and taxes: I got some initial advice from an attorney many years ago and have filed a Schedule C ever since. I keep ALL receipts and invoices for all expenses. It was complicated at first but I realized one of the few benefits of being a self-employed musician is that almost everything I do and a lot of what I purchase is tax deductible as a business expense.

Juggling career and family: One of the drawbacks of being self-employed is that I am at work whenever I answer the phone. When my kids were little I did not work as much as I do now. But taking gigs and playing has always been a priority for me; kids and husband accepted that. During the early family years, I maintained what we called part-time child-care personnel, people who had some flexibility to help out.

I think it makes for a longer marriage when you have a chance to miss your spouse – I am constantly getting home late and leaving for the evening. There was a period when I had two teenagers and I knew something had to give, that they needed more direct supervision from parents. I gave up teaching lessons for a couple years but never gave up playing gigs.

I think the key to all this was my attitude that I would be a better parent and role model if I continued doing something professional that I was passionate about. My family enjoys a wide variety of musical tastes. I enjoy playing current rock tunes as well as Brahms, and my kids love it all.