Great Expectations

I would like to refer back to the original post by James Undercoffler when he points out that “For example, in any given string quartet, one or two players may have public speaking skills (and charm) while one may have organizational skills and one may simply be a fabulous viola player. Yes, we found that all students can learn and grow, but found also that students excelled in this area when focused on what they enjoyed, on those enhanced skills for which they had motivation and talent.” As far as this discussion and the focus on educating music students in all areas of the business so that they are more prepared to enter and function successfully within the field after graduation, I agree with Mr. Undercoffler.

As a chamber musician, running the business of my own group came naturally as did all that went with this (donor relations, self-promotion, establishing an audience) mostly thanks to my well-rounded education and the career experiences leading up to the birth of the trio, janus . I excelled in these areas at first while other members of my group were more successful in other areas (programming, website, grant-writing). I thoroughly agree when Mr. Undercoffler suggests that we need to enhance the skills we already are motivated to use. I don’t agree with the assumption that a member needs to, for example, write program notes when they are much more comfortable communicating with the audience from the stage and vice versa. Regardless, I have a hard time believing these days that it is simply our job to just get up on the stage, play, and pack up at the end of the night. Ideally, I want to be a part of something where everyone involved is committed to the same goal and understands the necessary steps toward success. The critical and precious time we have as students of music can and should allow us the opportunity to explore our strengths in these “other” areas of the business. This is necessary because in this day and age, Americans have many options for entertainment and we, as artists, need to understand that it’s not just the performance of Brahms and Tchaikovsky symphonies that will draw the crowd. We need to define why this music is important to us and should be to our audience – in some cases we may discover that the music we thought was so essential has less relevance to our lives today than was assumed, and in other cases we can create an even deeper connection.

Also, on the topic of why it is necessary for musicians to learn about the management side of the orchestra machine: I believe that it is healthy, as other panelists have suggested, for musicians, management, board members and conductors alike to each have an understanding and appreciation for the challenges the other faces. This in turn will benefit the overall health of the orchestra as a whole. Not for this reason alone, however, I do believe that future orchestral musicians may have a greater role in the management of their organization as we have heard in other panelists’ testimonies than those of the past.