McNally Smith College of Music was fortunate to have John Snyder visit recently. John is a man of many talents: five-time Grammy winning producer, author and educator, and Director of the Music Industry Studies program at Loyola University in New Orleans. He’s toured the world as a trumpeter, has a law degree, and has made great recordings with many of the finest jazz musicians of all time.
But perhaps John’s most striking characteristic is his intense interest in people. In conversation, he pays very close attention to what people are saying and responds with sincerity, care and consideration.
His love of students is readily apparent, and their response to him was overwhelmingly positive. Yes, his stories are great and his expertise is obvious, but most important of all: John Snyder is authentic. He is not trying to impress anyone, nor sell himself.
To have a life in music, to shape a career as a music performer, composer, producer, or business person, there is one common requirement: people must “buy” what you are “selling.” You must make a powerful, positive impression to get the offer, whatever the offer may be. How does one do that?
I recommend being authentic. People see through most anything else. Trying to appear to be something you are not is a waste of everyone’s time. Discover what it is that you truly love to do, and extend every effort to master that activity while bringing your own unique personality and perspective to your work.
Watching John Snyder in action confirmed the wisdom of just being yourself, being curious and passionate at the same time, and making sure that your interactions with people are honest. You present yourself best not when you are trying to sell yourself, but when you can confidently allow your mastery to speak for itself.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
SHEILA E. - THE "E" IS FOR ELECTRICITY
If electrical storms had names like hurricanes, McNally Smith College of Music could call the category five storm that passed through on Thursday and Friday: Sheila E.
She played the congas with one of the McNally Smith Latin Ensembles, and her virtuosity, confidence, and charisma were simply astonishing. She eagerly signed hundreds of autographs with messages of sincere encouragement, she gave interviews with directness and honesty, and she answered dozens of questions from eager students with insight and experience, the complete embodiment of a seasoned professional.
Sheila learned percussion quite literally at the feet of the master: the legendary Pete Escovedo, her dad. He was and still is her greatest inspiration, even though he insisted she study violin instead of percussion, a decision she thanks him for to this day.
But happily for all of us, she followed her true inspiration and became one of the finest percussive artists and performers of her generation.
Not surprisingly, the music business was not an easy place for a woman filling a traditionally male role in the band. Many questions from McNally Smith students probed her strategy for dealing with the resentment and disrespect she sometimes felt as the only woman in the band.
Her answers always displayed a calm assurance and surprising absence of any bitterness or anger at the treatment she sometimes received. Her message was clear and consistent: be prepared; do your homework; show up ready to do your best; and, above all, be confident in your ability and let your (superb!) performance answer the critics.
Sheila E has achieved success most musicians only dream of, but she has not rested at the pinnacle of her success. Perhaps her most inspiring message of all is her commitment to helping to build and restore community where it is most needed. She dedicates a huge part of her time and energy to the Elevate Hope Foundation, a group that works with abused and neglected children through music and art therapy to promote self confidence and human compassion.
It was our great privilege to host this fabulous artist, one who instead of living The Glamorous Life, has chosen to apply her skills and resources to help those who need help most. Thanks so much, Sheila, for your dynamic music performance, and your generosity of spirit.
She played the congas with one of the McNally Smith Latin Ensembles, and her virtuosity, confidence, and charisma were simply astonishing. She eagerly signed hundreds of autographs with messages of sincere encouragement, she gave interviews with directness and honesty, and she answered dozens of questions from eager students with insight and experience, the complete embodiment of a seasoned professional.
Sheila learned percussion quite literally at the feet of the master: the legendary Pete Escovedo, her dad. He was and still is her greatest inspiration, even though he insisted she study violin instead of percussion, a decision she thanks him for to this day.
But happily for all of us, she followed her true inspiration and became one of the finest percussive artists and performers of her generation.
Not surprisingly, the music business was not an easy place for a woman filling a traditionally male role in the band. Many questions from McNally Smith students probed her strategy for dealing with the resentment and disrespect she sometimes felt as the only woman in the band.
Her answers always displayed a calm assurance and surprising absence of any bitterness or anger at the treatment she sometimes received. Her message was clear and consistent: be prepared; do your homework; show up ready to do your best; and, above all, be confident in your ability and let your (superb!) performance answer the critics.
Sheila E has achieved success most musicians only dream of, but she has not rested at the pinnacle of her success. Perhaps her most inspiring message of all is her commitment to helping to build and restore community where it is most needed. She dedicates a huge part of her time and energy to the Elevate Hope Foundation, a group that works with abused and neglected children through music and art therapy to promote self confidence and human compassion.
It was our great privilege to host this fabulous artist, one who instead of living The Glamorous Life, has chosen to apply her skills and resources to help those who need help most. Thanks so much, Sheila, for your dynamic music performance, and your generosity of spirit.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Welcome Ron Sobel – Chair of Music Business
A college of music that teaches music business these days better know what they’re doing. If the curriculum is not in constant flux and development, then they’re teaching the history of music business.
McNally Smith College of Music is pleased to announce that we have hired Ron Sobel to be the Chair of our Music Business Division. His credentials are impeccable, his experience wide ranging and impressive.
Ron lives in LA, and will continue to live there. What good is all this technology if we can’t manage to include someone in a vibrant leadership role while allowing him to remain at the heart of the music business itself, continuing to practice as one of the country’s leading entertainment attorneys?
The situation is also made possible by the dedicated and highly skilled work of Assistant Chair Dave Olson who will continue to provide on campus, highly personalized assistance to our students and faculty.
It's a very interesting challenge to define what the music business is today. It used to be much clearer: record companies, recording studios, distributors, record stores, (that existed in physical not cyber space), agents, PR firms, entertainment lawyers, performing rights organizations, and so on.
Today, individuals are becoming the music business. Not the whole thing, at least not yet. But it is exciting and challenging to contemplate how we as a college can best prepare our students to succeed in their chosen field when that field is in constant, super speed motion.
Ron Sobel is a futurist, a man who has a deep passion and excitement for ideas and where they lead. Such a spirit is just right for this college, and we are so enthusiastic to welcome Ron Sobel as the Chair of the Music Business Division at McNally Smith College of Music.
McNally Smith College of Music is pleased to announce that we have hired Ron Sobel to be the Chair of our Music Business Division. His credentials are impeccable, his experience wide ranging and impressive.
Ron lives in LA, and will continue to live there. What good is all this technology if we can’t manage to include someone in a vibrant leadership role while allowing him to remain at the heart of the music business itself, continuing to practice as one of the country’s leading entertainment attorneys?
The situation is also made possible by the dedicated and highly skilled work of Assistant Chair Dave Olson who will continue to provide on campus, highly personalized assistance to our students and faculty.
It's a very interesting challenge to define what the music business is today. It used to be much clearer: record companies, recording studios, distributors, record stores, (that existed in physical not cyber space), agents, PR firms, entertainment lawyers, performing rights organizations, and so on.
Today, individuals are becoming the music business. Not the whole thing, at least not yet. But it is exciting and challenging to contemplate how we as a college can best prepare our students to succeed in their chosen field when that field is in constant, super speed motion.
Ron Sobel is a futurist, a man who has a deep passion and excitement for ideas and where they lead. Such a spirit is just right for this college, and we are so enthusiastic to welcome Ron Sobel as the Chair of the Music Business Division at McNally Smith College of Music.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
LESSONS FROM BOBBY MCFERRIN
Bobby McFerrin, a virtual orchestra in one supremely talented individual, recently graced McNally Smith College of Music with his amazing vocal abilities and his unassuming, charming personality. His improvisations covered the range from bass to soprano, creating the illusion that several voices were present performing in impeccable ensemble. For good measure, he throws in bass and snare drum accompaniment produced on his chest.
Cool as that was, what was most enjoyable about the workshop was his practical wisdom and unpretentious manner as he took dozens of questions from our students. He spoke at length about the difference between performing and simply singing, and how he does everything he can to keep himself in the latter mode whether he’s on stage at Orchestra Hall or in the shower.
He explained that his concept of improvisation is rooted in one thing: motion. Start singing and keep going. Keep it moving and stay focused. Forget the audience, your technique, everything else, and just sing.
He explained that from the time he realized he was a singer, an awareness that came in his late 20’s, it took him six years of intense practice to hone the technique that would separate him from all other vocal artists.
He did the necessary work to build his technique, then created an amazingly unique sound that is unmistakably his own. Clarity, discipline, focus…and now he just sings.
Students seeking a music career, whether in performance, composition, music production, or music business, would do well to follow Bobby McFerrin’s model: become clear on who you are; spend the time it takes to develop the necessary skills; then start down the path of your dreams and, above all, keep moving.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Compress and Accelerate
“Compress and Accelerate” is a phrase I first heard from Mike Scott, a music teacher and friend back in Boston who is also a creative writer of great skill and insight.
In helping me with a writing project awhile back, he explained that you keep your story moving and heighten intensity and impact by using fewer words – Compress! Mike could always find overblown prose and extraneous words and he crossed them out mercilessly, always achieving an improved result.
He urged me to find and maintain the delicate balance between providing essential depth and detail while keeping the story vibrant, alive, and charging ahead – Accelerate! If you build momentum and forward motion in your story, you maintain the enthusiastic attention of your audience. It is much easier to lose momentum than maintain it.
What is true in writing fiction is also true in writing lyrics, spoken word, and in writing music itself. It is also true in writing proposals, promo copy, liner notes, resumes, articles, or dissertations, not to mention speeches and oral presentations. In short, these concepts are relevant to most things you do for your art and your career.
Students come to McNally Smith College of Music to advance their knowledge of music business, music production, and to improve their skills in performance, technology, and composition. There is much that the experienced professional educators in our college can offer students seeking careers. The core of music education today must be to provide students with the business skills, the technical savvy, and the artistry to succeed.
In helping me with a writing project awhile back, he explained that you keep your story moving and heighten intensity and impact by using fewer words – Compress! Mike could always find overblown prose and extraneous words and he crossed them out mercilessly, always achieving an improved result.
He urged me to find and maintain the delicate balance between providing essential depth and detail while keeping the story vibrant, alive, and charging ahead – Accelerate! If you build momentum and forward motion in your story, you maintain the enthusiastic attention of your audience. It is much easier to lose momentum than maintain it.
What is true in writing fiction is also true in writing lyrics, spoken word, and in writing music itself. It is also true in writing proposals, promo copy, liner notes, resumes, articles, or dissertations, not to mention speeches and oral presentations. In short, these concepts are relevant to most things you do for your art and your career.
Students come to McNally Smith College of Music to advance their knowledge of music business, music production, and to improve their skills in performance, technology, and composition. There is much that the experienced professional educators in our college can offer students seeking careers. The core of music education today must be to provide students with the business skills, the technical savvy, and the artistry to succeed.
Monday, November 10, 2008
WE CAN SING THE TRUTH
Whether or not one was a supporter of Barack Obama in the election, we can now unite to bring about the change our country needs. Much hope was expressed in this campaign: for equality, for compassion, and for shared effort toward a common purpose. To realize these aspirations, we must all find ways we can contribute as artists and as citizens.
I want to share with you a song I wrote that echoes these themes, and dedicate it to President-elect Obama. May he have great success in bringing our hopes into reality.
Music has played a vital role in political movements, and has eloquently expressed feelings of generations, ethnic groups, and eras. Song can unite people in one voice to sing for freedom, for hope, and for change.
This performance of We Can Sing the Truth is by four fabulous faculty members at McNally Smith: Judi Donaghy, voice; Lori Dokken, piano; Charles Fletcher, bass; Dave Schmalenberger, drums. Their performance is outstanding! Thanks, guys.
WE CAN SING THE TRUTH
Words and music by Harry Chalmiers
Let us join our voices everywhere
Let us hear them lifted up in prayer
Sound the harmony, let peace abide
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
Let us join our hands together at last
Let us heal the bond and keep it fast
When we realize we’re the same inside
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
Now I lay me down my burden of shame
Take from my shoulders this needless pain
There’s a way to live that’s loving and kind
With an open heart and an open mind
Let us join our spirits, keep us free from fear
Let us lose the greed that led us here
In this present moment, we can testify
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
© by Harry Chalmiers, 2008
I want to share with you a song I wrote that echoes these themes, and dedicate it to President-elect Obama. May he have great success in bringing our hopes into reality.
Music has played a vital role in political movements, and has eloquently expressed feelings of generations, ethnic groups, and eras. Song can unite people in one voice to sing for freedom, for hope, and for change.
This performance of We Can Sing the Truth is by four fabulous faculty members at McNally Smith: Judi Donaghy, voice; Lori Dokken, piano; Charles Fletcher, bass; Dave Schmalenberger, drums. Their performance is outstanding! Thanks, guys.
WE CAN SING THE TRUTH
Words and music by Harry Chalmiers
Let us join our voices everywhere
Let us hear them lifted up in prayer
Sound the harmony, let peace abide
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
Let us join our hands together at last
Let us heal the bond and keep it fast
When we realize we’re the same inside
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
Now I lay me down my burden of shame
Take from my shoulders this needless pain
There’s a way to live that’s loving and kind
With an open heart and an open mind
Let us join our spirits, keep us free from fear
Let us lose the greed that led us here
In this present moment, we can testify
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide
© by Harry Chalmiers, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Prepare for Inspiration...
As a graduate student in composition at New England Conservatory, I learned that when structure was clearly and strongly established in a composition from one perspective, coherent and intriguing musical relationships would be found in many additional and unforeseen ways. It is the richness of these corollary structures that lead a work into the realm of true art.
To ask a composer to explain a composition may stimulate an interesting commentary on his/her thought process and intentions. However, once a composition is complete, the composer is just another analyst. A work of art belongs to the world, and can sustain vast interpretations.
To understand and master performance skills, to write or produce music of depth and importance, or to become an entrepreneur in the business of culture – there are many paths that provide structure to the course of music study. Likewise, there are many paths an individual may choose to contribute to the global art of music while sustaining a career in the arts.
A well structured education will create a vastly broader ability to comprehend ideas and opportunities beyond the specific focus of study. Inspiration comes more easily to those well prepared to receive it.
Few schools provide the education one needs to comprehend and enter today’s music industry. McNally Smith is focused on exactly this, while providing solid fundamentals that are essential and timeless in music education and in the liberal arts.
To ask a composer to explain a composition may stimulate an interesting commentary on his/her thought process and intentions. However, once a composition is complete, the composer is just another analyst. A work of art belongs to the world, and can sustain vast interpretations.
To understand and master performance skills, to write or produce music of depth and importance, or to become an entrepreneur in the business of culture – there are many paths that provide structure to the course of music study. Likewise, there are many paths an individual may choose to contribute to the global art of music while sustaining a career in the arts.
A well structured education will create a vastly broader ability to comprehend ideas and opportunities beyond the specific focus of study. Inspiration comes more easily to those well prepared to receive it.
Few schools provide the education one needs to comprehend and enter today’s music industry. McNally Smith is focused on exactly this, while providing solid fundamentals that are essential and timeless in music education and in the liberal arts.
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