Free For The Taking

If you haven't been following Jason Heath's "A Week in the Life" series of posts at Arts Addict then you're missing out. I've written it before and I'll write it again; Jason's ability to present an unfiltered, honest look at the life of a gig musician is simply unparalleled. The real bonus here is that what he writes is equally useful for managers as well as musicians…

Personally, I think Jason's writings on life as a gig player should be required reading for any high school senior interested in attending music school and those who do attend should have to read them again in the final semester of their senior year. This isn't to imply that what Jason presents in his writing is negative, positive, discouraging, or encouraging. Instead, it is simply a sincere account of the day-to-day realities that musicians face and allows the reader to take from it what they will.

For managers, it is an invaluable tool for anyone working in operations or human services. In particular, anyone interested in becoming a personnel manager could learn more about what needs to be done than any training manual I've come across. In particular, it reminds me of watching game films to improve future performance. Seeing all of the little things you don't realize were even problems yet can be easily avoided next time because now you're aware of them are worth their weight in gold.

Best of all, it is entirely free for the taking:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

Comments

[Jason Heath]

Thanks for pointing out this series, Drew! I think that a lot of the complications in freelance orchestral life come from not having one single hall for rehearsals and performances. Any ensemble that I've played in which has a dedicated rehearsal/performance venue runs much more smoothly than groups that are bouncing around from venue to venue.

Right you are Jason and that's another good example of unique issues facing operation's staff in smaller budget ensembles. ~ Drew McManus