Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music [Paperback]

Angela Myles Beeching (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2005 | ISBN-10: 019516914X | ISBN-13: 978-0195169140

Contrary to the standard joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall, "making it" in music is not simply about practice, practice, practice. Today, over 200,000 people in the United States work as musicians. With competition for traditional employment opportunities for musicians becoming ever more heated, today's musicians must know how the music industry works and how they can tailor their skills accordingly. How can musicians create their own professional paths?
In Beyond Talent, veteran music career counselor Angela Myles Beeching offers up a comprehensive guide for musicians in search of work, demystifying the steps to success. Drawing on a wealth of real-life examples, the book untangles artist management and the recording industry and explains how to find and create performance opportunities. Guidance is also provided on grant writing and fundraising, day jobs, freelancing, and how to manage money, time, and stress. Straightforward and reader-friendly, Beyond Talent is filled with practical tips, examples, checklists, sample budgets, goal-setting exercises, and extensive resource listings.
This essential handbook goes beyond the usual "how-to"; Beyond Talent helps musicians tackle the core questions about career goals, defining success, and imagining and then creating a meaningful life as a professional musician.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The title of this book gives just a glimpse of the breadth of information that is actually included. Author Angela Myles Beeching is director of the Career Services Center at the New England Conservatory, and it is clear that she draws from her personal experience advising hundreds of musicians in all aspects of their careers. Although the book is written primarily for musicians aspiring for full-time professional performing careers, the chapters include practical tips and guidelines that can also be applied to music teachers, composers, and freelancers...This book could easily be used as a textbook for a group of musicians to discuss, ponder, and creatively experiment with promoting their own music making and creating their own 'career paths.'"--American Music Teacher

"The director of New England Conservatory's Career Services Center offers practical advice on a host of topics ranging from performance anxiety and repertoire decisions to creating a web site to managing daily expenses. The book is rife with checklists, short case studies, and what the author calls 'accumulated wisdom of the faculty, alumni, and guest speakers who regularly present career strategy workshops at New England Conservatory.'"--Symphony

"An excellent manual for musicians at all levels. Full of practical advice and important information, simply presented, easily understood and ready to use."--Janet Bookspan, Stage Director and Performance Coach

"Career specialists and students are hungry for this information. When it is packaged as clearly, concisely, and entertainingly as this book is, it is easy to imagine its addition to the shelves."--Simone Himbeault Taylor, Director, Career Center, University of Michigan

"Beyond Talent is a wonderfully helpful book for the professional future of any young musician. Beeching writes clearly and comprehensively. Her book is a must for the library of any professional musician."--Robert Freeman, Dean, College of Fine Arts, the University of Texas at Austin

About the Author

Angela Myles Beeching directs the New England Conservatory Career Services Center, a comprehensive career resource office, internationally recognized as a model of its kind. Ms. Beeching has presented workshops for Chamber Music America, Eastman School of Music, the University of Kentucky, Boston University, and University of Texas, Austin. Since 1997 she has designed and facilitated the annual Young Performers Career Advancement seminar for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conferences. Her articles on career issues have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Inside Arts, Chamber Music magazine, and in Managing Your Career, published by the Dow Jones. She co-chairs the annual conference of the Network of Music Career Development Officers, a group dedicated to improving music career development services.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Beeching taught cello at California State University, Fresno, and at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. A Fulbright Scholar and Harriet Hale Woolley grant recipient, Ms. Beeching also received fellowships at Banff and Tanglewood Music Center. An alumnus of Boston University and New England Conservatory, she holds a doctorate in cello performance from SUNY Stony Brook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019516914X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195169140
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A leader in the field of artists' career development, Angela Myles Beeching is the author of "Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music." She has taught at New England Conservatory, Boston University, Cal State Fresno, and SUNY Potsdam. This fall, as visiting consultant to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Ms. Beeching launched Project Jumpstart, an innovative career and entrepreneurial leadership program. In demand as a speaker, Ms. Beeching has presented at many music schools as well as for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the National Association of Schools of Music, Chamber Music America, and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. A Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Beeching holds a doctorate in cello performance from SUNY Stony Brook and maintains a thriving consulting practice, helping both individuals and organizations create paths to success.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh look at the business, September 14, 2005

By 

L. Abramson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (Paperback)

A little while ago I reviewed a strangely titled book called "Making Music in Looking Glass Land" by Ellen Highstein. A labour of love, this book became the seminal "text book" for the classical musician and, now it its fourth edition, is still the book I would recommend to any musician either starting out on their career or working actively in the industry. However, this year an equally good, authoritative and comprehensive book has been published that aims to equip the classical musician with the tools and techniques required to make a success in this career.

Angela Beeching, an author who has gained a tremendous amount of experience through her work as the director of career services at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston brings to this book real life problems and practical solutions that can help any and all musicians. Staring off by talking about the entrepreneurial musician, Beeching embeds in the mind of the reader the thought that success in this profession is up to you, the musician, and no one else. The characteristics a musician needs, Beeching writes, include "flexibility, resiliency and the ability to find opportunities in the midst of difficulties or challenges". It is from this position that she then moves the reader onto some of the key soft skills required to run your career such as the art of networking (or "Schmoozing for Success" as she puts it), time management, dealing with performance anxiety and the fundamental questions of what you, as a musician, actually do. However, it is the practical advice that really sets this book apart.

Each chapter deals with a different topic including information about creating promotional material (brochures, biographies, etc.), recording demo CDs, using the internet to promote and advance your career, securing performance opportunities, raising funds, tax (although this is geared towards the American market), writing letters and press releases, publicity photographs, contracts, setting up and running residency or community education projects and on and on. For a relatively short book, Beeching manages to cover a lot of ground without being too detailed nor too information light. Each section is liberally peppered with real-life examples, case studies, handy tips and checklists in order to provide a complete start-to-finish tutor covering all of these vital subjects.

All too often I have reviewed similar books in these pages with the recurring caveat that, while they are useful, they are very much aimed at the non-classical musician. Here, in Beeching's volume, we have a useful and informative book that is aimed solely and directly at the classical musician. Buy it now!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Talent : Creating a Successful Career in Music, March 18, 2006

By 

M. R. Taylor "Music self-played is a joy self... (American Fork, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (Paperback)

A music business book for the classical musician? Is that some sort of oxymoron? Imagine my amazement upon finding this absolute gem while browsing in the BYU bookstore's small music section. I've never seen a book with this focus before, and had no reason to hope for one. This book descended on me out of the blue, almost like a revelation.

In the "prelude" Ms. Beeching gives her "confessions" as a career counselor. First she expounds on the "truth about career paths" : there really is no such thing as a laid out path for any musician (classical or pop) that will lead them to enduring success. She then offers "five trade secrets" of her profession:

Look for the light in the eyes (what make you light up when talking?)
People often create their own obstacles
The first steps are most important
You already have the answers
People move ahead when they're good and ready, and not a moment sooner

This is essentially a book about being a self-starter and taking things into your own hands rather than waiting for "them" to discover you. The book gives numerous tools for doing so. It covers qualities you must develop to "make it" as a musician, networking skills, developing your image (letterhead, bios, photos, promo kits, etc.), expanding your impact with demos and CDs, using the internet to promote your career, booking performance like a pro, building your audience (the media, publicity and you), connecting with audiences through residencies and community programming, performing at your best, freelancing - managing yourself, raising money for music projects (yes, you too can fund-raise), and getting it all together.

I am currently re-reading the book as there is so much information it will take a while to digest it all and even more time to implement it. The good news is, there are things you can do to promote your classical career and be a success.

If there is one drawback to this book, it is that I wish it contained more specifics on one of my main specialities, composition. There is some info for composers and composers will find the book of immense value, but the book is definitely slanted toward performers. The thing that almost negates this drawback is that Ms. Beeching states several times the need for performers to work with composers, newer repertoire or find some other niche in order to distinguish themselves from the mass of people already performing the standard repertoire. Sound advice.

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M. Ryan Taylor is a composer vocalist working out of American Fork, Utah. h t t p : / / M R y a n T a y l o r . c o m

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A no-nonsense guide to music career success, June 8, 2005

By 

Dream Architect (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (Paperback)

A few years back, Angela Beeching (my dear colleague at New England Conservatory down the road) wrote a "Career Guide for Musicians". I was very impressed at how resourceful the guide was. Well, she finally got the chance to flesh out that first guide and "Beyond Talent" is the result. While ably covering all the nut & bolts of music career success (networking, building your image, recording, performing and raising support), the chief value of the book lies in the wisdom Beeching brings to creative career development. She understands the psychological profile of the career musician and that understanding shines through every page of her book.

In addition, Beeching tackles lesser-explored subjects geared to her primary readership of classical and jazz musicians: residency programs, performance health, teaching and grant opportunities. Up to date and immensely practical, Beyond Talent should be on the bookshelf of all career musicians.