This video was taken from mn original website. Jeremy is a faculty member at McNally Smith and one of the best songwriters around. Check him out.
Yo! We need your help.
McNally Smith College of Music wants to go to SXSW 2011. Not only do we want to show up, but we want to have a kick-ass presence and host a panel session with Dessa, Jeremy Messersmith, and Harry Chalmiers.
Help us get there by clicking here and voting for our panel.
Thanks!
Kareem
The standard definition that people use for being professional is whether or not you make money. This holds true and I respect the concept but I would like to take that one step further and look at the levels of professionalism and how to get there.
This weekend I had the pleasure of playing for a national artist and an all-star crew of other rhythm section players. Not only was it a pure joy to play with musicians of that caliber but it was also a unique opportunity to look at how “professional” a musician can really be.
Preparation/Rehearsal
Preparation is key!!! This is the great equalizer that can put everyone on the same level regardless of how much natural ability you have. Are you tired of showing up to rehearsals with bands and spending 2 hours working on only a handful of songs, and taking weeks or months to start gigging? Well I have the key to getting out of this time wasting, and low paying show limbo. “Know your shit…” Take the time to really learn your songs, and know the ins and outs of the forms and all significant licks note for note. If you put this level of preparation into your music you will be surprised at how little you will have to spend rehearsing and how fast you can get gigging. Not only will the other members of your band realize they need step up their game to keep up with you but word will also get out in your network of musicians that you on top of your game.
Every player showed up this weekend with that exact level of preparation. Whether the musician had everything memorized or had charts to help them, it was obvious that we had all spent extensive time with the material. This allowed the rehearsal to run very smoothly and we spent the majority of the time working out what endings we would use and who would solo where. This level of professionalism allowed 7 musicians to get together for the first time, have one rehearsal and play a tight and solid two-hour show. People always seem surprised when they learn how fast a show is put together or how little rehearsal was actually put into a show, but it shouldn’t, because that’s really part of the job and a valuable skill for every professional musician to have.
Secondly, another aspect that sets professionals and amateurs apart during rehearsals is how you work and interact with the other musicians. Leave your ego at the door and be open-minded. If someone asks you to play something differently or makes a suggestion don’t take it personally. Give the change a shot, politely disagree, or if the bandleader is telling you to change something do it right away and don’t disagree. They are the boss in this scenario and even if they are wrong they are still right.
When we showed up to the rehearsal this weekend, each musician treated each other with mutual respect. If someone made a mistake it wasn’t a big deal it was just corrected at the end of the song. As a band its important to support each other and work as a team because after all you are all on the same side even if you plan on firing the guitarist after the show, they are still you guitarist for that show so make the best of it.
What is your opinion?
Last week, 6 students spent 3 days in the blistering sun at the Pitchfork Music Festival to see a ton of great bands. Everyone from: Titus Andronicus to Outkast’s Big Boi and St Vincent to LCD Soundsystem. Beyond seeing all the great music each student got to work for the festival, seeing firsthand all the work and time that goes into putting together such a musically dynamic and community driven event.
Check out some photos and student accounts from the trip below.
Blake Knight, Music Business Student:
“Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. Being a volunteer at the Pitchfork Music Festival will go down as one of my fondest memories ever. For the rest of my life and college career I will always look back on and remember how extremely surreal, eye-opening, and helpful the whole experience was and will continue to be. As a volunteer, I got to completely immerse myself in the festival community through directing the crowd, helping with tickets, and even helping those who had fallen ill. I got to see bands such as Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, Lightning Bolt, and Pavement, up close and personal and even got to meet some of them in person. The opportunity really opened my eyes to giving back to the community. I felt great about what I was doing because I knew that I was helping people while having an incredible experience; which will continue to have an affect on me as I move on with my life and education. The opportunity also opened my eyes to possible careers that I am continuing to research. I will never forget what a truly incredible adventure it was being a volunteer at the Pitchfork Music Festival, and I would highly recommend volunteering to any student who comes by such an opportunity.”
Simon Brooks, Technology Student:
“Pitchfork was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Besides moshing with friends at Titus Andronicus , chilling at Best Coast, and standing in awe of Pavement, I got to see a completely different side of the festival. I got to actually be a part of the event as a volunteer and help make sure the whole thing ran smoothly. It was amazing to be able to see the festival from the inside out. As a production student, I thought it was cool to see behind the scenes of how they ran sound smoothly for band after band all day. I may not have actually been running sound for a stage, or playing a show, but I learned a lot more by watching professionals, and talking to them. The whole weekend was exhausting and mind blowing. It was such an amazing opportunity and I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this Mcnally trip. I can’t wait till the next time!”
Cassandra Gregorcyk, Music Business Student:
“Pitchfork Music Festival was amazing. Not only was it a great opportunity to see a lot of my favorite bands in the same place, it was also incredibly helpful in preparing me for my internship and “the real world” in the music industry.
On Thursday the 15th, I loaded into a car full of other Mcnally Students. Some were really good friends of mine, while some I had never even met before. Over the weekend, I had the chance to get to know everyone that I had never really hung out with. It was a really great experience, and I think I made some new friends out of all of it.
Friday morning I woke up and took the train down to Union Park. This in itself was new to me, as I had never used public transit before. Once we got to the park, we met up with the rest of our group and headed toward the volunteer entrance. We were given yellow tee shirts with “Volunteer” plastered across the front. We were then given our orders for the day, split into groups, and taken to where we would be working. On the first day I worked with another Mcnally student, Sarah Winters, at the front gate. We started by handing out festival programs and were soon promoted to the daunting task of COUNTING the ticket stubs of people that had come in. Towards the end of our shift we found ourselves with a giant box full of ticket stubs, and a rough estimation of 18,000 tickets. It was quite a long day in the sun, but it was all worth it. Our spot served wonderfully for people watching, as we were seeing a majority of the people enter. After our shift we met up with the rest of our group in time to watch Modest Mouse from beside the stage. It was a religious experience. From where we were, we could both see the enormous crowd, and hear the band perfectly clearly. It was amazing. After the show had rapped up, we walked what seemed like miles to a pizza place, where we got to meet the corporate manager of American Apparel. It was really cool. It was really unexpected, and he was a really nice guy. It was little things like this that really made Pitchfork neat. Not only were we there seeing cool bands, we were there with so many other people in our industry, and in industries that we could conceivably be working with. Going on this trip put us in the perfect position to meet these people, and really put our networking skills to the test.
The second day I didn’t have to work until 4, so we headed in early to try to catch a few bands before our shift. The highlight of the second day for me was seeing Titus Andronicus. They have been a favorite band of mine for a few years, and I had yet to see them in a festival setting. The crowd was fantastic! Everyone was singing and dancing, and just generally having a good time. I managed to push my way up to the front of the crowd. After their set ended, I realized it was almost 4, and I had to rush to get to work. When I got in, I threw on a t-shirt and was assigned to work the front of the stage that I had just watched Titus Andronicus perform on. From here I handed out water bottles to the crowd and listened to John Spencer Blues Explosion and Panda Bear. While these were not favorites of mine, it was interesting to be right at the stage and get to look at the sea of people gathering for their sets. After getting off work that night, I decided it was best to skip out on most of LCD Soundsystem, and save my energy for the next day, more specifically, for Pavement.
On Sunday we ended up in quite a predicament as our train was approaching the park. A few miles out, an announcement came over the intercom stating that we would have to exit the train, and that the train would not be running to where we needed to be until further notice. We ended up getting to see a little bit of Wicker Park, and eventually found our way back to the festival. By this point a majority of the volunteers had been given assignments. However, Mcnally was apparently the only group to work all three days of the festival instead of just one like the rest of the volunteers. So when we showed up to get assigned a position, we were recognized and were given some more prestigious positions. I ended up checking credentials to the field house, which served as the dressing room for many of the artists. I soon found this was the best place in the entire festival to work. I finally worked up the courage to start talking to anyone I recognized, and got pictures with seven different bands. I have never been more star-struck in my life.
At the end of our shift, we relaxed, grabbed some food, and started to prepare for the last band of the festival, Pavement. It was also during this break that I got to meet with a couple of different people that work that the company that I am trying to intern with this fall. It was both comforting and reassuring talking to them, because it really reaffirmed that it would be a good company for me, and that I would be a good addition to their company. I was told that if I ask for more responsibility, and more to do, I would be given it. This was great news to me, as I didn’t want to end up in an internship where I was just making copies and getting coffee. After meeting with these people, I found my way to the same spot where we had watched Modest Mouse on Friday night. We started to notice other bands gathering in the same area. Their set was phenomenal. They played a great mix of my favorite albums of theirs. I never thought I would ever get to see Pavement, let alone with all of the other bands I had come to see.
Overall, the trip to Pitchfork made for the best weekend of my life. I am hugely grateful to everyone who put the festival together, as well as to everyone in the school who made the trip possible. I honestly see this trip as being great for not only entertainment, but for my career and generally for the interactions with other people in this industry. Hopefully we can do things like this in the future!”
Titus Andronicus with Cassie
