Life in the Pit

Eric Eakes plays the viola, and is a doctoral student at the University of Miami.  In addition to playing for shows and other performances, he also is the personnel manager for the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.  We talk about that job and being a theatre musician in South Florida.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Visit www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast for more info or to send feedback regarding the podcast.  Please leave a rating and a review.  Thank you for listening.

The fourth and final (at least for now) installment of Ask The Music Director, where we answered questions you asked of music directors.  We have music directors representing schools, community theatre, touring shows, and Broadway productions in this series, representing NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, Cleveland, Kansas City, Greensboro, and Tennessee.

The questions answered in this part are:

“What do you actually listen for at mass auditions when there are so many shows that need cast?”

“How do you decide tempos?”

“What are the most important skills a pit drummer must have for an Music Director?”

If you have a question to ask, or happen to be a music director who would like to participate in future questions, please contact me through the contact page at www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast 

Thank you for your support in 2020!  You can follow on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please share and offer us a rating and review

John de Haas has worked at Walt Disney World as a musician for 20 years and counting.  He talks about about what it's like to work there, and how one might go about getting a job there or elsewhere in the company.  He also has played keyboards on the Mamma Mia national tour, worked with kids in Orlando area schools, music directed regional theatre in central Florida, and composed and premiered multiple musicals such as Halloween: The Musical, Theme Park Diva, Tappin' and Yappin', Just This Once, and more.

You can follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JBdMusic.  Most of his musicals are available to stream or download.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Visit www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast for more info or to send feedback regarding the podcast.  Please leave a rating and a review.  Thank you for listening.

Life in the Pit gets way outside the pit itself this week, but this still is potentially of great value to either established pit musicians or especially music students.  Kini Slaughter plays the flute and understands the world of the performing musician, but a few years ago she turned to making a career on the administrative side of the arts.  This is one of the longer episodes, but one where a lot is discussed.  The first half of the episode talks about Kini's journey as a musician and we get into practice techniques and philosophy.  Around the 35 minute mark, we talk about working in arts administration, what goes into event planning, touching up your Linked-In page, polishing your resume, using the concept of "industry interview" to get into the field of your choice, and how to generally be organized in your goals.  

Whether you want to incorporate the mindset skills into the pit itself, or want to find a day job in the arts while you work part-time in the pit, or just want to have some good skills that can translate to any aspect of your life you want to improve, this is a great first full episode to start the new year!

Follow the podcast on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Visit www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast for more info or to send feedback regarding the podcast.  Please leave a rating and a review.  Thank you for listening.

We continue to answer the questions that several of you asked for music directors, and I got several across the country to answer.  We have music directors representing schools, community theatre, touring shows, and Broadway productions in this series, representing NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, Cleveland, Kansas City, Greensboro, and Tennessee.

The questions answered in this part are:

“What are some sacrifices you've made or have to continually make, and what discipline do they come from (pit, scene change, vocals, cues, etc)?“

“When listening to auditions for actors, do you prefer hearing music close to the character and/or style of the show being auditioned for... or music that can show a range and different techniques?”

Thank you for your support in 2020!  You can follow on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please share and offer us a rating and review.

Several of you asked questions for music directors, and I got several across the country to answer.  We have music directors representing schools, community theatre, touring shows, and Broadway productions in this series, representing NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, Cleveland, Kansas City, Greensboro, and Tennessee.

The questions answered in this part are:

“I see the music director as a mediator, keeping checks on the musicians, the cast, the stage hands, and production team.  How do you go about making everyone happy?”

“What do you prioritize and what kinds of skills have you gained to make each show that had totally different groups and dynamics, as successful as possible?”

“What kinds of crazy or unique things have you done to get your cast members to really SING or break out of their shell?”

“How do you unwind and de-stress during the long process of music directing a show?”

If you have a question to ask, or happen to be a music director who would like to participate in future questions, please contact me through the contact page at www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast 

Thank you for your support in 2020!  You can follow on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please share and offer us a rating and review.

Several of you asked questions for music directors, and I got several across the country to answer.  We have music directors representing schools, community theatre, touring shows, and Broadway productions in this series, representing NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, Cleveland, Kansas City, Greensboro, and Tennessee.

The questions answered in this part are:

“Why do music directors often replace the indication of a VAMP with a fixed number of repeats for the pit musicians?”

“As someone who plays in a band, I find it almost impossible to keep four musicians in a group on the same page.  How do you manage groups of people that are three, four and five times as large?”

“What is more important: Chops or character?”

From a drummer, but could be any pit musician: “What can I do to make your job easier?”

If you have a question to ask, or happen to be a music director who would like to participate in future questions, please contact me through the contact page at davidlanemusic.com/podcast

Thank you for your support in 2020!  You can follow on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please share and offer us a rating and review.

Taiki Azuma is in the midst of pursuing his DMA in saxophone performance.  He plays all the reeds but, like many things he does, it's because it aligns with his goal of becoming a professor.  We talk about some of his academic activities and goals, but of course...we also talk about his experiences in the pit!

You can follow the podcast at Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please leave a rating and review on your podcast app.

Brass players tend to focus on a section.  They might play French horn.  They might play trombone, and possibly be fluent on tenor and bass versions, in addition to euphonium.  They might play trumpet, and be comfortable with flugelhorn, cornet, piccolo trumpet, and other similar instruments.  Then there's tuba which might pair with trombone or euphonium.  But Harlan Feinstein plays all of them.  He is a brass generalist.  We talk about the pros and cons of such an approach, with one of the big advantages being the wide array of choices he has a performer.  With as many as 11 shows in a week and 21 productions in a year, it has been a good choice!  We also talk about the theatre gigs that are available in the DC, Boston, and Seattle areas - all places Harlan has lived.  Check out the world of the brass!

Follow the podcast on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Visit www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast for more info or to send feedback regarding the podcast.  Please leave a rating and a review.  Thank you for listening.

Valerie Maze has an extensive amount of experience with regional theatre houses, opera companies, and in the academic world.  Not long ago, she was the staff theatre music director for Elon University.  Much of her work has been in her current residence of Chicago.  We talk about the opportunities within the arts scene of the Windy City, along with the world of theatre and opera, the benefits of a collaborative piano degree, and her experiences in succeeding as a woman conductor.

You can follow the podcast on Instagram or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Please share this episode if you enjoyed it, and please leave a rating and review.  Thank you for listening.