The Portfolio Composer

Jason Heath is host of the Contrabass Conversations podcast. He is a former International Society of Bassists board member and DePaul University double bass and music education faculty member. He is an active performer and author of Road Warrior Without An Expense Account and Winning the Audition (coming soon). Jason has been blogging since 2005 and podcasting since 2007.

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In this episode podcaster and double bassist Jason Heath and I discuss podcasting, platform building, music education, add value, and more!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Getting gigs as a bass player
• Platform building
• Platforms are built on content
• Serving an audience
• Thinking like a business owner
• Music school not preparing us for the real world
• Orchestra & academic jobs
• The abundance of opportunities the internet has brought us
• Making your own path
• Standing out
• Kevin Kelly
• The personalized experience
• Done is better than perfect
• Kurt Knecht & Jennifer Rosenblatt of MusicSpoke
• Why podcasts?
• Andrew Hitz
• Fear & validation
• Stacy Garrop
• Emails
• Composer pet peeves
• 1,000 True Fans
• David von Kampen
• Giving gratitude
• Managing your schedule

Website:

• contrabassconversations.com
• jasonheath.info

Recommended Listening:

• Sam Suggs, Daft Punk Chaconne

Recommended Reading:

• Jason Heath, Road Warrior Without an Expense Account: Rethinking Music Performance for the 21st-Century Musician
• Seth Godin, Stop Stealing Dreams (Free PDF download from Seth's site!)
• Gary Vaynerchuck, Crush It!: Why NOW is the time to cash in on your passion

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A review of the book Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist by Sally Hogshead.

It's tough to be better. But far easier to be different. (p. 25)

What makes you unique and how does the world see you? Branding is all about how the world sees you. The crazy thing is that we have some control about how the world sees us! This book covers seven fascination languages and describes how to use each one to fascinate your audience.

Website:

• www.brandfascination.com

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Taylor is an entrepreneur and author of The End of Jobs. Inc Magazine rated The End of Jobs one of the Top Three ‘Start Your Own Business’ Books of 2015. WSJ Bestselling Author and Entrepreneur James Altucher said of it: “Entrepreneurship is not a choice you can make at your leisure. You have to jump on the train or lose your chance. Now is the time and Taylor’s book describes exactly how to do it.” His work has been featured in media outlets including Business Insider, Inc, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

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In this episode entrepreneur and author Taylor Pearson discusses the end of jobs and the new age of the entrepreneur.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Cynefin Framework
• Complicated vs complex work
• Need for entrepreneurship
• Rise of over-qualified people
• Need to learn how to market yourself
• Sairstep method to selling
• Learning the skills as you go
• Decentralization of power
• Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans
• It takes longer than you think
• Testing assumptions
• Getting an apprenticeship
• Launching a project

Website:

• taylorpearson.me

Recommended Listening:

• The Beatles, Rubber Soul

Recommended Reading:

• Taylor Pearson, The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5
• James C. Scott, Seeing Like a State: How certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed
• Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A brief history of humankind

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A coaching short on sharing your story.

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Sharing your story can be scary, but it's the easiest way to get audience buy in. Let people know why you do what you do. Don't focus on what you've done, focus on who you are and what brought you to where you are.

Links:

• Aprille Janes (Ep 25)
• George Shaw (Ep 94)
• Arthur Breur (Ep 72)
  • Blog: Professional Benefits of Blogging
  • Blog: Getting Started Blogging: Breaking the Blogging Barrier
  • Blog: The Personal Benefits of Blogging
• Alex Shapiro (Ep 60)
• Alex Shapiro (Ep 61)

The Pixar Pitch

Adapted from Emma Coats' Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling

  Once upon a time ____________________. Every day, ____________________. One day ____________________. Because of that, ____________________. Because of that, ____________________. Until finally ____________________.  

 

Click here to see a list of all the Coaching Short episodes.

George Shaw is a professional geek (with a passion for all things sci-fi, fantasy, & superheroes) and composer for film, TV, video games & new media. YouTube videos featuring George’s music have amassed over 150 million views. George co-wrote “Ode to Geeks” with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, composed for Geek & Sundry, music directs the Geekie Awards, & created the viral hit STAR WARS MUSICAL.

George studied composition & film scoring at USC’s Thornton School of Music. His plans for world domination include earning an EGOT, & becoming more famous than Irish-playwright George Bernard Shaw, and perfecting time travel.

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In this episode George Shaw discusses raising your rates and demonstrating that you can do what you want to do.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Being a geek
• Comic books
• John Williams
• Being constantly busy
• Escape the Night
• The chasm between film & concert music
• Getting artistic control
• Subverting the ego
• The importance of melody
• Networking through school & festivals
• Demonstrating that you can do what you want to do
• Re-branding
• How to get started
• Looking for clients that have money
• Staying in the game long enough
• Raising your rates
• Making the client's budget work
• Charge more money
• Network
• Find what you love
• Derek Sivers' "Hell Yes"

Website:

• georgeshawmusic.com

Recommended Music:

• John Williams, Star Wars

Recommended Reading:

• Leil Lowndes, How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
• Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz, Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There

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Seth Hanes is a musician, digital marketing consultant, speaker, and founder of musiciansguidetohustling.com, which is regularly visited by musicians all over the world. He maintains a busy career as a performer and teacher around the Philadelphia area. As a digital marketing consultant, Seth has worked with everything from multi-million dollar organizations and book publishers, to musicians from ensembles like the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

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In this episode musician, speaker, digital marketing consultant, and author Seth Hanes discusses his new book Break Into The Scene and getting your career started.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Saying yes first
• Ghandi, "Action expresses priorities."
• Creative Live
• Musician's Guide to Hustling
• Scratching your own itch
• Hustling
• Daniel Felsenfeld
• Doing the work
• Creating opportunities
• Abundance
• Break Into The Scene
• Getting started
• Your natural network
• Know your audience
• Develop your portfolio

Website:

• musiciansguidetohustling.com
• breakintothescene.com

Recommended Listening:

• John Williams, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Recommended Reading:

• Seth Hanes, Break Into The Scene
• Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
• James Altucher, Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream
• John Seabrook, The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

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Dana Fonteneau is the founder and creator of The WholeHearted Musician—a coaching and consulting business devoted to empowering artists to claim successful, fulfilling and sustainable careers. A former concert cellist with a BM and MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Ms. Fonteneau is now a licensed marriage and family therapist, somatic practitioner and career coach. She guest presents throughout North America and is the author of It's Not (JUST) About the Gig...

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Career coach Dana Fonteneau discusses setting realistic goals, defining success, and knowing your why.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Realizing your call
• Getting real about your goals
• Setting your measure of success
• Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation
• Dealing with failure
• Failure is feedback
• Why and how
• Success is feedback
• Having a success mindset
• Finding your why
• Start saving now
• Finding your inspiration

Website:

• www.wholeheartedmusician.com
• www.danafonteneau.com

Recommended Listening:

• Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartets

Recommended Reading:

• John Demartini, The Values Factor: The Secret to Creating an Inspired and Fulfilling Life
• Dana Fonteneau, It's Not (JUST) About the Gig: A Musician's Guide to Creating the Mindset Which Leads to Career Success AND Fulfillment

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Australian composer Margaret Brandman's career in music spans more than 45 years. As composer, pianist, music educator, author and arranger she has combined her compositional interests with her interest in music education. She composes for a variety of instrumental ensembles and voice in styles ranging from Contemporary Classical to Jazz many of which can be heard on the recently released albums -SENSATIONS and ABRAZO.

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In this episode composer Margaret Brandman shares how she's build a portfolio career of over 45 years comprised of composing, teaching, music publishing, and releasing albums of her music.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Writing pedagogical music
• Wearing many musical hats
• Parallel careers
• Publishing
• Distribution
• Promotion
• Balancing writing with business activities
• Legal entitites
• Having a CD released
• Getting the first publication
• Placing music in the schools
• Putting in the hours
• Managing the family/life/work balance
• Being passionate about it
• Music for healing
• Music Therapy

Website:

• www.margaretbrandman.com

Recommended Listening:

• Margaret Brandman, Love Brings Change
• Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings

Recommended Reading:

• Joachim-Ernst Barendt, The Third Ear: On Listening to the World
• Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential
• Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Revised and Expanded Edition

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Mezzo-soprano and composer Lisa Neher thrives in the crossroads of the concert hall and the theatre stage. Trained as a stage actress, her musical-theatrical fluency and passion for contemporary music have led to frequent premieres and new music engagements. Lisa’s compositions are shaped by her keen sense of dramatic timing and feature aching, lyrical phrases and energetic rhythmic motives. She launched the One Voice Project in 2015 to promote the creation of new works for unaccompanied voice.

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In this episode vocalist and composer Lisa Neher discusses the power of creating your own projects to take control of your career, especially after leaving school.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Transitioning to post-school life
• Questioning the traditional path
• Having a broad path
• Worrying about what you can control
• Networking
• The One-Voice Project
• Composing for unaccompanied voice
• Building/designing your project
• Knowing your audience & niche
• Funding
• Taking action
• Providing value
• Using the space

Website:

• www.lisanehermusic.com

Recommended Listening:

• Benjamin Britten, Curlew River

Recommended Reading:

• Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
• Sharon Mabry, Exploring Twentieth Century Vocal Music: A Practical Guide to Innovations in Performance and Repertoire

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This is the first of, what I hope, many short episodes with some coaching on a specific topic. This coaching short is about giving people experiences.

People listen to music, and go to concerts, in order to have an experience. What experiences are you giving your audience? What about your performers? Take them on a journey and sell them on the transformation they will experience.

Click here to see a list of all the Coaching Short episodes. Hint: this is the first one, so the list will be VERY short. But hold tight. More are coming.