I just spied your Web page and read over your bio-credentials and was wondering if you might be willing to spare a moment to offer some advice and information. I am soon getting out of school, and am looking for work; the work you're doing seems like it may be something I might do in the future, in some capacity. I'm wondering if you might give my resume a quick once-over and tell me where I might go from here, as I think the skills are there, it's the information that's lacking.
And thanks again! Any advice, or leads, or just plain ole insight that you could spare (or spare me from finding out!?!) would be of interest.
A.G. (of Mississippi)
Rarely a day goes by where I don't find myself thinking, "You know, if I could really really answer that question, where would I be?" Mr. G's question is just one of many that I get that I can only answer from my experience, or from my witness of what has worked or happened with others.
So, to AG's question: how does one become a musical director/conductor? As with any work in the arts, there's no pat answer, no direct, easy route to the jobs. If you've got the chops and some reasonable credits anything that makes you visible to the people who hire musical directors can be your ticket in.
- Accompany - Make yourself available to accompany singers for concerts,
cabaret performances, luncheons, mall shows, auditions, whatever. Singers
who get hired for theatre jobs could potentially recommend you for theatre
work. And if you accompany their auditions you'll be seen by the right
people.
- Play auditions - (See "Second Break"
below) A real chance to work in front of the people who hire. Many of the
top musical directors come from the ranks of audition accompanists.
- Play Rehearsals - A step below assistant musical director is a rehearsal
accompanist, more of a gun for hire. The music staff gets to know you and
your work, and may remember you when it's time for replacements. Or in
the future.
- Assist - While it's possible to skip rungs on the ladder, assisting the musical director is definitely on the route. Once a show is in performance, in many productions the assistant will also be first keyboard player if the musical director is stand-up conducting, or second if the musical director is conducting from the keyboard, and if the show runs who do you think is most likely to replace the musical director when and if he leaves the
