Creating and Running a
Successful Jazz Performance Ensemble
Overview
After years of hard work mastering an instrument, learning the repertoire of jazz, developing compositional skills, and becoming comfortable performing with other musicians, many aspiring musicians are ready to start leading a performing ensemble.
At that moment, it’s tempting to call a few friends, rehearse up a repertoire, and start booking gigs.
But to maximize the chances of being successful, a band leader can do much more than that. Wise strategy can make the difference between a successful group launch and the frustrating experience of having lots of music and no one to play it for. Or even worse, the experience of a great-sounding band breaking up from the frustration that comes with lack of performances and revenue.
This course is designed to help all musicians to get a sense of the moves they can make in assembling an ensemble and helping it to grow and thrive.
Participants
All musicians interested in playing in a band or leading a band will benefit from this course. The purpose is to help musicians understand how to put their best foot forward in marketing the group and opening up performing opportunities that improve over the years in visibility, audience size, and financial remuneration.
The workshop is suitable for musicians playing at a basic level and interested in looking forward strategically at their likely futures. And the workshop is suitable for moderate to advanced musicians who have mastered their instruments and have been or will be performing regularly in professional settings.
Take-homes
The participants will leave the course with a series of take-homes of lasting value:
After years of hard work mastering an instrument, learning the repertoire of jazz, developing compositional skills, and becoming comfortable performing with other musicians, many aspiring musicians are ready to start leading a performing ensemble.
At that moment, it’s tempting to call a few friends, rehearse up a repertoire, and start booking gigs.
But to maximize the chances of being successful, a band leader can do much more than that. Wise strategy can make the difference between a successful group launch and the frustrating experience of having lots of music and no one to play it for. Or even worse, the experience of a great-sounding band breaking up from the frustration that comes with lack of performances and revenue.
This course is designed to help all musicians to get a sense of the moves they can make in assembling an ensemble and helping it to grow and thrive.
Participants
All musicians interested in playing in a band or leading a band will benefit from this course. The purpose is to help musicians understand how to put their best foot forward in marketing the group and opening up performing opportunities that improve over the years in visibility, audience size, and financial remuneration.
The workshop is suitable for musicians playing at a basic level and interested in looking forward strategically at their likely futures. And the workshop is suitable for moderate to advanced musicians who have mastered their instruments and have been or will be performing regularly in professional settings.
Take-homes
The participants will leave the course with a series of take-homes of lasting value:
- An understanding of the building blocks of an impressive jazz group’s resume.
- An understanding of the step-by-step process of building that resume over time.
- The resources a band leader can assemble to enhance changes of success.
- A set of principles to decide what sort of repertoire to offer.
- A set of principles to decide what image to convey of the band.
- A set of principles for selecting and ordering repertoire for a performance. Ideas about how to keep the band experience fun and fresh for the musicians.
- A set of principles for how to contact potential presenters to sponsor performances by the band.
- A set of principles about how to get publicity for the band.
- How to write promotional materials, build a website, write emails to potential presenters, and make phone calls to potential presenters.
- How to track the activities of the band organizational work, including detailed spreadsheets of potential gigs, spreadsheets of offered gigs being considered, spreadsheets of accepted gigs.
- How to manage a staff providing assistance with gig booking and publicity.
- How to interface with booking agents.
- How to offer educational workshops for audiences of all ages.
- How to explain to an audience what jazz is and how to listen to it.
- How to create special projects for the band to gain visibility.
- How to take photos of the band for various uses.
- Tricks on how to record a band and release a CD, including interfacing with record labels and deciding whether to release the CD yourself.
- Tricks on how to make successful videos of the band for promotion and who can assist in the process.
- Revenue tracking, paying sales and personnel taxes.