Music professionals offer advice

"Music…gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything."\nThese are the words of Plato, and their relevance has echoed throughout the history of music. The most incredible thing about music, however, is not the sounds themselves, but the musicians creating them. Although it is inspired by nature, music cannot create itself -- it must be produced, composed, imagined, and performed. Although it is a difficult career, musicians choose to pursue it anyway, realizing, as Portland Opera Company's Director of Education Diane Syrcle said, "Your passion is what defines your life."\nSo perhaps you've dreamed of becoming a musician: You've desired to be a part of something so magical that it has been described as being able to transport listeners to another world? According to a group of professionals in the music business, success requires academic dedication, personal ambition and a strong desire to set yourself apart as an individual.\n"The most important thing is not to get too far ahead of yourself," said IU alumnus Mark Clark, an IU associate professor of music and opera production director. "Get a good solid education -- which means not only a strong music education and knowledge of your craft but a well rounded education that includes literature, business, history and many other subjects." \nMost professionals agreed that although it is crucial you be exceptionally well-trained on your chosen instrument, it is also extremely important to have an understanding of as many other disciplines as you can. Because musicians are, by default, members of a world community. Every aspect of your education will at some point be relevant to your chosen craft. \n"Arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can in your college years," said Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera and IU alumnus Patrick Summers. "Because when you're out working as a professional and you get busy, you do need that knowledge, and you don't have time to acquire it later. Don't wait." \nThe next best thing to getting a well-rounded education was learning as much as you can about your instrument -- be it voice, piano, harpsichord or tuba -- and getting as much performance experience as you can get your hands on, Clark said. \n"Perform for anyone you can," he said. "Even children, because if the young people are not inspired, then someday we will not have an audience." \nClark also suggested playing for friends, who both he and Hopper described as one of your toughest audiences. \nThey also suggest students remember that because of IU's size, hundreds of performance opportunities are available. They stress that students should audition for as many things as they can and get used to being onstage because being a professional musician means that's where they will spend a good portion of their lives. \nA third very important step is beginning to network. This is another of the advantages of going to the biggest, and one of the most prestigious, music schools in the country -- there is the opportunity to meet any number of renowned people in the field, as well as to become friends with the stars of tomorrow who are currently attending the school.\n"It's like a big club -- it doesn't exclude anybody, but it includes a lot of people," Clark said. "In the 25 years or so since I've graduated, I just can't even begin to tell you how important my education at IU has been to me in the world."\nOne of the most crucial steps to becoming a good musician, professionals concurred, was learning about and becoming comfortable with who you are. \n"Your schooling is important in that it develops you as a person," Summers said. "The thing that sets a successful young musician apart from an unsuccessful one is their ability to enter the business (of music) very secure in who they are, but also open to all the other possibilities." \nThey all agreed that, when hiring musicians, companies look for performers who have a personality that stands apart. \n"What we want is an individual," Summers said. \nAsserting individuality can be hard in a competitive school with hundreds of students required to take all the same classes and follow the same set of standards, but professionals agree that a crucial step is breaking that mold. \n"School gets you in this cookie-cutter mold…where everyone is going for the gymnastics' 10," Clark said. "You have to break free and find that passionate light. That seems to be the common thread that gets you hired. If people listen to you and watch you and see that you love what you're doing, then they'll want you for their program." \nSyrcle agreed.\n"If you love it and it consumes you, go for it," she said. "If it doesn't, you will be missing the spark that may get you hired."\nFinally, these professionals stress just getting out there. They said it is vital to familiarize yourself with the business, become a member of a professional organization such as Opera America or the American Federation of Musicians, and to start auditioning -- in short, begin to build your package. \n"You need to be 100-percent sure of your package," Syrcle said. "Do some homework on the companies (you will audition for); know (your music); a good head shot goes a long way; keep your resume current; don't lie about your age; don't lie about your experience. And above all, be gracious and prompt to all auditions!" \nClark said it is important for music students to avoid fitting the stereotype of a musician so caught up in their art that they don't have a solid grasp on the business end of your career.\n"In order to make an informed and educated choice, you need to be acquainted with all the terms and what they mean -- know the difference between a manager and an agent," he said.\nSummers encouraged students to not let this information overwhelm them. "It is well known that you learn more in your first year as a professional that you ever learned in college," he said.\nAs these musicians agree, the School of Music is a great place to take the first steps on the path to becoming a professional musician. \n"The magic part of being at IU is that you feel this immersion in music of all kinds…we're in a great energy here," said Vincent Planès, a masters student studying piano. "You are surrounded by great faculty and great music"