The Entrepreneurial Mindset for Musicians: Personal and Professional Development
By Nottelmann Music and Clinician and Professional XO Brass Artist Mike Parkinson –
As someone who was drawn to pursue a life in music while in high school and managed to have a long and successful career, I know firsthand the challenges facing individuals who are seriously considering music for their vocation. Most students are not aware of the multiplicity of options that available, whether it is performance (various types of ensembles, chamber music, jazz/rock/pop/country/classical, a solo career, or accompanying), church music, teaching (pre K-university levels, school or studio based), arranging/composition, conducting (school, community, or professional levels), stage craft for music theater or opera, music history/musicology, music librarianship, music theory, music therapy, recording engineer, publishing, sales via physical locations or the internet, manufacturing, management, marketing/promotion, licensing, copyright or entertainment law, administration, or careers in the armed forces. Career options will continue to evolve and grow due to the impact of the delivery and availability of all forms of music through the internet.
Everyone’s path in music commonalities such as devotion to an instrument in personal practice and performance, and huge amounts of time for listening to, reading about, and studying music. All successful musicians can point to a person, an event or a moment which inspired them to pursue their dreams. I am one of those people, and I am thankful for the life I have had in music as I cannot imagine it being any other way. If you see yourself in that light, this document may help you add focus to your journey, which is my hope!
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1. The Road Less Traveled……the life of a musician…..crescendo poco a poco ma non troppo ————–>
2. Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Mindset: what do these terms mean to you?
3. Definitive inspiration: What caused you to decide to seriously pursue music and make it your life’s vocation?
• Who were your inspirations and who are your heroes now and why?
• If you can pin-point it, what moment or event triggered your hope of becoming a professional musician?
• To learn about my personal story, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/williammichaelparkinson/
4. The Pareto Principle: consistent and regularly updated daily planning, time management, and categorized accounting of the tasks to be completed: Daily Essentials, Communications, Projects, Meetings & Errands – AND a master list! For example, have you practiced or listened to music today? If not, what are you waiting for?
5. The Learning process and all the steps that are repeated in some way every day. [: Information is presented to you, or you discover it, you must decide what to do with it, if it is important for you now or in the future. IF you find it to be of value, you will repeatedly work with it, apply it, and assess your progress, keep at it and master it in time, and then share it! :]
6. Goal orientation (short, medium, and long range): what needs attention, improvement, reinforcement or elimination and how long/how much effort will it take for effective changes to take place? CELEBRATE THE SMALL VICTORIES!
a. Short term: dealing consistently, efficiently, and effectively with the daily dance of life.
b. Medium term: thinking in terms of three, six, nine months to a year.
c. Long term: keeping an eye on the ever moving and perhaps ever-changing prize.
7. Elements of success: consistency, curiosity, self-awareness, acceptance and forgiveness, goal orientation, hard work, balance, flexibility, dogged dedication, discipline and determination to daily do the right thing, a giving attitude, knowing when to stay and when to go, a love of what you do, and the value of loved ones in your life.
8. The Investment Clause: When will you begin to invest in others as others have invested in you? What do you have to share with others or give to those in need through community, civic or church organizations, to younger professionals in your field, your friends, and your family? Value Added Living (entrepreneurship) = Thanks-Living and Thanks-Giving!
9. “Floating your boats:” All boats do not float equally for long and never forever. In decision-making, planning and forward thinking sooner or later you will have to sink some of your boats, launch new ones, or change course. This is to be expected and unexpected, gradual, or quick. “Be careful what you pray for, you might get it” despite the continuing impact of the pandemic and economic pressures.
10. “Effortless Mastery” by Kenny Werner: All musicians profit deeply from reading Mr. Werner’s text. It provides ways to pursue healthy self-assessment, forgiveness, and goal orientation by getting rid of guilt and feelings of inadequacy, accepting who you are and going forward – over and over and over…. In other words, get over yourself!
11. Help wanted! Four essential books to help you discover who you and how to discover your path to success:
• Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (3rd edition) by Angela Myles Beeching, Oxford University Press.
• The Savvy Musician, Building a Career, Earning a Living & Making a Difference by David Cutler, Helius Press
• Music Business Handbook and Career Guide (13th edition) by David Baskerville and Tim Baskerville, Sage Publications
• Discipline Is Destiny-The Power of Self-Control by Ryan Holiday, Portfolio-Penguin.
12. Leadership: books by John Maxwell: “Be All You Can Be,” “Developing the Leader Within You,” “Thinking for a Change,” and “Today Matters.” Goals are not met by accident; dreams are not achieved by casual energy.
13. Read autobiographies/biographies on the major figures in and out of your areas of interest. How did those individuals who inspire you become and then maintain their success, warts and all?
14. Establishing your personal and professional skill sets and addressing weaknesses:
a. Who are you? Are you: average, good, above average, excellent, outstanding, superior, or are you the ESSENTIAL individual who excels above all others for a particular position? If not, how will you get there? “Well tell me, Mr. Parkinson, why should I hire you anyway?” which was asked during my first interview. Yes, I got the job!
b. Define your skill sets (not just musical), from #1 through #4 in decreasing levels of ability.
i. ____________________________________________________
ii. ____________________________________________________
iii. ____________________________________________________
iv. ___________________________________________________
c. Define your weaknesses (not just musical) in order of significance, how and when you will address them.
i. ____________________________________________________
ii. ____________________________________________________
iii. ____________________________________________________
iv. ____________________________________________________
d. Essential points to remember:
• You can always get better – someone else already is.
• You can always market or promote yourself better – someone else already has.
• You can always succeed and fail – someone else is doing so right now.
15. What is of vital important to you? Take several minutes to put these items in order, 1-9, or double number.
• __ Spiritual values and your faith journey
• __ Career success – for yourself or to make a difference in others’ lives.
• __ Fame, fortune, and wide recognition.
• __ Family life.
• __ Personal well-being: physical, mental, positive thinking, overcoming depression and doubt.
• __ Giving back to society – community involvement and beyond – as a musician or in other ways.
• __ Practicing healthy ethics in all aspects of your life.
• __ Being secure in who you are and what you do, without “banging the bass drum” too loudly.
• __ Being a leader and/or being a follower: _______________________________________________
16. “We’ve never done it that way before.” = the last seven words of an organization or individual in serious trouble.
a. Thinking outside the box, what is your game plan to achieve your personal and professional goals, to keep growing, adding value, and to keep your heart and mind OPEN despite failures?
b. Who, what and where do you want to be in one, three, five, ten, or twenty years? Write down some thoughts on a separate piece of paper, on your computer or phone, and keep these handy for periodic review and updating.
17. Mentoring: Identify someone who will honestly encourage, inspire and forgive you, and tell you the truth when you need it most without stomping on your dreams – consistent accountability. Someday YOU will become the mentor!
18. Teamwork: We spend a huge amount of time alone as musicians, but we are also part of a team that succeeds or fails in accordance with what we devote to it. Who are the most reliable members of your team?
19. Leadership: As entrepreneurship calls for leadership, based on the answers you provided to #14 above, what are your leadership skills and weaknesses? What leaders in/out of music do you admire the most and why?
20. Aspiration, Inspiration and Perspiration: Who is the best at what you want to do or who you want to become? How did they become the best, and how did or do they maintain high levels of quality, professional growth, and achievement?
21. Entrepreneurship in action: Explore all professional means available to help you grow, adding value to yourself – “shotgun, rifle, bow & arrow” – be curious and be deliberate:
• Civic, business, religious, educational, and fine arts organizations for internships or part time jobs.
• Regularly seek news to discover what is taking place in artistic circles in your region.
• Join “LinkedIn”® as there is so much there for you, it’s free, and networking is highly encouraged!
• Explore professional organizations and internet groups related to your areas of interest.
• Seek out publications, blogs, journals, conferences, and so forth to learn what the current trends and best practices are in the arts.
• Develop your web and social media presence with a full review every thirty to sixty days.
• Simplicity: a logo/branding piece, a high-quality business card, both are very important when meeting people.
• Personal appearance, verbal, and visual communication skills are essential to your image in meetings in person, by video conferencing, phone or presentations, and always remember to say “thank you.”
• Two crucial mantras: “things take time” and “progress: it’s a scary thing!”
22. The dangers of stasis, procrastination, and self-doubt: Is your life and your investment in a career in music going forward, backwards, sideways or has it stopped? Stasis cannot be maintained as positive or negative momentum will force things into motion for better or worse. Procrastination and self-doubt will damage you and your future.
23. The five effective teaching moments: yes, no, and maybe, the fourth is regret and the fifth is WOW! Learning how to deal effectively with all five is a life-long key to happiness, acceptance, vision, and success.
It is my hope that this presentation has provided you with encouragement and inspiration to actively pursue a career in music. You are needed – never doubt it – and the difference that you make will inspire others to follow their dreams!
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THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET FOR MUSICIANS: PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
© 2023 by Mike Parkinson – all rights reserved
For permission to print, share, post or distribute this document, please contact Mike.
• Email
• Cell phone: 1.740.274.2334
• Mailing address: 13942 W. 126th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66213
To learn more about Mike Parkinson:
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williammichaelparkinson
• All About Jazz: https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/michaelparkinson
• The TRINITY Jazz Ensemble: https://trinityjazz.weebly.com/
• KHS America and XO Brass: https://www.xobrass.com/us/artists/mike-parkinson