New Year, New Knowledge

Posted on by Emily K Johnson

Hello all and welcome back to my blog! 

I know I’ve been gone for quite some time but I am so excited to start working again as I begin my final semester in college! As life got busy, I unfortunately took an extended leave from this website. As I look forward to graduation in May I find myself craving to know as much as I can about the career field I am about to enter. This will include information about jobs, personal interviews, research about the flute to assist in my recital, and all the badass music women I can find. 

So buckle up folks and enjoy learning about my first badass woman of 2019! 

How did you form WoodWired and was your initial goal to be primarily under the electronic genre?

To get the new year started off right, I would like to share this interview I had with Dr. Hannah Leffler. Dr. Leffler is a flautist in the electronic duo, WoodWired. She performs with electronics just as much as she performs in the traditional setting and I was dying to learn more about her business strategies for the group as well some her strategies for electronic performance. This was especially interesting to me as my senior recital will include primarily flute and electronic pieces.

            WoodWired formed after Cheyenne and I had played in a competitive woodwind quintet together while getting our doctorates. She finished her degree and wasn’t able to be in the quintet anymore, and we really wanted to keep playing together.  I definitely had never pictured myself in an electronic music group! However, I had always been on the lookout for a unique chamber group in which to participate, so when Cheyenne presented the idea, I was all for it! We started just trying to do a cool looping arrangement for one of my doctoral recitals and then realized how much potential there was.

How has your classical training helped you both inside your duo and in your individual adventures?

            I have a deep love for both classical music and the fusion music that WoodWired primarily performs. The level of detail and consistency required in classical performance trained me so well for looping music. My training also gave me an understanding of music theory, which helps tremendously with composing and arranging. I still really enjoy performing solo, chamber, and orchestral classical music. Even though the music is written out, there is spontaneity of feeling and emotion that comes with it, and I love it. Playing classical music also trained me to think on my feet and remain calm if things go wrong, which happens all the time with electronic music! The adjustments that have to be made are different when working with a computer, but the aspect of multi-tasking mentally is the same. Honestly, these benefits go both ways. Classical training gave me these skills, but electronic music has also made me a stronger, more consistent classical player. 

When you and Cheyenne are on tours, what does your day-to-day timeline look like?

            During tours, we stay pretty busy. We usually find driving easier because of all our equipment. Because of the nature of our group, we have to plan extra time for setup and sound checks in the hall before each event. We will usually arrive early, set up, and check levels for everything. If possible, we will try to schedule this close enough to the performance to leave our equipment set up. However, we often have to tear down, clear the hall, and then give our respective master classes, lectures, workshops, etc. After evening concerts, we then tear down again, take our equipment to where we are staying, and get up early to drive to our next stop. By the time we have driven a few hours, unloaded into the venue, sound checked, taught master classes, performed, repacked the car, and unloaded into our hotel, we are usually pretty exhausted! We used to schedule events for every day, but after our first few tours, we learned how physically and mentally exhausting it was, especially with all of the equipment! We now will make sure we have at least one full day in the middle with nothing planned so that we keep our energy up. 

What were some of the challenges in recording your electronic album that strictly acoustic recordings wouldn’t have to deal with?

            It was very tricky! We had to decide whether we wanted to record the album like a pop record (record each loop and solo individually and then have the producer piece them together) or whether we wanted to try and keep it as close to a live performance as possible. We opted to use the latter so that we kept the energy and momentum of the pieces. However, because we had to be next to each other in the sound booth, live and loop levels were difficult. Attempting to balance the loop tracks with what we were playing live took many hours of work on our producer Dan Cavanaugh’s part! He was patient and did a great job, though, and we were pleased with the result.

When did you discover your passion for electronic music and what were some of the most crucial steps you took into making it part of your career?

            Honestly, WoodWired is when I truly became passionate about electronic music. I had some experience in it, but only a small amount. It was when Cheyenne introduced me to Michael Lowenstern’s music, and I started playing around with all of the software possibilities that I became truly enamored. The most important thing I did was experiment! We had some really bad ideas in the beginning, but every failed piece has resulted in some new piece of knowledge that we have used for later pieces. To put it more succinctly, listening to many styles of music and being brave about trying new things were the most beneficial things for me. I am a big believer in trying new things, so I took jazz improv classes, talked to audio engineers, did a ton of research, and just threw myself into uncomfortable, intimidating situations to learn new things. 

Between yourself and Cheyenne, how do the two of you break up your job delegations in order to make WoodWired successful?

            This is a tough question, because we both honestly participate in every aspect of it. Sometimes, one of us is busier than the other, so the person with more time will take on more of the workload. We both have complete veto power, so we’ll throw out ideas and plans and see what the other one thinks. However, as a general rule, Cheyenne is wildly creative and has no end of ideas for pieces and projects. She can get on a creative streak and write a piece in two days. I am more of the detail-oriented, organized one, so I try to keep us on track with goals, scheduling, rehearsing, and editing of pieces. We have both written original material and arrangements, but she tends to do more of the composing, and I tend to do more of our arrangements. 

            It takes a large amount of trust to work together so closely. At this point, we probably know each other better than anyone else on earth!  We have to be able to be honest with each other, hard on each other when we know something can be better, and willing to entertain each other’s ideas. For me, I have to be open-minded about her creative ideas that I think are crazy, and she has to be willing to let me say, “No, we can’t write a new piece right now. We have 100 emails to answer, a program to make, and a performance coming up.” It is a constant ebb and flow, and it works well for us. 

Photo Courtesy of Elle Logan Photography and Hannah Leffler

A Day in the Life

Posted on by Emily K Johnson

As I sit here reflecting on my second year at Adams State, I can’t say enough about how lucky I have been. I’m surrounded by nothing but support as I’ve started job and internship searches and my professors have been absolutely incredible in helping hone my skills. A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get in contact with Byron Vall, the general manager at a venue I was going to see some shows at. He was kind enough to let me shadow him and his crew for the two days I was in Denver and I cannot put into words how grateful I feel. The crew was incredible and I learned so much in those two short days. Byron also agreed to let me interview him via email so I could pick his brain some more about exactly what it is that he does!

Byron was kind enough to show me what his show day schedule looks like and even let me look at some templates for the paperwork he does for every show. Honestly, this was one of the most interesting insights I’ve been able to get because I was able to figure out what I need to start researching now in order to be ahead. I was also able to work and talk with the stagehands, security crew, and front of house engineers on both nights and couldn’t believe how different those days were. It was really cool to be able to experience this first-hand and get an inside look at the field I am dying to go into! I’m so grateful for the memories made and experiences gained on this trip. Once again, I was reminded of my passion for live music.

How did you first discover your passion for live music?

I began playing piano at a very young age, and performed throughout this. Once in high school I picked up a guitar and joined jazz band. From there I started playing in bands. It’s a pretty typical pathway, ha. But reality is I started playing music before I got into shows. Once I started playing music similar to what I listened to (jazz / rock vs. the classical that I played on piano) and could see those artists live, I grabbed ahold of it and started attending concerts very regularly.

What was your inspiration or motivation to go into the management area of music business?

Funny story actually. I began college as a performance major. After a few months decided that I should do something that has to do with business because I didn’t believe there was much that I could do with a performance degree, as I was no maestro. I started taking marketing and business classes and really enjoyed it. The reality was I knew I needed to do something business related so I could find work easier and not be stuck without a job.

Working your way up to your current position was no easy feat, I’m sure. Would you be able to explain briefly how you became the General Manager for The Summit Music Hall?

This story is hardly brief, but essentially I started as a Marketing intern at a 250 capacity venue called Larimer Lounge. They then hired me as their ‘door guy.’ Once I graduated they hired me as their ‘marketing director’ and then I started managing the venue as well. After a couple years in that position, I had begun to look elsewhere for work and had a friend who was interning here at Soda Jerk Presents. I sent in my resume and had a conversation with the owner. I thought nothing was coming out of it until about 6 months later I got a call to interview. I started at Marquis Theater as GM in March of 2012. After 4 years at Marquis, there was some restructuring at Summit Music Hall, and I was asked to come over and manage Summit! That’s about as short as I can make it! Ha! 

What has been the greatest struggle you have had to overcome working your way to your position?

Being patient is super important. Positions that aren’t part time or entry level are very scarce in the music business, at least in my experience. And it may take a lot of ‘paying your dues’ at various levels to get where you want to go. So I guess I would say my greatest struggle is to keep my eyes on the prize, work hard, and patiently wait for things to open up or go my way. 

What is one piece of advice you wish someone would have told you before you got into your current position?

So many different scenarios can pop up within venue management. Learning how to adapt and effectively deal with conflict goes a long way, and people will respect that.

Are you at all concerned with the preservation or longevity of the live music industry?

I’m intrigued to see where it goes from here. There are always more artists, more venues, and more revenue streams being tried out. But as of now, I see this is one of the only reliable revenue streams for the music industry for agents, artists, and venues. So I don’t necessarily see it slowing down as a whole. Although I AM very concerned with the corporate takeover of the industry. 

I know we talked briefly about how your performance background has helped you in your line of work, would you mind elaborating on any of these benefits?

Well if I get frustrated or burned out, it’s easy for me to sit down at my piano and remind myself that I love music at the base level, and that’s why I got into this business. So that’s a plus.  There are also situations where I’ll know how gear works, or what it’s like to be stressed out at a show, or geek out over gear with people on tour. I guess a good benefit is that it allows me to connect better with artists and relate to people who I’m working with during each show.

As technology continues to progress, do you think your job roles will alter? How so?

As far as my day to day business goes, I think programs will develop and make my job easier when it comes to the accounting side, or alcohol inventory side, the menial tasks, etc. I don’t really see it changing running or advancing shows that much in the near future, though.

What are your favorite/least favorite aspects of venue management?

I used to think my favorite thing would be the shows. That is a great plus, seeing tons of music. But what I realized my favorite aspect is working with, getting to know, and befriending a lot of people in a similar boat as me with the same passions. There are a lot of people in the industry who aren’t necessarily genuinely in it for the right reasons. I really enjoy meeting other people who are fun to work with and enjoy what they do. You can tell who is in it because they love it almost immediately, and they tend to be great humans.

My least favorite aspect of the shows is probably dealing with the after effects of hard partiers. Cleaning up broken stuff, puke, messes, fights, etc. I have security and they typically handle everything, but it still is kind of a bummer to see people over party and make fools of themselves. Especially because everyone is there because they have one thing in common, that they love that artist. I hate it when people decide to ruin that sense of community by fighting or whatever the issue is.

As a manager, are there any other tasks that you perform that someone might automatically not assume?

Oh boy. I like to be a ‘hands on’ type manager. This means I’ll help out in any way possible. Cleaning up puke, plunging toilets, helping security with rowdy crowds/ patrons. Those are just a few of those types of things. There’s so much, like painting graffiti, or fixing holes in walls or leaks. At the smaller venues, I would patch drywall, do electrical work, or consider myself a plumber. You kind of have to be able to do whatever it takes to keep the shows going.

What is the strongest personality trait someone can have looking to enter the artist management field?

Be friendly and modest! It’s incredible how much easier things are and how well people react when you show up smiling. Plus, you’ll have more fun, which is what it’s all about. This experience had the most perfect timing as I’m wrapping up my sophomore year. Not only did I learn an immense amount about

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This experience had the most perfect timing as I’m wrapping up my sophomore year. Not only did I learn an immense amount about the day-to-day production of live music, I also learned what I need to work on in my next two years before graduation. I will be spending more time researching settlements and split points as well as working on quicker adaptation skills. As I work on making myself the most valuable employee candidate, I can’t help but think about how beneficial this experience will be as I venture on to my last two years of schooling. Again, I am so thankful to Byron and everyone at Summit Music Hall for this incredible opportunity!

Inspiration Strikes

Posted on by Emily K Johnson

This past week has made my heart so incredibly full. My ears have been swimming in beautiful melodies and kind words while my days have been spent surrounded by some of the most genuine people I have ever met. It has been such a long time since I have been inspired to write about my experiences and while I do have some blog plans in the works, I felt compelled to share these experiences. I have struggled with putting my feelings into words before and I feel as though this blog will definitely feature some of this. Please bear with me because I promise the content is worth this struggle.

My university’s music department had the privilege of working with Madera Wind Quintet last week through a variety of activities. I listened to rehearsals, masterclasses, and concerts. The Adams State University’s Winds and Percussion Ensemble even had the pleasure of recording a piece with them. Most importantly, I observed and remembered. I was able to watch and listen to their passion for music and was instantly reminded as to why I want to go into the music industry. Musicians are humans who ooze with passion and this group was no different. Anyone within close proximity could their passion for performing and teaching. They treated not only each other with the utmost respect but everyone they came in contact with last week. And this environment, the one of safety and passion, is one I crave to be a part of the rest of my life.

Instead of going over every detail of the week, and believe me I could, I’m going to try and condense it down into just a few impactful ideas I picked up through listening and watching these incredible human beings. These ideas are ones that should not only be implemented or thought about in the practice rooms, they are relevant in everything we do as humans.

  1. Be respectful. This seems so simple and I think that is why we sometimes can forget about it. I was fortunate enough to watch one of their rehearsals and it was so incredible how they made five voices and opinions all have the same level of importance. Everyone’s ideas were heard and even differences could be dealt with because of the respect they hold for each other. As I listened to their podcasts and talks with students they reiterated this idea but on a much broader sense. The world is a really small place and you never know how things will come back around so it’s vital that you are nice to everyone you come in contact with.
  2. Teach from experience. I think too often we look at professional musicians as if they are immune to mistakes and while they may be less prone to them, they’re just like us. The struggles we deal with every day as musicians are ones they have already gone through. As I performed multiple times for masterclasses last week, I was blown away at how advice was delivered. We were not belittled for mistakes but were guided toward successful practice strategies on how to prevent these mistakes in the future. After playing as a group for years, and playing their instruments even longer, they filled with my brain with so many ideas on how to just be better, and for that, I am so grateful.
  3. Human characteristics are exactly what makes music so great. This is my favorite thing to write about and by far the one I struggle with the most. Listening to them was spectacular beyond words and it wasn’t because they were flawless. It was because they conveyed what the music was trying to portray. As musicians, it is our job to feel what the composer wants us to tell the audience and then commit to communicating it to them. Madera did exactly this and watching them and feeling their music was one of the most inspiring aspects of the week. Music, as I was reminded this week, is one of the purest forms of experiencing emotions and all of our unique quirks help us portray these feelings. I’m so grateful to have had an experience that made me want to be a better musician and better person all within the span of four days.

So, to cap this all off, I want to say a huge “Thank You” to Madera for spending their week with us. For blessing us with their music and their knowledge. Most importantly, thank you for sparking that fire that’s been missing for far too long in my life.

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Perfecting the Perfectionist

Posted on by Emily K Johnson
As a musician, it’s no secret  that most of struggle with being a perfectionist. While this may sound like a good thing, it does actually come with many unique struggles. I’m going to use my story, since it’s the one I’m most familiar with, to give an inside look into what I currently do to help when things get tough. I am in no way an expert in dealing with the anxiety and other symptoms that often accompany our perfection tendencies. However, I do have a lot experience in exploring different techniques to help combat these negative side effects. Essentially, I have spent the better part of my nineteen years perfecting my perfectionist and while not everything is going to work for you, you have a whole life time to perfect your inner perfectionist, too!
As far as my story goes, it’s as simple as constantly fighting the fear of disappointing people close to me. I’ve always done really well in school, and the thought of anything less than perfect constantly scares me into long nights of studying and early mornings cramming as much information down my throat as I can. When it comes to musicianship, I push myself every week to make sure I am making the best progress possible. Most of my anxieties in the music hit me the hardest when it comes to performing. Ever since I began performing soloistically, my performance anxiety has been crippling. I don’t think there has been a performance where I haven’t cried in anticipation of stepping on stage. I’ve never liked the idea of other people judging my playing and my playing alone because I felt I would never live up to expectations people have set for me.
I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone in fighting with the struggles attached to being a perfectionist. I’m also here to give you some tips on efficient ways to deal with those struggles.
1. Take a break – Sometimes you just work better after a break, whether it’s from studying or practicing. If you get frustrated, you aren’t going to be able to accomplish anything. Take that break, even if its just for a few minutes to clear your mind. In all honesty, if I get really upset at something I am not able to get in the practice room, I am willing to try and take up to a full day off because my brain cannot handle working under the frustration usually attached to the practice stresses.
2. Get an audience – Let’s be honest, this is going to be the hardest thing to actually do just because it goes against everything we want to do. At the beginning of my first semester of flute lessons, I was in full-blown panic mode and my professor told me to perform in front of someone every day until my recital. If you end up doing this, and I highly recommend that you do, make those experiences meaningful. Grab people who are going to give you more to work with than just, “yeah, you sound good.” In reality, you’re probably going to be so terrified the first times you do this you won’t even sound that good. Don’t worry, the more you do this, the better you will sound! I promise!
3. Accept Reality – There is no such thing as a perfect performance or perfect grade. We’re humans and we mess up and that’s okay. It keeps life exciting and we should always strive to learn something from those mistakes. Keep yourself surrounded by the right people because they have no set expectation for us. The fear we have of disappointing of them is usually something we’ve conjured up in our head to justify our irrational fear of letting someone down. Understand and accept that perfection doesn’t exist, but never stop chasing down the idea of progress. If you’re pushing yourself to be the best you possibly you can be, you’ll never be disappointed.
Woman of the Week:
Tamara Hrivnak recently joined Google Play and YouTube as the Director of Music Partnerships. She received her Master’s Degree from Queens University in Political Sciences and her Doctorate from University of Toronto in Law. While neither of her degrees were in music, most of her very successful career has been spent in the music industry. Before her time with Google Play and YouTube, Tamara spent almost ten years working in multiple positions for Warner Music Group. She has also had a few jobs working in various fields of technology before she got into the music business. Currently, her job at Google Play and YouTube has Tamara in charge of  licensing strategy and business development with major record labels and music publishers and oversees current and potential partnerships in music for Google Play. Tamara’s education and work in law are what inspire me the most. She is no doubt another inspiring woman giving the next generation of music business women someone to look up to.
Until next week,
Emily

Introduction

Posted on by Emily K Johnson

Hello and welcome to my page! Currently, I am a freshman in college double majoring in Music Business and Flute Performance. As an aspiring artist manager, I am hoping the blogging process will allow me to network with other people in the industry as well as research and explore the pressing issues and new topics within the music business career field. I plan on sharing my findings while also giving advice from lessons I have learned from my experiences thus far. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or ideas for future topics! Thanks for stopping by!