Practice, Practice, Practice
This weekend, I have a friend staying at my apartment for a few days. He’s in town because his music is being performed at Carnegie Hall—an achievement I hope to have on my own resume someday. It’s funny how Carnegie is some sort of benchmark for composers and performers; do rock bands dream about playing at, say, Anaheim Stadium? Anyway, I digress. A few other friends have recently scored their Carnegie debuts as well, and there’s something I notice that these folks have in common: They’re way too busy to notice what an accomplishment the gig represents.
I guess when you’re constantly traveling to festivals, giving lectures about your work, going to the appropriate meet-and-greet receptions and dinners, etc., you don’t really have time to reflect on such things. My houseguest, for instance, emailed me from Japan a couple of weeks ago, and I knew he was slated to participate in a festival in Germany last week. This trip to New York is merely a pit stop on the way to South America for I-don’t-know-what. So, obviously, we have a lot of catching up to do. You know, this might sound almost too simplistic, but perhaps simply keeping busy is the key to a successful career as a composer.
Before you let me know how idiotic this idea seems, have you actually tried doing nothing else but composing music and working on fostering your relationships with performers, ensembles, presenters, and funders? I mean really working, and with an affirmative flair—i.e., without being pushy or dismissive to anyone, whether in social or professional situations. I know I haven’t yet developed the discipline to attempt such a feat. But I see it time and again amongst the pool of colleagues I truly count as friends: The successful ones are good musical citizens. They are absolutely passionate about their own music and the music of others. Not only that, they are also able to share and convey their passion with others. They help build communities, provide opportunities for others, give of their time to further the cause of new music, and interact with all areas of the field, academic or otherwise. I know these truths to be self-evident—now if I could just stop being lazy, hunker down, and get to work. Easier typed than done.