Musicians Institute Hollywood

On March 9th, I had the honor of being invited to teach a clinic at MI Hollywood on the topic of ‘Music Business”.

Invest in yourself
Get Organized
1st impressions
Networking Technique
Auditions

My primary goal was to help them think as entrepreneurs because let’s face it, when students graduate from any institution, the big question is “what’s next?”.

WHAT’S NEXT

Well, typically for artists, the ‘what’s next’ is getting work as an independent contractor in any capacity, which means they are essentially small business entities. But they need to legitimize themselves as such. There are several steps to becoming a small business and getting that paperwork in order is not something that should be swept under the rug and ignored.

It is not difficult, nor is it super time-consuming. But for many young artists, this process can seem intimidating. Also diving into the unknown can bring on a valid fear that we all know and have experienced all too often in our adult lives.

I took the time to walk them through the essentials of starting a small business: Filing a DBA, acquiring a business license, purchasing a liability insurance policy, equipment insurance and more.

HUMAN CONNECTION

We also covered networking techniques, self care and meditation, and auditioning for a live event music entertainment agencies — something I knew I could help them understand on a very deep level.

People remember how we made them FEEL. When we are connected with ourselves on a deeper level, it seeps into all aspects of our lives. When we are grounded and truly listen to others while they speak with us, and we give eye contact (instead of looking at our phones), we leave a lasting and positive impression.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN …

This topic of ‘business’ can be a boring one. It’s all in the delivery! And I delivered. I reached them. They ‘heard’ me. And we were mutually grateful to be in each others’ presence. It was a fulfilling day on many levels and I look forward to coming back and reaching more students at M.I. in the future.