I just want to share some really good results I've received lately from a musician's orientation I put up on Youtube (I don't share it publicly, but can provide it to people who want to see it through a PM).
The orientation is for new members, and I just reviewed it since its about 2 months old. Since creating it, I've formed a new group whose musicians have all gone through the orientation.
In it I made a few expectations clear...
a) Don't cancel on rehearsal -- it's not fair to other musicians or the musical progress of the group.
So far, no one has ever cancelled out of rehearsal at the last minute as has happened in other groups.
b) Make sacrifices for the group and particularly for performances.
One player's wife had a baby two nights ago, and then a gig the next day. Prior to the orientation, as a sub, he cancelled the night before a gig which really disturbed me, and I wondered how well he would fare in a group that requires commitment in spite of having a young family. But he had other characteristics (such as a business degree and a sales orientation, so I took a chance).
Well, I learned last night at the gig he made arrangements so he could be at the performance even though his wife had just had a baby the night before. Apparently, she was in agreement with the arrangement. For me, it solidified this guy's place in the band, which was a bit uncertain for me given his cancellation as a former sub in another group.
c) Come prepared to rehearsal and use a recorder.
Two members bought recorders and use it to learn song structure.
d) I choose the repoertire after listening to everyone.
I gave them all the index pages of the real books, and asked them to recommend tunes that met criteria for simplicity and style. About 1/2 of the tunes we do are their recommendations and I actually learned a couple tunes that I really like that I didn't know existed. Many of their recommendations overlapped with my own recommendations so it was win-win. And they don't question my role as the final say-so on repertoire. I do credit really taking their suggestions seriously though, as part of this. But so often in other bands I was playing complex stuff that didn't gain us a competitive edge, that we would lose when influential band members left the group, and new ones joined. No more. The repertoire is stable given my role as the keepr of the repertoire.
Everyone seems happy right now. Monthly gigs for the next two months and a full three hour repertoire with only a few rehearsals. Now that's living the BL dream...let's hope it continues...
The orientation is for new members, and I just reviewed it since its about 2 months old. Since creating it, I've formed a new group whose musicians have all gone through the orientation.
In it I made a few expectations clear...
a) Don't cancel on rehearsal -- it's not fair to other musicians or the musical progress of the group.
So far, no one has ever cancelled out of rehearsal at the last minute as has happened in other groups.
b) Make sacrifices for the group and particularly for performances.
One player's wife had a baby two nights ago, and then a gig the next day. Prior to the orientation, as a sub, he cancelled the night before a gig which really disturbed me, and I wondered how well he would fare in a group that requires commitment in spite of having a young family. But he had other characteristics (such as a business degree and a sales orientation, so I took a chance).
Well, I learned last night at the gig he made arrangements so he could be at the performance even though his wife had just had a baby the night before. Apparently, she was in agreement with the arrangement. For me, it solidified this guy's place in the band, which was a bit uncertain for me given his cancellation as a former sub in another group.
c) Come prepared to rehearsal and use a recorder.
Two members bought recorders and use it to learn song structure.
d) I choose the repoertire after listening to everyone.
I gave them all the index pages of the real books, and asked them to recommend tunes that met criteria for simplicity and style. About 1/2 of the tunes we do are their recommendations and I actually learned a couple tunes that I really like that I didn't know existed. Many of their recommendations overlapped with my own recommendations so it was win-win. And they don't question my role as the final say-so on repertoire. I do credit really taking their suggestions seriously though, as part of this. But so often in other bands I was playing complex stuff that didn't gain us a competitive edge, that we would lose when influential band members left the group, and new ones joined. No more. The repertoire is stable given my role as the keepr of the repertoire.
Everyone seems happy right now. Monthly gigs for the next two months and a full three hour repertoire with only a few rehearsals. Now that's living the BL dream...let's hope it continues...
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