Multiply
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What makes a Most Valuable Performer?
Congratulations! Really. You help make our world a brighter place because you share live music with your circles of influence. Bravo, and well done! In fact… Thank you. Have you ever taken a moment to consider what it takes for orchestras, bands, choirs, and other ensembles to be truly effective in their music-making? A Most Valuable Performer, is what. You, or someone you love, is either an MVP already or they might be a really good MVP. An MVP is someone who leads by example, who takes the time to learn, grow, share, and encourage. They are interested in more than just playing or singing well; they are the people…
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Givers and takers: which kind of performer are you?
I’m making a massive assumption that people don’t get tired of you. But if you do identify one or two variances that might possibly suggest that this could be, take heart that I’d be stunned if NONE of this applied! We all experience little moments like this, yet it’s the respected successful musician constantly looking to get better that is freed from guilt. The selfish musician is a drain on all our energy Many philosophical writers and speakers like to inform us that there are two types of people in the world: givers and takers. Whether or not we limit ourselves to such exclusive labels is our choice, but what’s…
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Discovering your own uniqueness and using it wisely to connect with others
Even when performing in an ensemble, our individual uniqueness impacts audiences far more deeply than we’re used to recognizing. Cloning our heroes Many times we start life by replicating others. Apprentices did this all the time – they spent years copying their master and doing things exactly their way. Why? Because the master produced what people were buying, so apprentices were employed to reproduce what the master did. We still do that in music – we look at performers we admire, both on the marketed stage as well as locally, and want to copy them. It’s a way to start. But at no point will you ever be a clone…
