BY SASCHA KELLY
You want to start making your own concerts happen. You might want to get a head start in arts administration. We always read the warnings of ‘not working for free’, and under-valuing your time, but save the pennies on an expensive arts administration degree (for now) and consider the value in earning your experience by donating your time. Get volunteering!
1. It helps you avoid mistakes with your own projects.
When I graduated, I had played in my own university recitals but I had never invited more than 10 people – and certainly never considered trying to make a profit. It’s been three years since I’ve started volunteering and now I could write a book about experiences I’ve had (and still not know nearly enough!). I’ve worked for a national wine show, two MBS networks, and a huge chamber competition. I’ve been at the receiving end of countless requests for interviews, hundreds of press releases, fetched lost performers from distant practice rooms, and shepherded more wayward patrons back from interval than I know. Had I decided to put on my own concerts, I would have learned these lessons eventually – but I also would have exposed my own audience and reputation in the learning curve. By volunteering, I’ve eavesdropped on enough audiences to know what they find engaging, I’ve run enough front of house departments to know what to be prepared for, and I’ve debriefed with enough performers to know what to avoid as a promoter. I’ve still made mistakes, but I can avoid so many more!
2. You want to find an audience for your concert? Make more friends!
Volunteering has put me in the centre of a community of over 200 music lovers. By simply being there, talking to people and being interested in their activities, I’ve made genuinely fantastic friends. Sometimes it’s not about music, it’s about small talk, baking cakes for morning tea, finding out where everyone will spend Christmas. Despite the occasional age difference, the great thing about making older friends is that they get enjoyment from watching your career develop. It’s a wonderful, nurturing relationship to have. You might be worried that you don’t have anything in common, but Schumann can be a great leveller! Sometimes our musician friends suffer from concert-overdose, so don’t target them with your next recital – invite your new volunteer friends instead.
3. It provides real world skills that can help in job interviews.
While I am so lucky to have a job in broadcasting, it was as simple as prioritising my life to give up some free time. My first step was to put in an application to 4MBS. I told them I’d do anything – and I was prepared to do just that. By telling them I was willing to stuff envelopes, I ended up presenting. If you are in a great environment, you’ll always learn something. So think about what skills you want to develop, write a list of organisations that do that well, and ask them if they take volunteers. Most arts organisations run on the goodwill of donated people-power, and it’s a matter of finding which one can give you the skills that you haven’t yet developed. When the gigs dry up, and you need a ‘real’ job to pay the bills that month, practical administration skills and a reliable reference from a building that is made of bricks and mortar always come in handy for that temp job you want for summer.
4. Learn the art of saying ‘no’.
Giving up your time as a musician is a sensitive area, and you don’t want to be exploited. The ‘exposure’ phrase gets dropped all too often as payment for a gig. There is always something that needs to be done, or could be done better, if one person made it a priority. But unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast. You have to learn to prioritise tasks, and (most importantly) uphold the commitment you’ve agreed to.
5. You are giving back to a community that values your music.
I love music. I love that when I hear a really powerful performance, I get a physical rush, and I am buzzing for hours afterwards. But that’s my drug; isn’t it greedy that I get that all to myself and some people haven’t experienced it yet? That is what volunteering gives me. The knowledge that because of the envelope stuffing, cold calling, fundraising and preaching to strangers – that possibly, potentially, definitely one more person in this world might experience classical music, and I’m responsible for one more recruit – helps justify my habit.
Sascha Kelly is a staff member and volunteer at 3MBS. She has also volunteered for the Royal Queensland Show, 2MBS, Chamber Music Australia and countless performing groups.
Image supplied.
