Musicians Helping Musicians

I am often asked if I can take a gig or musician employment opportunity.  If I am available, then I will take the engagement.  If I am not, then I will communicate back to the person who asked if I can take the engagement.  The next question they ask me is if I could help them find another musician for their engagement.  That is why I created this digital music agency so that musicians can find the employment they need, and people who need musicians, can easily locate the musicians they need.  This tool can even help young and budding musicians who need opportunities to expose their talent and skillsets.  It is my hope that through this tool, I can share the Blessing that this musical talent has given me for 30 years.  I encourage other musicians to use this tool to promote not only yourselves, but also the next generation of musicians.  Teach the next generation of musicians well.  Teach them great character, and teach them the blessing that their talent can bring them.  There is enough opportunity in this field to make sure that everybody is employed.  There is also an opportunity to insure that musicians lead and set positive examples for society.  So fellow musicians, I encourage you to lift other musicians, operate with the highest integrity, teach other musicians good interpersonal skills, teach perseverance and skill-building, and lead well!  Set the tone, be professional, work hard, and prosper!

I would love to hear everybody’s thoughts on this.  These are my reflections on my 30-year experience in this industry, and my encouragement to my fellow musician brothers and sisters.  I hope this blog and this website can be a great service to you all, and grow our industry and its people!  I love you all!

The Duty of a Musician

Musicians are artists.  An artist creates, and inspires. Artistry requires mastery of skill and knowledge.  Creativity imagines original ideas. It often seems that musicians in the modern age are regurgitating riffs, melodies, phrases, and chord progressions.  The call for originality, imagination, and creativity could not be more prevalent in this day and age.  Even re-arranging music, instead of outright composing it takes skill.  In the modern-age, there is a fascination with the same chord progressions in gospel music, the same beats and melodies in modern pop and other genres, and similar riffs as well.  Musicians have a duty and responsibility to create art, and must use our imagination to create originality, unless we are actually performing somebody else’s music. If we are not, and come out with and profit from music that we put our names to, then we must insure it has our signature originality or if it is an arrangement it has a distinction from the original artist’s version.  Musicians also have a duty to spend time on perfecting and cultivating their craft.  This takes time, effort, work, and intentionality.  I will be posting more blogs about specific “how to” discussions with respect to certain topics such as how to practice and perfect your craft, how to learn a variety of genres and use various mediums to learn music.  We also have a duty to communicate and teach these things to future musicians.

I welcome your discussion on this important topic, as we discuss the “duty of a musician”.  What other responsibility do you think musicians should have? Do you believe we should have a “Code of Responsibility and Conduct” when it comes to the music industry?

Spiritual Covering for Musicians

Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with my Pastor about the spiritual covering of church musicians. He mentioned that he has conversed with several church musicians, and found that they do not have any spiritual covering.  He asked me why I believe that is the case.  As a 30-year veteran church musician, with twin uncles who are also church musicians, I shared with him that some of the concern comes from the fact that many musicians have experienced churches not wanting to compensate them if they become a member.  This is because some churches look at the ministry service of musicians the same way they look at the ministry service of the Deacons in the church, which does not come with compensation.  Some musicians can afford not to be compensated because they have other sources of income, while others receive their primary or sole source of income from their music ministry.

It is important for Christian musicians to be covered and grow spiritually.  Gaining Spiritual family who can walk authentically with you through life is needed and priceless.  Staying in the Word of God, exercising the spiritual disciplines, growing in Faith, and learning to Worship in Spirit and Truth not only helps the musician personally, but also enhances their ministry and the church!  It helps promote the mission of the church, enhances leadership capability and capacity, and ensures that decisions are Holy-Spirit led, which will always bring the increase and growth of the Kingdom of God!

I would love to hear others’ thoughts on this.  Please comment on this blog.  How can churches incentivize the musicians that serve them to obtain spiritual covering?  What are other reasons that church musicians do not have spiritual covering? What are other ways to solve this problem?