Review

Angela Myels Beeching
Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music 2nd Edition:

Oxford, , United Kingdom
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date of Publication: 2010

373 pages.

Primary Genre: Study Material - book

So many young performers fall in love with music but haven’t a clue how to actually make a living as a musician. They arrive at fine music schools throughout the world ready to practice hard, assuming that all those other pesky details will sort themselves out.  As Director of the Career Services Center at New England Conservatory, Angela Myles Beeching has a wealth of experience helping such students. In Beyond Talent, she generously dishes out practical advice to guide them on their journey. It may be cliché to say, “this book covers everything,” but Beeching leaves little uncovered. From the opening, in which she debunks such myths as “If I practice really hard I’ll win the big audition and live happily ever after,” Beeching goes on discuss the importance of developing a support network and creating effective promotional materials. Throughout the book she gives real world examples of musicians either succeeding or struggling with their careers. I find these concrete examples along with sample resumes, contracts, fund-raising letters and even “elevator speeches” to be one of the book’s real strengths.  Pragmatic sections such as “Your Bio in Six Easy Steps” and a discussion of good phone manners go right to the heart of the matter.  

Chapter 4 goes into the details of making recordings including sample budgets and licensing/copyright details. Chapters 5-8 cover such topics as building an online community through social networking, booking and arts management, becoming media savvy (press releases, etc.), and connecting with audiences through residencies and teaching artist positions. Throughout the book Beeching provides useful lists such as the “Booking Calls: Five Elements of a Pitch” and “Timeline for Publicizing Your Next Concert.” The final five chapters give more general advice. Beeching addresses tax returns, time management skills, injury avoidance, grant-writing, and the “day job dilemma.” She also mentions arts-related careers such as lyricist, copyist, fund-raiser, and concert hall manager.

The life of a professional musician can be a perilous voyage. In this comprehensive and pragmatic book, Beeching uses her experience and wisdom to help young musicians navigate their careers. I strongly recommend this book not only to music students and their teachers, but also to young professional musicians as well. They may come to see this book as a life preserver.

-Brad Edwards
University of South Carolina