Career Investigation and Networking Task

To undertake this report, I interviewed three different Brisbane musicians who all
started to seriously take on music in high school but have all gone in different directions.
To get a grasp on where they are and how they got there I asked them a series of
questions that would shed light on their musical path. One of the musicians I
interviewed has been asked to be left anonymous on this report but the other two are
Evan Osbourne, Brisbane based trumpet and bass player, educator, composer and
arranger, and Brodie McAllister, Brisbane based Trombone player and manager. Despite
all three ending up in different areas of the music industry, the answers to the questions
all hinted at two main themes that will become points of discussion in this report:
networking or meeting people and gigging versus more orthodox employment.
Firstly, all three of the interviewees discussed the importance of meeting people and
networking or making network connections early on in their careers. However, all three
gave different reasons for meeting people and gave different examples as to how it has
helped shape their careers. Brodie McAllister suggests that is important to get in with a
positive and healthy group of musicians early on in your career. He then gives evidence
to his statement with an example from his own career: “I did this and I am still playing,
performing and hanging out with them long after my degree has finished, (B McAllister,
personal communication, September 1, 2019).” He further goes on to elaborate on this
point by discussing meeting Caleb College who became his business partner as well as
his best friend. The anonymous interviewee corroborates this when he discussed a
similar experience in which he was attending open-mic nights when he met his now
closest friend and musical partner. He also mentions the positive effects that can come
from having a supportive peer group by stating: “Being surrounded by other incredible
musicians who support your every move is such a crazy thing to be a part of…
(Anonymous, personal communication, September 1,2019).”
However, Evan’s thoughts surrounding this topic more focus on building confidence and
just meeting new people to get your name out there. To paraphrase, Evan states that
‘introducing yourself to people shouldn’t just be about networking and getting gigs, it
should be about building confidence and meeting people (E Osbourne, personal
communication, September 5, 2019).’ Parts of Evan’s interview however do corroborate
what Brodie has said in relation to playing with friends. Brodie stated that he still to this
day plays with people he met while completing his degree, and Evan, in his final year at
the Conservatorium, finds himself still playing in cover bands with his friends he met
throughout his studies. While the interviewees have different perspectives and have
had different experiences when it comes to networking and meeting people, it is
evident that all three methods or reasoning leads to productive and helpful results in
establishing a musical career.
Secondly, another main theme that was brought up and discussed in every interview
was that of financial stability. While both Evan and Brodie do some teaching, the
anonymous interviewee stated that he can now make a living by purely gigging and
performing both his originals and covers. Furthermore, the anonymous interviewee also
has an EP out on Spotify which he receives a small amount of income for and is also
occasionally financially supported by his parents.
However, the anonymous interviewee’s situation also differs slightly from that of Evan
and Brodie’s. While neither Evan nor Brodie live at home anymore, they have been
living out of home since their degrees, which has meant that they’ve had to take on
other jobs to help ‘pay the bills’ such as teaching. Evan teaches trumpet at a school a
couple days a week and also is assisted by the government through Centrelink to pay for
living expenses. Additionally he has stated in relation to gig pay: “There’s a certain
element about that cause the money often goes towards the gear so you’re playing
really loud, great gear, great sound (E Osbourne, personal communication, September
5, 2019).” Evan also states, however, that he thoroughly enjoys playing pop cover gigs
and is artistically fulfilled by his own projects, which include a Big Band made of past and
current Conservatorium students, and arrangements and direction he does with that.
Brodie also stated that he has been forced to teach, but has stated that he enjoys it and
fulfils him artistically as he “…been building a group of students that are all just as
amazing and excited as the next (B McAllister, personal communication, September 1,
2019).” While Brodie does also gig with his own bands such as Bullhorn and BMJO, he
has also founded his own label, Made Now Music and been rewarded the position of
composer in residence with WAYJO, both of which not only acting as a form of income,
but as a form of artistic release and sustainability. While both Evan and Brodie teach to
put food on the table it is evident that gigging is still a valid source of income and it is
still possible to earn enough income to sustain ones financial needs as well as sustaining
ones artistic needs.
In summary, these interviews illustrate a variety of ways that an individual can progress
through the music industry. This is most clearly evident when looking at where each of
the three interviewees is currently in their individual careers in relation to where they
started. Evan Osbourne started playing in community bands and, through firstly meeting
new people and getting his name out there and then through playing covers gigs with
his friends along with teaching, he can pursue his own creative endeavours such as his
big band and keep himself financially sustained. Brodie McAllister, through forming a
good community of friends and musicians has been able to create his own label and
compose while also sustaining himself financially by teaching. Finally, the anonymous
interviewee is able to completely financially and artistically sustain himself purely from
gigging. This demonstrates that playing music and gigging is still a viable option for those
who want to pursue a career in it.

Reflection:
The information I have received through this assignment and the interviews has given
me some extra insight into how I want to further pursue my goals in music. More
specifically, finding out that it is still possible to completely sustain yourself from purely
gigging has given me more confidence in knowing that you don’t have to teach as well
to play music for a living. I have also learned that it is important to surround yourself
with a supportive group of musicians that will help build me as I help them. Following on
from this I’ve learnt the importance of introducing yourself to everyone, even if not for
gigs then just to build confidence. Furthermore, I’ve learned that it is acceptable to
teach or hold other jobs during my degree, however, I don’t believe I will be searching
for a part time job any time soon. Evan’s interview specifically has given me further
insight and inspiration to sort out my financial business and I have since completing this
assignment, decided to save half of every pay check I get from a gig.
 Interviews
Interview 1: Brodie McAllister
Describe your music career path to date?
Idiosyncratic! And I’ve used that same word in another interview too. I’ve ended up
doing anything from pop music to far out experimental stuff as a trombonist and as a
composer and arranger. I’ve also created a whole range of opportunities for myself as
an events organiser (Made Now music), an experimental soloist (Tiny Particle Collider)
and as a band leader (BMJO, BULLHORN). Its been a career of extremes for sure.
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your career? How do you deal with
success and failure?
Highlights for me are playing woodoford NYE with bullhorn, receiving the composer in
residence position with WAYJO when I was in university, launching my label Made Now
Music, having my work premiered by Kupka's piano/makeshift dance and having high
praise given to my solo album from a few trombonists that I really respect. Throughout
this I've had a business partner and best friend (Caleb Colledge) who has helped me to
create a scene and a community of passionate and caring musicians alike. This would
definitely be the biggest highlight. There aren’t many low lights but one of them would
definitely be playing with the Mute Canary band because of the toxic environment that
was created within the band. I spent some time in a Latin band during my degree that
wasn’t great but I don’t sweat that stuff now. As to how I deal with success and failure it
is quite the same: acknowledge them, feel proud or disappointed for a small amount of
time and then use the acknowledgement to build on and continue working to move
forward. Again I said the same thing in the last interview. I have a clear set of goals
every year, month and day that I focus on and work towards. When things don’t work
out it’s not great, but I have to press on and keep building upon things or building new
things.
What do you consider the most important aspects of your tertiary study? (if tertiary
study was not undergone – then ask, “What do you consider the most important aspects
of your training*?”) *’training’ to include – self-taught, peer learned, mentor assessed
and work Intergraded learning.
The most important aspect of uni study was definitely building a community of
likeminded musicians who have since remained my friends following my degree. More
specifically to the degree, probably the most important aspect of it was the diversity
that was available there which I almost forced myself to join. Saying yes to almost every
gig or opportunity I was offered, splitting my time evenly between technical things and
creativity and making sure I could solo as well as read and do all these different things....
Diversity is key and the study is where you get to explore that the most, like I said in the
last interview. Also big shout out to the teachers that have sort of showed me the right
path and instilled the right values for me. For me they were Ben Marks, Vanessa
Tomlinson, Steve Newcomb, Erik Griswold and Zac Hurren.
How do you currently financially and artistically sustain your career?
Most of my main income comes from teaching in my home. I have been building a group
of students that are all just as amazing and excited as the next. I also do a lot of work
arranging for more pop-orientated groups. I am also a core member of the ‘Talkin' Jazz’
program which is not only nice financially but is an amazing program for young
musicians in Brisbane. I then perform with other groups such as Bullhorn and with my
own groups. It doesn’t pay many bills but it almost always leads to great opportunities.
What advice can you give a current undergraduate musician?
Say yes to as many different gigs as you can, go to as many shows and see as much live
gigs, work on your own playing and skills and drop you ego as soon as you can! Don't be
limited by trade, draw, compose, make films, put on shows, do it all. Find a core group
of people who have the same or similar ideas and help build each other up, hang out,
play together, go to each other’s shows and play your own shoes together. I did this and
I am still playing, performing and hanging out with them long after my degree is over.
There's actually nothing I hold to such high importance as community!

Interview 2: Evan Osbourne

Theo: Describe your music career path to date?
Evan: My music career? Including the time I started learning… I started the piano and
singing and had a variety of instruments at home in a bucket like a recorder and a
whistle and a three stringed guitar and a bunch of other things that I learnt. I learnt how
to play some guitar chords and how to work out other chords on the piano and then
skipping ahead, joined a school band on the recorder and then yeah, from there found a
few other instruments I liked, like double bass and trumpet and I had some vary
occasional lessons but mostly just played in community bands. After finishing school…
after a few occasions, I decided to pursue music at a tertiary level so I’ve been doing a
degree and the degree has been great for networking and my career, and my career was
propelled by the networks I made from the Conservatoire I attended and from there,
have been able to… feel like my career has actually begun. Was that the question?
When has your career started?
Theo: oh no it was describe your career path to date.
Evan: Well I’d describe it as still developing yet I still feel like I have a long history of
music so far.
Theo: mmm, ok
Evan: to date *chuckles*
Theo: Nice… and you’re playing a gig at Doo Bop with your big band as well?
Evan: yes, come to the gig. *chuckles again*
Theo: What have been the highlights and lowlights of your career and how do you deal
with success and failure?
Evan: Highlights of my career, in my mind, has been things like organising stuff so like
the big band gig, or Phat Sauce gigs or taking on responsibility. That’s one way I’d
measure success, if you want to call it that, not that I think about it that much. Another
thing is just like people asking me to play gigs with them which is really nice, that people
have heard about me playing or have heard good things and have been “I want you to
play,” that’s sort of success. That’s what the highlights have been. The lowlights have
been probably… I haven’t been through huge hardship or anything but just… when I
started I was very behind everyone else my age when I started at the con and I just
didn’t have a basic understanding of lots of things that many other people did and it was
fairly obvious and my reputation was that I couldn’t play my instrument and that I
wasn’t worth playing with. So I just had to do a lot of work to catch up, and the way I
dealt with that in terms of success and failure, (I don’t really think about those things),
but with failure I just felt like, work harder and don’t take it too seriously. Like music
isn’t my entire life but it is important to me so try and work hard to move out of that
slump. And the way I deal with success is, once again, I don’t take too seriously about
me, it’s about the people I’m playing with or the opportunities I’ve been given and just
enjoy it and move on to something new after that.
Theo: Alright. Question three is what do you consider the most important aspect or
aspects of your tertiary study.
Evan: The most important aspects would be… trying to introduce myself to as many
people as I can, whether it be other musicians or teachers or staff at the uni or people
who’ve come to the events or parents of people cause you just never know who they
are. And you don’t do it to try and be a snake and network everywhere but just put
yourself out there, practice gaining confidence and meeting new people and then
playing as much as I could. And then trying to do as much of everything. This is the
opposite of what some people will say but not just focusing too much on the one thing
is something that really helped me, just cause I find my personality, I find it really hard
to work on just the one thing over and over again, so the more things I did, the more
types of ensembles, genres or instruments I found… yeah… was really good for my
career. I guess that’s the niche I’ve fallen into is a multi-instrumentalist kind of thing.
Theo: Question 4: how do you currently financially and artistically sustain career?
Evan: Financially? Through teaching, through Centrelink, through gigs. Artistically? Well I
feel at this point anything I do performing is something I really enjoy in an artistic way.
Some more than others but I play a wide variety of styles so I play regularly in a
community brass band and orchestra, I always attend heaps of Christmas community
orchestra concerts, playing carols for free n stuff like that. Just keeps it interesting, as
well as trying to get as many high paid gigs as I can which are often cover gigs which I
really love playing. There’s a certain element about that cause the money often goes
towards the gear so you’re playing really loud, great gear, great sound. And that’s really
fulfilling artistically I guess, I love playing that with my friends. And then studying Jazz,
there’s heaps of ways to express yourself through improvising and that can happen a lot
whether it be at jams or at gigs. I really love working on other people’s projects and I
guess my projects… I guess the most artist one would be the big band although the most
artistic thing I do would be the arranging but then also just the direction it takes in
shaping the music. So that’s how I sustain myself artistically and then financially, similar
kind of thing through teaching and through gigging and through government benefits
currently.
Theo: Centrelink, that’s the way. Alright lastly what advice can you give a current
undergraduate musician?
Evan: introduce yourself to everyone, be as humble as you can, don’t get involved in
bitching if you can help it like. Be critical all the time about yourself, about others and
don’t think that it’s a bad thing to criticise, just don’t be mean about it, just deal with it
with an open mind. So if you hear something you don’t like, take note of it, tell
someone, if they’re a good friend, “I didn’t really like that,” and then you learn what you
do like. Don’t shy away from being critical but don’t be an ass. Do as many things as you
can in different styles and genres. Learn how to read music as fast as you can and be
prepared with your gear, which is a lesson I learnt. Just have good gear that works really
well if you can, doesn’t matter if it’s the best gear but just stuff that does the job well.
Always have a pencil with you and get on top of your admin as soon as you can.
Whether it’s finances or diary or having a bag to take to work with you or a good
computer that can handle all the things you need. And yeah.

Interview 3: Anonymous
1) Describe your music career path to date?
I started becoming really interested in music during high school, and it didn’t take me
long to decide to peruse it further than just doing classroom music, which I didn’t do too
well in anyway. I taught myself how to play guitar and I started singing and writing my
own songs. My dad took me to open mic nights where I met my now best friend and
musical partner. Since then we’ve been writing together and playing together at any
chance we get, and just last year we had the opportunity to record an EP and put that
on Spotify. We get to play our music at some of the best venues in Brisbane and we’ve
met and gotten to work with so many other really awesome emerging artists.

2) What have been the highlights and lowlights of your career? How do you deal with
success and failure?

I think definitely for me the main highlights of my career so far have been finding my
community within the Brisbane music scene. Being surrounded by other incredible
musicians who support your every move is such a crazy thing to be a part of, especially
because when I started out I always thought it was always going to be very competitive.
I wouldn’t necessarily say I’ve had any lowlights or failures though. I’ve definitely felt a
bit defeated after some of those gigs where you’re sitting in a corner playing to three
people that aren’t even listening, but that’s always going to happen at some point so
I’ve never seen any point in letting it get me down. If anything that’s motivated me to
work harder and get myself further in my career so when I gig now, the audience is
there to see me, not just have me there as background noise.

3) What do you consider the most important aspects of your tertiary study? (If tertiary
study was not undergone – then ask, “What do you consider the most important aspects
of your training*?”) * ‘Training’ to include – self-taught, peer learned, mentor assessed
and work integrated learning.
Well as I said before I’m self-taught. I don’t really know what any important aspects
would be for that, I really just kept practicing, watching video tutorials, asking my
friends who were better than me to help me learn if I couldn’t do something. And I’ve
always been the kind of person that just plays every day. If I’m bored, the first thing I’ll
do is reach for my guitar, play for a bit, sometimes I’ll challenge myself to learn
someone else’s song aurally, cause I don’t really want to be that guy who’s always
looking at chords and lyrics.

4) How do you currently financially and artistically sustain your career?

Well at the beginning of my career I was still living at home so I could still eat and have a
roof over my head while I was trying to establish myself as an artist. But over the years
as I’ve become more successful and giging regularly, I’ve been able to support myself
financially from giging alone. But my parents do still help me out sometimes when gigs
aren’t as regular, and I’m really thankful that I’ve always had their support. I suppose
the way I artistically Sustain my career though is by writing and playing every day, even
if it’s just like, one line of lyrics or something like that, I try to keep myself going at all
times. The last time I stopped playing daily was a few years ago and it really got me
stuck in a rough place, I just gave up on music for a few weeks because I just lost the
motivation, so because of that I try and keep the ball rolling at all times so I don’t get
sick of it again.

5) What advice can you give a current undergraduate musician?

I wouldn’t know what advice to give an undergrad musician specifically, but for a
musician just starting out and trying to get their career going, all I can really say, and I
know it sounds super cheesy, is just don’t give up. Don’t let uninterested crowds get you
down. Don’t let a mistake get the better of you. Keep your head high and keep doing
what you love doing. Practice and keep your creative juices flowing. You’ll get to where
you want to be eventually, you just have to work for it.