We Are The Tigers ended last night. It was an amazing process and I’ll remember it forever as my first NYC credit- and hopefully not the last! From hereon out, unless I find another assistant MD job, my research will be a lot less structured in terms of my schedule. I have no more daily projects- from now on, I will be doing one-day observations, usually sitting in on Broadway orchestras.
The city gets less intimidating every day. I am getting more and more comfortable, and it is becoming clear to me that I could absolutely live and work here after graduation if I decide that’s the best choice. I am meeting so many new people, balancing work and play very well, and seeing so much top-tier theatre. Here are some of the biggest things I have learned so far.
~”Jerks Don’t Work“- it became immediately obvious to me how nice everyone working in theatre in NYC is. I asked several of my participants what the deal with that is, and all of them had the same answer: no matter how talented you are, if you’re not pleasant to work with, you simply will not be hired. I like to believe that no one is “putting on” this niceness I have been experiencing. Rather, I hope a sort of natural selection has taken place in which the best communicators and those who are easiest to get along with rise to the top as long as they have the talent to back it up. With the sheer amount of talent in the city, it makes sense that unpleasant people would not last very long. Regardless, it was a pleasant surprise. I was honestly expecting the classic “grouchy genius” who gets away with acting like a jerk because of his or her “brilliance”. I am incredibly relieved that this does not seem to be the case.
~Competition is friendly, but fierce– there are a lot of people that want this kind of work. This terrified me at first. However, several sources have told me that decent piano skills will always be able to bring in your bread and butter, regardless of success in actual music directing.
~I will NOT be a finished product after college graduation- EVERYONE in this field is still learning every day. It is relieving to know that professionals I have spoken to share in the occasional insecurity and frustration that is artistic growth.
~A great music director both diversifies AND specializes his or her skills– I am learning that it is important to cast a wide net of skills and musical styles at a music director. However, it can also be very helpful to have a “thing” that you are best known for, whether you are pigeon-holed into it or not. It seems that great piano chops is overwhelmingly the most helpful skill to have as a music director.
Overall, I am getting a much better sense of what it is to go from an educational institution into the professional music directing world. The interviews I have conducted will prove very helpful in this research, especially when paired with on-the-job observations.
Today, I am shadowing Ian Axness at NYU for the afternoon. Then, I will observe Will Van Dyke conduct Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. It’s another jam-packed week!