How to get your music out there
Recently, I was asked by a young composer, “What is your advice to a young composer on how to get her music out there?” My immediate response was, “Where is that?” She realized pretty quickly that she didn’t really know where “out there” was, so I encouraged her to think about that question first.
When it comes down to it, what a lot of composers mean when they say, “I want to get my music ‘out there’,” is really “I want people that I haven’t met to come up and say nice things to me.” At least, when I was younger, that’s probably what I meant when I said things like that. And then it happened.
I had just had my first big publication and recording. I was playing for part of the auditions for a prominent choral directing position. It was a fairly coveted position, and the finalists were all quite good. When the second candidate came in, they brought him over and said, “This is Kurt Knecht. He’ll be your accompanist today.” The conductor widened his eyes as he shook my hand and said, “The composer?! I’m so honored to meet you!”
Of course, I lost all judgement. He was, in my judgement, the best candidate before he even auditioned. It was only later that I learned that the entire exchange was likely calculated to engineer my enthusiastic support. My music had made it “out there” and someone I didn’t know said something nice to me. Only in the end, it turned out to be a pretty shallow experience.
In the end, I’m not sure of all the right answers to these problems. The one thing I have been doing is seeking different kinds of opportunities. Instead of just trying to get my music “out there,” I try to discover the sorts of vehicles that provide the most meaning. Sometimes that has meant the intimacy of a living room. Sometimes it’s meant interactions with young people who aren’t that gifted. All the time it means seeking out new friendships and connections with performers and audience members.
Read more of Kurt’s thoughts at the links below.
