The Joy, the Easy Part, and the Benefits of Self-Producing a New Music Show

Hello, readers! I’m Bill Clay, Program Director at Oh My Ears. I have learned lots of things while producing new music shows for 15 years or so that I wish I could share with my younger self. This article is intended as a primer for a beginner who might find joy and meaning in producing a new music concert. I hope you are inspired to bring music to your community and find as much joy as OME does in producing concerts.

What I mean by “Joy”

There is joy in fruition.  Producing a new music show is a great way to guarantee that you will have to think though a well rounded array of aesthetic choices that involve all aspects of the show from beginning to end.  Thinking this broadly about a show can provide an expanded range of expression.

There is also joy in freedom. Of course, every artist’s freedom has to contend with the bounds of reality.  But there is a whole universe of play in the amount of freedom that an artist does have.  Consider that a show only has to happen in a concert hall if you want it to.  It only has to have a paper program and ushers if that’s the aesthetic you’re going for (and if you can afford it).  You only have to dress up if it makes you feel consistent with what you’re presenting.  A new music show can be so many things–five people around a melodica player at the top of a mountain?  Boom.  New music show.  String quartet walking down a beach?  That’s a new music show.  Intimate music in a basement of a big building downtown?  New music show, baby.  Think about the inspiration and the amount of extra expression there is available in production!

What I mean by "Easy Part”

Of course, there are many challenges that come with producing a show.  The point of this article is not to make production sound a walk in the park.  But the easy part of producing a new music show is just what I shared above–it invites a re-thinking of the traditional concept of a concert.  Flexibility is the key to the easy part!  The core of a show is the gathering of a few enthusiastic people to make something happen, and you can be successful with your production even if other elements of the show are low-cost, in an unexpected setting, or improvised.  When I think back on all the times my colleagues and I have made new music, I have the same level of joy in recollecting all kinds of performances–a duet of spectral music in my backyard, an ensemble performance in a noisy coffee shop to a handful of patrons, or the premiere of an opera in a much more lavish setting–each instance has its own unique flavor of aesthetic magic.

What I mean by “benefits.”

There are many other notable benefits of self-producing a new music concert.  Let me just bring up three of those here:

• Connections–inevitably, you’ll form connections with other musicians, folks who run venues, and lay new music fans.  And you never know what kind of professional ventures may come of those connections. 
• Understanding–performing or programming a curated set of new music, or hearing one’s own work played live can be a transformative experience, especially for young musicians.  There is something in the contextualization of a work as public that can cast a new light on that work.  And presenting a work in a self-produced concert can make the experience even more visceral.  Consider a cooking analogy.  Think about the difference between making yourself breakfast as part of your daily routine and inviting someone over for a home-cooked breakfast.  How easy is it to think differently about those two meals?  Similarly, producing a show is a way of inviting yourself to gain a better understanding of yourself as an artist.
• Experience–Despite what a blast it is to be a new music producer, not many people do it!  So if you do it, you will be in a unique position–you have developed a rare and valuable skill that looks great on a resume, shows your passion as an artist, and will eventually put you in a position where similar artists will seek you out.  At the very least, it will give you a better idea for what other producers go through every time a show happens.

I want to revisit the caveat I gave in the “easy part” section.  Self-producing a new music show is hard work.  And there are lots of lessons to learn.  For example, here are just three more noteworthy points to further flesh out those challenges:

• Producing works best with a partner, and that partner has to share your vision and passion.  The same goes for any other performers you work with.  
• You have to be consistently up front to everyone involved about money (or lack thereof!).
• It requires a lot of executive functioning activities, and consistent motivation over a long period of time.

There are many more things I could say about self-production.  But hopefully this article has brought the act of production a little further down to earth.  It’s achievable!  And it’s worthwhile.