I was messing around on my guitar at a park the other day, and had someone come up to me ask about playing in the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony and Orchestra. Had no idea about any of it, but though, what the heck, I'll audition for spot if they want me to....
So I spoke with the Concert Master, and had a bit of an informal meeting yesterday, and played a bit, kind of a preliminary audition I guess.
Yeah, it didn't go well. And not only did it not go well, apparently you have to be apart of a Musicians Union...didn't even know they existed, thought you had to have a talent agency when you got rich and famous but thats it.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
There are a few places the AFM is still really strong:
1. Symphonic work (what you were looking at)
2. TV work
3. Radio jingles
4. Large venues, especially in strong union cities
5. Musical theater in larger venues
Joining the AFM isn't a big deal. You'll pay an initiation fee and annual dues. The amounts vary by market... where I am, local 10-208 (Chicago) is $265 for initiation and $202 per year (a bit more if you pay in installments); joining local 37 (Joliet) will cost less than half that - $100 for initiation and $114 a year. Each local has a specific market, and you're supposed to join the one you live in, and then make arrangements with other locals if you gig outside your home area.
You need to consider a few things before joining. The benefits include minimum wages, contracts, contract protection (if you file a contract with the union office before the gig and you get stiffed, the union will pay you), pension (if you work enough) and insurance programs for health insurance, gear, etc.
On the down side - if you're a union member, you are expected to ONLY take union work except in special circumstances. If you're discovered doing non-union gigs, you can lose your "membership in good standing".
As a result, the union membership tends to be the people who can regularly get union gigs: classical musicians who perform at a high level, studio pros who do multiple jingle/film/record sessions (the 'first call' guy might do 15-20 a week), and those who are in or are supporting the acts playing mega venues. For everyone else, it's not a good deal - there aren't enough union venues left. Most major cities used to have 10,000+ members in their AFM locals; many are now 1/3 of that or less
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
That's some interesting stuff, thanks for that!
I talked to a guy that works at Sam Ash who was part of an orchestra, he played upright bass, and he stated that if you are a member, they even insure your equipment, so it's not a bad deal, but stated, like you said, you shouldn't take gigs below a certain price level or ones that aren't union.
The whole thing didn't sit well with me, but it's still kind of cool, to be playing and have someone come up and say "hey you should come here on Sunday".
I was unable to read music adequately enough for them, and when they found out I had only been playing guitar for less than 3 years, that sealed my fate LOL.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
I was unable to read music adequately enough for them, and when they found out I had only been playing guitar for less than 3 years, that sealed my fate LOL.
Interesting story Joe; sorry it didn't work out for you. I had a similar thing happen; was asked to audition on bass guitar for a local community playhouse, as one of the actor/singers is in my church band and thought I would be a good fit with them. Musically it was not complex, but they required sight reading ability. I can read a little, but not at the level they wanted (which probably wasn't necessary in my opinion, but it is what it is.) Sucks to be us.
Good info on the unions there, Noteboat!
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Yeah it's all good, I'm not worried about it...the first clue I had about things where they didn't like the "look" of my guitar when I had the Koa. But I was looking for an excuse to switch out my Ibanez anyway, so I took the opportunity to do it for the audition.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
I can read a little, but not at the level they wanted (which probably wasn't necessary in my opinion, but it is what it is.)
I guess that depends on how you define "necessary".
If you can read a little, you could certainly rehearse your parts in advance. And all musical theaters I've worked with have at least one full band rehearsal before the opening (and they'll often have a few more with the cast and rhythm section). It's true that a high level of reading isn't needed to pull this off.
But consider the problem from the other side of the desk...
You're the musical director, and the bassoon just called in with the flu. There's a critical theme played by the bassoon. Because of the rest of the score, you don't have a bass trombone or a tuba. So the only instrument left that can do this melody is... the bass. So you circle those passages in the bassoon score and hand it to the bass player.
Or during the intermission your male lead fell and hit his head. The paramedics are working on him right now, so you decide the understudy is going to do the second act. But in the rehearsals he's had problems with one passage. Luckily that passage has very thin instrumentation. You grab the understudy and scores affected, and in the few minutes left before curtain you scribble in a new arrangement for those four bars.
Stuff like this doesn't happen often. But if you do these gigs enough, it WILL happen. The more a gig is a one-shot deal (like live TV) or has patrons paying a high ticket price ($80+ is common for musical dinner theaters, lots more for Broadway), the more critical it is to be able to handle contingencies.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
That's a great perspective, Tom. Good to think about it in the broader context!
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Good info and perspective! Thanks!
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
Well done for getting asked, and giving it a go :D
