Building a Musician’s Brand through Career Advising 

By NAfME Member Jeff Dunn, sponsored by NAfME Corporate member Eastman School of Music

All emerging arts leaders and musicians have a story to tell. In order to discover and create opportunity for larger impact in our musical world, the musician must be able to articulate, demonstrate, and live their “brand.” Most musicians do not take control of their image however, which leaves audiences, potential employers, or clients to make assumptions or impressions of the brand themselves. Whether one hones their brand or not, it still exists; we leave a digital footprint through our various platforms, present ourselves in performance, and leave impressions through our interactions.

This is the most common issue we see as Career Advisors that support the Eastman School of Music: Young musicians are unaware of how their brand is presented, and have difficulty articulating the brand that both resonates with who they are and where they are going. We tackle this challenge in our course, “Creating a Modern Music Career,” and in individualized and personalized advising appointments. Often, components are disjunct or missing: A musician may try to define themselves as a cellist, but showcase a breadth of singing experience too. One might note they’re a saxophonist and educator, but their activities demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit and strong leadership amongst their peers.

Career Advising session with a college student

Career Advising

This comes up in discussions with educators constantly: Those finishing up their student teaching and applying for jobs still define themselves as pre-service teachers, despite their wealth of experience teaching young learners. Although a musician is now a well-trained choral conductor, the graduating student might still rely on their primary instrument and brand themselves as a pianist. This dissonance in branding may not be apparent to the prospective job applicant, but the hiring principal who already envisions the ideal candidate will have a different reaction when the branding at the top of a resume and cover letter matches the job posting for the professional educator.

One challenge is authenticity: A musician’s brand can be aspirational and concrete, supported through building confidence in education and successes, gaining opportunity and experience, and recognition for achievements. Those on the cusp of entering the profession are guided by their expert faculty to progress through the rigors of both curricular and co-curricular activities to build this brand, but musicians are often left to put the pieces together and build their brand on their own. Outside perspectives and advice are critical for critiquing brand consistency, evaluating messaging, and brainstorming the aspirational elements with the professional landscape in mind.

For those who find it difficult to articulate their goals and niche, it is helpful to use the formula created by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood (2007), and referenced in Am I Doing This Right?: Foundations for a Successful Career and Fulfilling Life by Thelen, Mitchell and Kappen (23).

“I want to be known for _________, so that I can deliver _________.”

While musicians may not often equate our services with traditional value propositions, we all need to consider the impact we make through our activities. This formula can help musicians distill their desired impact into a phrase that enables creativity in language and brand development. Some examples of this in musical spaces might look like:

“I want to be known for being a creative leader, so that I can deliver engaging and community-centered concert programming.”

“I want to be known for curriculum innovations, so that I can deliver educational content designed for the needs of today’s students.”

Working with Undergraduate Musicians in a university classroom

Working with Undergraduate Musicians

Musicians often have multiple components to their brand, described by their performance type or medium, the additional work and obligations they fulfill around their goals, and other related engagements such as leadership roles, businesses, education, and related activities. In many cases, the conversation alone illuminates the core of the brand. The ideation that follows is simply to find the best way to articulate and describe it. From this discovery of the purpose, the advisor and student can hone the attributes that present the brand: the name (or descriptors along with the musician’s name), any imagery or logos, consistent colors, the language and messaging, and the attitude and personality.

The musician’s brand may be curated by the individual, but it is validated by external audiences and recognition. The Career Advisor can assist with both; we support the professional with refining the image presented in professional engagements, online presence, and public materials, but also with designing the journey ahead through exploratory activities, expanding professional networks, and setting goals toward future opportunities. One strategy is to look through the lenses of the four elements as described by Cynthia Johnson in her book Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding (2019).

These components are the necessary validation of the brand, not to be confused with imagery, colors, sounds, or other consistent components of the brand that depicts the brand to the audience. Instead, these elements support the audiences’ interpretation of the brand and provide credibility. The musician needs to not only showcase these elements in their public image, such as in personal bios, websites, social media, or other assets, but also actively seek to continue to build the brand and image through new ventures, continued projects, and seeking accolades.

At Eastman’s Institute for Music Leadership, we approach this through our Career Advising, open to not only the Master of Arts in Music Leadership degree candidates, but the entire student body and young alumni. The effectiveness of Career Advising is the simultaneous breadth and depth of a session. A session may begin by identifying missing brand elements, include identifying necessary connections and resources to fill the gaps, and conclude by curating a plan of action to achieve the next goal.

Works Cited

Johnson, Cynthia. Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding. California, Lorena Jones Books, 2019.

Thelen, Tony D., Matthew C. Mitchell, and Jeffrey A. Kappen. “Chapter 2 Personal Brand,” in Am I Doing This Right?: Foundations for a Successful Career and Fulfilling Life. New York, Business Expert Press, 2022.

About the author: 

Jeff DunnTrombonist Jeff Dunn is an educator, performer, and administrator, dedicated to helping musicians develop both the musical and non-musical skills needed for today’s challenges. A NAfME member, Dunn is the Program Manager and a Career Advisor at the Institute for Music Leadership, where he serves additionally as an Instructor of Arts Leadership and teaches on the faculty of the Eastman Leadership Academy. Dunn additionally teaches Low Brass at Onondaga Community College. As a trombonist, Dunn has performed with ensembles such as the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic, and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Before returning to Eastman, Dunn was a Private Low Brass Instructor for the Tomball Independent School District (Texas), where he taught a large studio of trombone, euphonium, and tuba students, and directed the Tomball High School Trombone Choir. More at www.jeffdunntrombone.com.

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The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.

January 2025 Teaching Music

Published Date

January 28, 2025

Category

  • Careers
  • Music Education Profession

Copyright

January 28, 2025. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)

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