The Musician's Journey: Crafting your Career Vision and Plan

The Musician's Journey escorts musicians, performing artists, music teachers, and advanced music students along the road toward a successful career, offering a vast array of resources to guide them from envisioning the process to achieving the practical details. Jill Timmons provides key tools throughout the journey, from sources as diverse as the world of myth to current brain research, which illuminate compelling real-world examples of music entrepreneurs who forged their own paths to success.In addition to chapters on careers in higher education, guidance in how to develop a dynamic business plan, and effective time management, this expanded second edition includes up-to-date strategies for meeting the challenges of today's current marketplace, including a greatly expanded section on grant writing and financial development. The new edition also offers a new collection of diverse and inspiring stories taken from interviews with a range of successful musicians, along with personal narrative from the author's work as a professional musician and consultant. There is also an extensive bibliography of additional resources, and the companion website offers downloadable worksheets and questionnaires to assist the reader in igniting their own thriving musician's journey.

Table of Contents:
About the Companion Website Foreword Preface Acknowledgments 1 A CAREER IN MUSIC Musicians and Their World The World of Music: Where We Are Today A Thriving Career in Music: The New Normal 2 NEWS FROM THE FRONT Client Questionnaire The Accidental Entrepreneur A Call to Change 3 MUSICIANS AND THE PATH OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Preparing Today's Music Entrepreneurs The Benefits of Entrepreneurship 4 PREPARING FOR CHANGE Brain Neuroplasticity: A Personal Story Definitions Harnessing the Power of the Neuroplastic Brain Brain Health and Higher-Level Creativity Desire as the Genesis for Change 5 CREATING YOUR VISION The Quest for a Vision Discover Inspiration: Inviting the Muse Knowing and Facing Your Fears Ten Showstoppers 6 FROM VISION TO PLAN Music Professionals in Today's Market Place: The Dynamic Entrepreneur Vision and Plan: The Intersection of Heaven and Earth Creating the Plan: The Pathway to a Dynamic Career The Plan versus Income Sources of Income Jobs: Is It a Jay-Oh-Be or Part of Your Career Path? Internships and Volunteerism: The Fast Track to Professional Experience Grant Writing and the World of Philanthropy Your Plan: The Devil Is in the Details Troika of Success Survive or Thrive Mentors for Your Vision-Plan Road Blocks to the Planning Process 7 YOUR PLAN: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Mission Statement Legal Identity Goods and Services Financial Plan Marketing Marketing Starter Kit Management Team Other Members of Your Management Team Timelines Financing Your Plan Business Plan Checklist 8. GRANT WRITING: THE MONEY SAFARI Overview Persuasive Writing: No Term Papers Here! Budgets: The Numbers Make It Real Phantoms That Derail Your Proposals Moving Forward 9. BUILDING YOUR CONSORTIUM OF SUPPORT Overview Guerilla Fundraising Grant Writing, One Musician's Story Lessons Learned 10. MUSIC JOBS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Entering the World of Higher Education: The Price of Admission Academia: The Ideal What Price Glory? Tenure Assessment Competencies Survival of the Fittest 11. EDUCATING THE EMERGING ENTERPRENEUR 12. TRUE-LIFE STORIES 13.EPILOGUE Notes Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Jill Timmons is known to international audiences and educators as a leading consultant in arts management. Her consulting firm, Artsmentor LLC, has helped countless music organizations and individual artists meet the challenge of today's marketplace. Timmons has performed as a pianist under the auspices of the NEA, the USIA, and has been featured on NPR, with concert tours throughout the US, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, and Chile. Timmons is a recipient of the Wilk International Literary Prize from the University of Southern California, a recording fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and most recently, a Visiting Fellowship at Yale University

Review :
Jill Timmons' book is indispensable for musical performers, teachers, non-profit administrators, and grant writers. In the present reality, many of us are "all of the above." The Musician's Journey is a wonderfully comprehensive guide for the vision-plan continuum, the idea of joining heaven and earth, and fully embracing one's role as an artist entrepreneur. In today's global marketplace, musicians need resources and wisdom that support and nurture a thriving career along with a satisfying musical life. The Musician's Journey outlines an achievable process, including thought-provoking insight, gained through the author's decades of experience. It positively encourages us to contemplate a wider horizon, which ultimately will lead toward greater artistic and personal fulfillment. Entrepreneurship education is taking its essential place in the music curriculum, and Timmons' book is an ideal companion. The updated, expanded edition includes teaching entrepreneurship to high school and college students, managing social media networks, striving during the Covid pandemic, and new information on grant writing in the arts. The Musician's Journey inspires personal confidence to discover a wider lens, to engage a synthesis of practical, creative, and artistic skills, and to empower a successful career in music and the arts in a changing world. The Musician's Journey is filled with useful information about how to make a good living and to feel fulfilled as a musician. It is exceptionally helpful and also entertaining to read. It is valuable not just for musicians, but for anyone in the arts.This second edition features a new and expanded narrative on grant writing, inspiring true-life stories of diverse artists thriving in today's global market place, and real world advice for artists new to entrepreneurship. This book should be required reading for anyone contemplating a career in the arts. This book is a sensible yet inspiring manual on how to live a vibrant, fulfilling and successful life as a professional musician. Timmons gives much pause for thought with ideas and suggestions musicians may not have considered before, or were discouraged from considering during their training. In encouraging a good portion of 'thinking outside the box', Timmons' book will also appeal to people outside the profession: her pragmatic and inspiring approach is applicable to anyone embarking on a freelance career. This book is a sensible yet inspiring manual on how to live a vibrant, fulfilling and successful life as a professional musician. Timmons gives much pause for thought with ideas and suggestions musicians may not have considered before, or were discouraged from considering during their training. In encouraging a good portion of 'thinking outside the box', Timmons' book will also appeal to people outside the profession: her pragmatic and inspiring approach is applicable to anyone embarking on a freelance career. Timmons' meticulous and expansive [book] serves as a timely roadmap, skillfully navigating individuals through the dynamic landscape of the music industry, addressing both its challenges and opportunities with unwavering insight and eloquence. The book's unique blend of visionary insights and actionable tools sets it apart, providing solutions grounded in real-word scenarios. Indeed, The Musician's Journey deserves the highest accolades as a mentor, companion, and wellspring of inspiration for anyone embarking on a musical career. Timmon's genuine passion for the transformative power of music entrepreneurship shines through, making this book an indispensable asset for aspiring and seasoned professionals alike. The Musician's Journey by Jill Timmons is an essential read for both emerging and established professional musicians; it offers a guide to remembering the visionary, expansive nature of art while attending to the realities of "paying the bills."