The Confident Musicianing Podcast

The Power of Hello: Why Musicians Should Always Introduce Themselves

• Eleanor

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Why should musicians introduce themselves to each other? Networking is so important. Here is the story of how an introduction turned into a really exciting opportunity. 

Click here here to watch me answer Google's most common questions about oboe!

This episode is available as a blog post. Click here to read.

Use code ELEANOR15 for 15% off your Notabl_ practice journal, and level up your focus in your sessions! Click here for your journal. 


I never recommend anything that I don't love. This contains an affiliate code which means that I receive a commission -- with no extra cost to you! 😊

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast. My name is Eleanor and I am a British American oboist studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland literally my dream school and it took me a long way to get there. I applied and auditioned for 12 schools in three different countries. It was a lot of hard work but, oh my gosh, so worth it. I want you to have the confidence to work hard in achieving your goals, so come with me as we go on this journey together. So sit down, pull up a chair, take a seat or, if you're on the go, welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to another episode of the podcast.

Speaker 1:

Today we are diving into something that is really interesting, something that's kind of unfolded and something that I think, as musicians, is so, so, so important, and that's kind of the power of going up to someone and introducing yourself, kind of the power of going up to someone and introducing yourself. I have this story and it's something that started in March of this past year so kind of the beginning ish of the year and is kind of resulted in some amazing opportunities and just basically what I did was I went up to someone and introduced myself, and I think that that is so important and as musicians especially like, we need to stay in touch with people and need to create like professional connections and contacts, and that is kind of what today's episode is about. But before we jump in, I'm kind of adding a new segment to the episodes and that is the life update section. So basically, I'm just going to tell you something interesting, fun, or maybe not so interesting or I'm not, so I hope it's interesting, maybe not fun, I don't know any. Anyway something that I think is worth sharing about, like what's been happening recently.

Speaker 1:

And today I want to share with you something really fun and that is kind of a rehearsal slash jam session thing I recently had with a friend and it was like a classical guitar, oboe, duos, duet situation. We found some duets and honestly it's quite interesting because I've never kind of worked with a classical guitarist before. I am a classical guitarist as well as an oboist. That's kind of like my side instrument, so I kind of understand it. But I've never worked with another person who plays classical guitar with me on the oboe, and it was so much fun. I got there and we did our actual practicing, like the pieces that we decided. And then afterwards I was like, like I just want to jam, I just want to have fun and kind of just create whatever music comes to us. And so I was like, do you want to do that? And I also I brought my classical guitar, so, um, we had kind of some some part of it where we were both playing classical guitar and then other parts where, um, like it was oboe, classical guitar, and it was just so fun. And I think, especially as classical musicians, sometimes we just forget to jam, you know, just forget to like make music or or whatever, um, and and so that was really really fun. So I challenge you just to like make music with your friends, like, even if it's not music, that's on paper or something that's already been written, just make noise and see what amazing stuff you can come up with. Because it was really fun. So, all right, that was like the little life update section. And now we're going to go into the more um, the part of the episode that you know the title is about, the part of the episode that you know the title is about, and that is this story of the power of going up to someone and what it did for me.

Speaker 1:

So let's go back to March of this year, right, I went to Perth, perth, scotland, for a convention thing. I was performing with a group of students from the conservatoire and there were kind of stands set up and in the stands of different companies there was one that I really value and admire and I this this like person next to me that I know just happened to casually say, oh, you know that person over there. They are like the UK representative of this company and I thought I need to introduce myself to them. I just need to. And I remember feeling really stressed and really nervous because I'm like, oh my gosh, you know, this company is really important, it's really big. And I was like I, I want to introduce myself to them, I want to make this professional connection. But what if I mess up? And what if I say something I don't know bad? Or you know, like we all have these, these feelings in our brains of like I want to make a good impression. I don't want to, you know, mess up a good first impression, like, oh my gosh. It was like. It was like, ah, but I decided you know what You're going to regret not introducing yourself to this person. So I was like, okay, I'm going to just do it, I'm going to go up and do it.

Speaker 1:

And I remember, like waiting in a line because there were a lot of people coming up to this um, to this booth, and I finally, when it was my turn I don't remember what I said, but I was, like you know, I introduced myself. I said, like my instrument, I said my conservatoire. You know, I just wanted to to make your um, like to make this, to introduce myself to you. My brain said to make your acquaintance. People don't say that anymore. I absolutely love this phrase to make your acquaintance. I think we should bring it back. Um, it's really handy. Um, but yeah, so I introduced myself to this person and it was crazy because not only was it a good first impression and a good introduction, but it was also amazing because they were like you know what? We have this opportunity. We need a conservatoire-level oboist to do this thing. Would you be interested in doing it? And I was like yes, yes, Like I not only stumbled into a good professional connection, but also an opportunity to play. And I was like, of course, you know, definitely.

Speaker 1:

And it ended up working out. I was able to go do this opportunity. It's actually I went down to York, england, and I filmed some playing videos and I also filmed a video with them, um, which was a like a video of like oboist answers the most google questions about obo, um, which is something so cool and so fun and I really enjoyed it. And, um, I'll link it below if you want to check it out, because it's just me answering a bunch of questions about the oboe. It was, oh my gosh, so much fun and you know, it was kind of like a whirlwind, like I introduced myself to this person who represented this company and they were like, yes, let's, you know, like there's this opportunity, are you interested in doing it? And and I did it and it's, it was such a good opportunity.

Speaker 1:

And looking back on it, and now, you know, now I have, like this, you know, professional connection with this company and it's so, so good and so important and so amazing. And looking back, I'm like it's all because I just had the courage to go and introduce myself to this person. You know, and I think as musicians, we often kind of maybe talk ourselves out of that and you know, I've had my fair share of introducing myself to someone and it not going well. I've had my fair share of that and doing that professionally and it not going well and being like, oh, I messed that up, but I mean at the end of the day, like that's all, like it's not black and white. You know there are gray areas and it's kind of like OK, maybe you've said something that wasn't the best, but you can still kind of work through that. You know what I mean. But it was such a good encounter and I was like if I had chickened out and if I was like I'll send them an email do you know what I mean? I might not have gotten that opportunity. It was just like the spur of the moment. It was so amazing and so cool.

Speaker 1:

So I wanted to tell you that, because it's something that I'm really excited about and I want to encourage you, in whatever you're doing to, to introduce yourself to people, especially music wise, especially professionally wise. I'm doing this thing with the places I go to routinely, like the conservatoire, where I just introduce myself to one new person, because it is so easy to kind of get siloed like oh, I know the oboe students and I know you know, like that, the oboe, the woodwind students, but do I? How many you know other students? Do I know that? Oboe students, and I know you know like that, the oboe, the woodwind students. But do I? How many you know other students do I know that have nothing to do with, like, my discipline, um, and so I'm doing that and I challenge you, um, wherever you are whether you're, say, in a youth orchestra, maybe you're doing a degree program, maybe you're in an orchestra, maybe you're just getting started to just introduce yourself to people, people aren't that scary. When you actually introduce yourself, it's it's a crazy thing. It's a crazy thing, but it's just so helpful and amazing when, when it is like really good. So I challenge you to do that.

Speaker 1:

Think about what, what area of your life could you introduce yourself to more people? Because I think and this is a strong belief that I have we can learn something new from every single person that we meet, seriously. Like we can learn everyone that we know has something valuable kind of to offer us in terms of like, knowledge or whatever. Like we can learn something from every single person that we meet, even if they have nothing to do with our instrument, because the cost of success is the chance of being seen trying at things right. The cost, the cost of the success of like me getting this opportunity was the chance of me. I don't know being embarrassed when I introduce myself to someone, do you know I mean it's the chance of me. I don't know being embarrassed when I introduced myself to someone. Do you know what I mean? It's the cost of me inside being nervous, right, being like, okay, but I'll still do it. That was the cost, but the reward was so, so good. Do you know what I mean? So the cost of success is being seen trying, and that is like I mean. What do we really not want to be seen trying? Do you know what I mean? Like it's so, so, worth it to just introduce yourself to people, especially in the music world. All right, that is kind of it for this episode.

Speaker 1:

Let me tell you about something really cool before we wrap up, and that is, um, something that I've been using to really help me in my practice. So I have been using in my practice, a notable practice journal. This journal not only allows me to plan out my practice so I know exactly what I'm working on but also reflect, and that is so important to me because I think reflection is so, so crucial to improving every single day. As soon as I found out that this journal was helping me, I knew I needed to tell you about it and I knew that I needed to give you a code. So use code ELEANOR15 for 15% off your journal. That is E-L-E-A-N-O-R-1-5 for 15% off your journal. And, yeah, like, start planning your practice. It is so helpful and so Valuable in your practice. You know that I don't recommend anything that I don't absolutely love, so this code is an affiliate code, which means I do receive a commission with no extra cost to you.

Speaker 1:

Alright, let's do a wee recap. Basically, this was the story of how I introduced myself to someone and it turned into a really good opportunity for me, and I think that I wanted to, you know, just bring this up to you and tell you about it, because it is so important to introduce yourself to people, especially in the music world, to hopefully inspire and challenge you to introduce yourself to more people, because, at the end of the day, it's all about networking. It's all about networking. I feel All right.

Speaker 1:

That is about it for this episode. Thank you so much for hanging out with me, as always. All the links that I mentioned to do with the video that I did with these people, that I introduced myself to these people, that I introduced myself to. That will be in the description, in the show notes, and so will the code and the link for a notable practice journal. If you enjoyed this episode, please do show all the love, like, subscribe, comment, share, follow all the things and, yeah, share with all of your musician friends who you think could um benefit from this episode and I will see you in the next episode. All right, take care. Bye.

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Eleanor

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