As an educator, Don was a member of the music faculty at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) from 1993 to 2019 and served as Department Chair from 2012-2018. He was the Director of Guitar from 2003-2019 as well as the Founder & Artistic Director of the Fraser Valley Acoustic Guitar Festival (1998-2019). In addition to working with students in studio lessons, coaching chamber ensembles, and teaching fretboard harmony, Don also taught an introductory course on the Music Industry and an upper-level course on the Business of Music (Career Development & Entrepreneurship). Don is also a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators’ Association and is honoured to work with talented young musicians in advancing their craft. Additionally, he is the owner and operator of the Fort Langley Guitar Studio.

As a career coach, Don is passionate about assisting emerging classical guitarists in building the business side of their music career. He combines his knowledge of business and marketing with his artistic experience to provide talented and determined musicians guidance that honours their artistic endeavours, humanity, and greater purpose. In addition to working one-on-one with up-and-coming classical guitarists, he gives presentations on career development and entrepreneurship to various organizations. Past presentations including the National Music Festival – Federation of Canadian Music Festivals (2022), the University of British Columbia (2021), and the Volterra Project – Summer Guitar Institute (2020 & 2019).

https://donhlusmusic.com

My first awareness of the business side of the music industry and my music career came about in my early twenties while taking a songwriting class at a local college. During the semester, the instructor had invited four-time Juno award recipient and Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer, Jim Vallance, to present a lecture on the art and business of songwriting. The long-time writing partner of Bryan Adams had presented us with a dilemma and asked what we would do regarding the release of a single.

In those days, singles were released on 45s and there was an A-side and a B-side (yes, I know, I am dating myself). To illustrate his point, we were asked to assume that the A-side featured a “hit” that would sell millions. The question put before us was, what to release on the B-side? On the one hand, we could release another “hit” written by someone else or, on the other hand, we could simply release a lessor composition of our own on the B-side. Most of us in the class (naïve young musicians who had dreams of “making it”) chose to record someone else’s “hit.” Unfortunately, from an artistic and business perspective, that was the wrong "financial" decision. It was explained that by recording someone else’s “hit,” we would lose out on receiving potential revenue via several types of royalties. Because the B-side would sell just as much as the A-side, it would be foolish to release another person’s “hit” on the B-side because we would lose that revenue. My ideals—and my innocence—was lost that day, but I also gained a life-long curiosity and interest in the business side of a music career.

At the risk of oversimplifying things, it is said that you need just three things to make a living in the music industry. First, you need amazing music (I am sure you've got that handled). Second, you need a relentless work ethic (and I am sure you also have got that one because you wouldn't have been able to achieve the first without it). The third is having a market that wants and/or needs your music.  That is the tough one for many musicians not because we aren't smart enough to handle that aspect, we simply don't know how or where to start. Yes, we want to make a living doing what we love to do but it somehow feels impure to bring money into the equation when it comes to music and creativity. 

What if there was a way to make a living from your music and not compromise your artistic integrity? That is what I am here to help you do.

In developing my own career, I've probably made every mistake in the book. And what I did to succeed probably won't work in today's market. And what works today probably won't work tomorrow. However, there are some fundamental pieces that you need in place—regardless of the era, your particular situation, or your artistic direction—that you need to have in place in order for you to create your future.

I am here to help you build those pieces, avoid some of the pitfalls and missteps, and in doing so, perhaps make your journey just a little bit easier. Don't worry, you will still have challenges, you will still make your own mistakes (they are truly the only thing we can call our own), but by having the guidance and experience behind you, I know you can make it a bit easier on yourself as you create your future.