In this section, you are going to examine the mindsets that undermine your professional growth and, more importantly, how to shift those mindsets that are getting in the way of your own success. 

Setting career objectives requires that you begin to make some choices. Setting clear career objectives not only gives you direction, it gives you the opportunity to objectively assess where you are in your music journey, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly, which path to take when you come to a fork in the road. Clear objectives create direction and guidance. They direct your activities and provide a reference on which you can assess the opportunities before you as well as evaluate your progress. 

In this session, you are going to do an in-depth analysis into the internal struggle all musicians wrestle with regarding music and money. The question that plagues every musician is, “How do you pay the bills without abandoning or compromising your creative endeavours?”

People follow those who are on a mission; the individuals who dare believe in something and take a stand, and most importantly, those who are committed to making it happen. Mission statements are not just for Fortune 500 companies. In fact, the smaller the business, the more important a mission statement is to that endeavour. A mission statement focuses on today and what you do. It is what guides your musical choices and reminds you what to focus on. You will write your mission statement that tells your fans what you do, who you serve, and how you serve them each and every day.

In this session, you will create an artist's statement for one of your current musical projects. An artist's statement is a brief written description of your work or current project. Its aim is to give context to your current work, and provide a verbal description in support of understanding your latest music project. In this section, you will learn how to write a captivating artist's statement that will give some background to your current music project and guide people in their listening.

As a young artist, your music and you change quickly. Updating your current website gives you the chance to address navigation issues, fill in missing pieces, update information, add new content, and make sure your website is aligned with your overall brand image. In this session, you will learn several key insights that will ensure that your website represents you and your music services professionally and efficiently. 

In this session, you are going to expand your online social media presence. When making investments, we are advised not put all our eggs in one basket. Similarly, you should not put all of your marketing efforts into just one site. Although Facebook and YouTube are extremely popular sites, some of your fans maybe hanging out in other places. Rather than wait for your fans to find you, go out and find your fans and invite them into your community.

Every connection you make can open up new performing opportunities for yourself but, preparing for these first encounters, either by telephone or in person, is critical in your success in booking new engagements. In this session, you are going to learn about developing good conversation and telephone skills, as well as the art of asking the right questions so that you can begin new professional relationships on a good note.

Great! You have made a connection but to make sure you get the gig, you need them to remember you after that initial meeting. Sending a follow-up email is essential as it continues the conversation you began in person or over the telephone. In this training, you will learn how to write a succinct but professional email, ensuring that they have all the information they need to make the decision to hire you an easy one.

One of the keys to negotiating your performance fees is to develop good professional relationships. For a negotiation to be positive, both parties must feel like they have won. Building these types of relationships are part of your long game. That is, they establish long-term benefits if you nurture these relationships properly. In the first part of this training, you will learn the fine art of negotiating. The second part will focus on determining the value you bring to the table. 

In some countries, a verbal agreement is a binding contract. However, putting your agreement in writing means that there is no confusion or misunderstanding of what was finally agreed upon. In this training, you will learn what to include in writing a confirmation letter as well as the essential components in drafting a simple contract.