Richard Dole: Freelance Trombonist and Educator
The stage! The lights! The audience! The life of a gigging musician! Exciting! Travel the world! Create a network of fellow musicians in every city and town and region! This is all true but there is a less glamorous underside to the exotic life of a freelancing musician. This underbelly side of the business, people... Continue Reading →
Time. Time should be a friend of the musical freelancer, but too many times Time is viewed as the enemy. "There isn't enough TIME.""What TIME is the gig?""What TIME should I get there?""What TIME should I leave for the gig?""Can I play in TIME?""Do I have good TIME?" Many of these questions do not get... Continue Reading →
Well, I guess it is high time to let this personal news begin to scamper out into the wilderness. I have a pretty darn big announcement to make, so let me get right to it by knocking down some of the "what could it be" thoughts you may be having at this moment. The news... Continue Reading →
I'm very excited and happy to announce that on Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:30pm, I will be presenting a joint recital with my pal and radio co-host, Matthew Altizer. Although on this recital, we won't be playing a piece together, we have a stellar program of really interesting and fun music for you! You can... Continue Reading →
What will 2021 bring? I have no idea and I'm out of the prediction business because I thought that 2020 was going to be a spectacular year for me personally, musically and financially and we know how that turned out.
Most years my December playing calendar is full. I have opportunities to play with some amazing people all around Indiana, Illinois, and beyond. The great gigs are what can help get me through the sometimes slower months of January and February. Of course, this year is different.
What are we to do? How can we go from playing rehearsals or concerts 4-5 times per week to playing nothing? How will we keep our chops up and running? And WHY should we keep our chops up and running if there are no gigs on the horizon?
A full indoor wedding gig during COVID...a bad decision. It is hard to know where to start when discussing the *new* freelancing situation many of my musical colleagues and I find ourselves. We have been put in a near impossible position to choose between our financial livelihood and our health and well-being. I realize that... Continue Reading →
I am now fully set-up to teach virtually from my home studio. I have spent the past month or so making sure the technology on my end all looked and sounded great. Now that things are cooking along, the only thing I need is to fill my schedule with students. If you, or someone you... Continue Reading →
What are some of the coping mechanisms you are using to stay focused, sane, and most importantly happy and connected to others?
Let's Skype sometime soon!!
FORCED VACATION MORNING TROMBONE WARM-UPS!
Keeping up a schedule is not easy. I'm trying to keep my kids on a school day schedule (read about THAT adventure here), but keeping myself on a schedule is a different story. In order to get myself motivated, showered and dressed, I'm starting a TROMBONE WARM-UP Facebook LIVE session!!!!!!! This is taking place at... Continue Reading →
Amid all of the worry, panic, and 'social distancing' we find ourselves in, I thought it was perhaps a good idea to begin to focus on all of the positive things that can happen during the week or two (or three) we freelancers have off of work. I think I've wallowed in my own self-pity... Continue Reading →
Well, it happened. Everything I have for the rest of March has been canceled. Let me say that this is a good thing from the perspective of dealing with a public health emergency. I am totally in agreement with all of these decisions. Stopping the spread of this is a priority. Holding public events is... Continue Reading →
I've been very fortunate that most months I've scheduled enough work to cover all my financial responsibilities for our household. There are months that are better than others, but eventually it all balances out...usually. This week, I've lost a couple very high profile (and high paying) engagements due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare. I am... Continue Reading →
An inside look into the freelance musician life.
A year ago, heck, 4 months ago, I would have no answer to the question: "How do you entertain a baby?" Maybe I would have answered, 'Why do babies need to be entertained? Do they lead such stressful lives that entertainment is needed so they can relax?' Now I know that Yes, babies need to... Continue Reading →
Okay, I know I kind of poo-pooed the idea of resolutions, but in the spirit of trying to make 2015 better than 2014 (I don't know HOW that could happen), here are a few resolutions I could improve upon in my professional musical life: 1. Figure out how to SELL and WORK the great duo... Continue Reading →
I often meet new people. Hey, I'm a sociable guy! One of the first questions people naturally ask each other when they first meet is, "What do you do for a living?" Pretty standard question. Whenever I respond with, "I'm a musician, I play trombone", people look puzzled. I don't blame them! How many trombone... Continue Reading →
Well, here we are. The week before my first half-marathon and I gotta say that I'm pretty excited about it! This week is the second of two taper weeks, meaning that the milage is less than previous weeks. It kind of feels weird only running a few miles instead of 7-10, but it all leads... Continue Reading →
To catch up on my rant please read Part 1, and Part 2. Part 3 is just a continuation of my absolute frustration with what is happening with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. This blog will tackle only one question: What can be done? In the previous blog, I was hoping to cover more topics in... Continue Reading →
This is a continuation of my blog post from yesterday, What Really Matters, Re: Indianapolis Symphony, Part 1. After writing and reading yesterdays post, I still felt like more needs to be said, and questions need to be asked! How did the ISO get to this point? How many people will this lockout really effect?... Continue Reading →
Wow. My previous blog post was pretty damn self serving. After I hit the 'Publish' button, I got to spending time on Facebook (who doesn't right?!), and I got to doin' some thinking with the ol' gray matter that sits between my ears. What are my problems compared to the rest of the worlds issues?... Continue Reading →
I know, I know. I haven't been writing much...er, I mean, I haven't been writing AT ALL! So sue me. I've been in a fog recently. Yeah, I've been pretty lazy about keeping up on my running/vegetarianism blog, but what can I do. I'm writing NOW, so enjoy it. Despite not writing about it, I... Continue Reading →
Have you ever seen a trombone? It's pretty darn unwieldy. There is only one moving part on a standard trombone and the sound is produced by the buzzing of the lips into a metal mouthpiece that the elongated open tube amplifies into a beautiful tone. Or at least it should be a beautiful tone. When looking at the trombone,... Continue Reading →
Well, I just finished my first semester teaching Music Business Marketing at IUPUI and I gotta say, I think it turned out alright! The class was kind of thrust upon me rather quickly back in January and I didn't have time to read the textbook before the semester started, nor really prepare as much as... Continue Reading →
I can't tell you how lucky I am to get the opportunity to play with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on a somewhat regular basis. (Check out the ISO's performance of Pirates of the Caribbean this weekend at Clowes Hall! If you like d minor and loud/low trombone, this concert is for you!) When I first... Continue Reading →
I've been on a non-stop roller coaster ride since I started teaching at IUPUI nearly two months ago. This ride is very fun and very addictive. However, I don't sleep much, I read constantly, and I am always looking for new things to do that relate to my classes. I feel an abrupt stop coming... Continue Reading →
I just looked at my schedule for the week and finally put it all together. Monday: Mid-Term Review for 'Jazz for Listeners' class at IUPUI. Then driving to Champagne/Urbana for a Sinfonia da Camera rehearsal. We're playing some pretty cool stuff this concert: Ernst Bloch 'Schelomo', Don Gillis 'Symphony No. 5.5', Gershwin 'American in Paris'... Continue Reading →
I have a naming issue. No, I'm happy with my name. I can't tell you what 'joy' it brings me when people realize that 'Dick' is a perfectly acceptable abbreviation for 'Richard'. I've never understood that. I mean we don't have a female equivalent abbreviation like that do we? Me: "Hey Cleavage!" My embarrassed friend:... Continue Reading →
Mythical 5th Position 