Richard Dole: Freelance Trombonist and Educator
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, hello everyone! It has been a while since I've written anything or given any update to those I don't regularly run into anymore. I don't peruse FaceBook anymore because I just found it depressing to discover people that I know are actually racist bigots and were hiding their true self from our interactions. So,... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Growth comes in many forms. Sometimes I consider getting a load of laundry complete as a victory, which leads to growth in some fashion! Anytime we can get a check in the 'WIN' column, is growth. The past few months I have been growing in several ways: 1. Practiced bass trombone everyday for 4 months... 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 →
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 →
Mythical 5th Position 