First Baptist Church, Greensboro- 150th Homecoming

So tonight I played for probably the biggest job I have ever had. Back in May, I emailed churches around the area to try to get my name out there so I could make some money (I have learned that you can't sit around and expect for people to know your name... and most churches are willing to take a chance and hire "young" musicians) and I heard back from a handful, but was hired right away by First Baptist Church, Greensboro. I played for one service in May, and was contacted that night about playing for their 150th homecoming.

I originally thought I would be doing basically the same thing I did in May- playing with the orchestra, consisting mainly of middle and high schoolers, and I would play 3rd trumpet to add some support to the middle and high schoolers so they could get some experience playing lead (really a great thing for them, and a great warm-up for me so I can practice afterward). When I walked into rehearsal yesterday, I was VERY surprised to see that 1) it was not the orchestra I played with in May and 2) I was probably the only one with anything less than a masters in music. I saw my main professors wife, a few of my other professors, and musicians that play in Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (the other two trumpets both got a DMA under Dr. Bach right before I got here). Needless to say, I kinda freaked out.

Thankfully, I was able to hold my own with all of these professionals and received many compliments. Of course, I made my share of mistakes, but thankfully nothing too bad. To top it off, I will be playing there again at the end of the month, and maybe a few more times before the end of the year.

So it really does pay off to just jump in and contact people and let them know you are here. Some people may frown on it, that you shouldn't "beg" for jobs. My feeling is this- people need musicians and they will inevitably call my professor when they need a trumpet. If they do call him, I am 99.9% sure that the job will go to someone other than me. If they have my name and number, and even what I typically charge (much lower than some would pay originally because I do not feel that I have the experience yet to warrant the paychecks that some places hand out) then they will call me first. This is not a bad thing, it is just the music business, and you have to work it however you can.

So, first job of the school year- complete and a success! And there is nothing like a nice check to help pay for a trip to Scotland!