Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Winter 2020 29 REVIEWS GEORGE SZELL'S REIGN: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Marcia Hanson Kraus. Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield: University of Illinois Press, 2019. 272 pg. As the title indicates, George Szell's Reign: Behind the Scenes With the Cleveland Orchestra is an account of George Szell's 25-year tenure as conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. Marcia Hanson Krauss devotes the early chapters of the book to Szell's early life and training, and she concludes it with his death in 1970. The intervening chapters, however, consist primarily of vignettes detailing the personalities of key members of the orchestra musicians and staff and their interactions with Maestro Szell. As an active performer and composer, in addition to being married to of one of Szell's oboists, Kraus was in an advantageous position to observe and record these anecdotes, and the resulting book is both entertaining and informative. Based on the stories contained in this book, "reign" is an accurate term to categorize Maestro Szell's leadership of the ensemble. As a result of a weak musicians union and a contract that he could terminate without warning if anyone interfered with the orchestra, Szell exercised almost absolute power over his musicians; he controlled salaries, dictated facial hair, and even instructed a janitor on the correct way to sweep the floor. Most of the stories boil down to mere idiosyncrasies and Krauss is very sympathetic to Szell in her account. It is clear that his purpose was to create a world-class orchestra rather than serve his own ego. In her postscript, Krauss points out that today's symphonies don't have the luxury of the focused rehearsals that Cleveland enjoyed and sound underprepared as a result. However, some of these stories are more callous, and it is ultimately for to the reader to decide whether his ends justified the means. Robert Bruns is a Bandmaster in the United States Army and an SAI Friend of the Arts. He received his Bachelor and Master in Music Education degrees at Ithaca College. THE REALIST'S GUIDE TO A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC CAREER Joel Cummins & Matt DeCoursey. Realist Books, 2019. 361 pg. The Realist's Guide to a Successful Music Career is a clear-eyed look at what it takes in today's world to be successful as a professional musician in the rock, pop, and country music scenes while dipping into other genres. Including interviews with Huey Lewis, Susan Tedeschi, Taylor Hicks, Ivan Neville, and more, this book delves into the realities of the music industry with a boots-on-the-ground approach. As technology evolves, this book tackles how to navigate today's music world. Album sales have been eclipsed by streaming services and live concerts. Social media hungrily demands more interaction between artists and fans, but also creates a lively space to interact with others and make connections. The Realist's Guide walks you through the hundreds of decisions required to figure out if playing music for a living will work for you. There are lively sections on determining if your passion should be your career, realistic expectations, finding your sound, navigating the group dynamics of playing in a band, and managing your music as a business. Throughout the book there are some running themes. One is be nice. By being kind and respectful to the people you work with from your bandmates, manager, venue staff, sound mixers, set up crews, to drivers and beyond, you make a good impression and build positive connections that in the long run will pay huge dividends. By being on time, rehearsed, and ready to go, you give your audience the respect they have earned by purchasing a ticket. The book emphasizes that this career is to entertain others with your gifts and hard work. It also stresses the importance of balancing the needs of the music and the needs of the people creating it. The authors do an excellent job of taking you through the steps of recording a demo, how to get gigs, tips on recording, preparing for a show, and building an audience. There is emphasis on learning how the business works so you can thrive and make money while keeping control of your product. They discuss the importance of merchandising not just the music, but thoughtfully developing a line of products beyond t-shirts that connect you to fans and build the brand of the band. The Realist's Guide to a Successful Music Career spends significant time on interviews with a wide range of performers, managers, and promoters. They provide candid advice and real-world stories of what works and what didn't throughout their careers. It offers intriguing insights into the realities of being a touring musician and how to navigate the industry, as well as how it has evolved. The Realist's Guide is crisp breath of fresh air and a colorful album of valuable advice from a veteran rock star and member of Umphrey's McGee, as well as a seasoned entrepreneur with deep experience in the music industry. Heather Prince, a member of the Oak Park Alumnae Chapter of SAI, is a professional horticulturist and garden writer. She has served as a Province Officer and Regional Officer.

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