Advising the young on preparing for music school: Part 2

Repertoire, repertoire, repertoire. 

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• They that know the most tunes wins. 
• Learn these tunes from recordings.
• Write your own tunes, create an original book, explore your uniqueness, nurture it, celebrate it, honor it. This is really all you have to sell. The world doesn't need more musicians, it needs artists. Artists who capture and interpret the times we live in. 
• Your repertoire needs to be broad. In the old days, a musician's spoke of "bags" which broadly translated refers to how many styles the musician was competent in. Check this out: Music Genre List - A complete list of music styles, types and genres (musicgenreslist.com)
• Start developing musical alliances in a few of these different styles and start learning and  jamming together. 
• Jazz started before 1940, learn the major tunes and artists from each decade. At a Glance: Jazz History By Decade (liveabout.com)
• Jazz survives because it absorbs the sounds of it's time. Learn to play pop music in different styles to integrate it into your personal sound. 
• Show up on day one of school a professional in need of polishing, mentoring, and guidance. Your teachers should be able to confidently recommend you to employers from day one. 

Next up: "Artist or Musician? Which one are you?"
​
 David

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