Per Service Podcast

Are credit cards something you can use strategically to gain rewards, and maybe even treat-yo-self. Or, are they enabling poor spending choices, and a increasing your debt. What I learned from our conversation is that there benefits from both approaches, meaning if you can use a credit card to pay for life expenses you HAVE to pay for regardless. You can build up some nice rewards and your credit score as well, if you are paying it completely off before being charged interest. Even though I have been cautious about using credit cards because of the disconnect between buying things, and having to pay for them later. And that slippery slope of immediate gratification. I think Greg and I both agree that whatever route you go with, you still need to be very careful about how you spend money, and choose a system that works for you. The post Benefits and Risks of Using Credit Cards as a Musician [PSP24] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

The post Success as a Freelancer, Employee, or the Boss [PSP23] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

As a freelance musician, we have a limited amount of income we can make from just performing. And most of us know this when we signed up for it. The freedom, independence, and creative lifestyle are usually worth the trade off. But, that doesn’t mean that we are immune to the feelings of wanting more of the nice things that everybody else has. In our last episode, we talked about some ways you could make more money, and today we look at how we can save money without ending up in a crying ball on the floor because we’re only eating rice and beans. Robert Kiyosaki said it best, “it’s not about how much money you make, but how much money you keep.” The post How Do Musicians Save Money? [PSP 22] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Musicians and Money have a dysfunctional relationship. If you’ve been a musician for a while, you’re probably familiar with the stereotype that true devotion to your craft means you must be a starving artist. And if you make a lot of money from your art, you musthave sold-out. And to go even further, if you listen to any other podcasts or books about making money, you can find endless advice, tools, tricks, hacks, and scripts to help you “Add more value,” or “Live like no one else, so that that later you can live like no one else” or 5 weird ways to make more money, backed by science. And you know, those are all great things. But, they aren’t always universally applicable. And today, during our conversation Christian reflects on some advice he heard that seems totally contradictory to the “Rules” of reaching financial stability. And that’s kind of the point of this podcast, we exist to talk about what it’s like to be a human, to be a musician, and share some encouraging and inspiring thoughts with you, so tha

The creative lifestyle has many ups and downs-it’s anything but typical. After a big recital, an audition, or completion of any big project, we usually need some time to rest from the insanity that the performance created. But what happens next, is what we’re interested in for this episode. How do we recover from the down time, and get back to work. Some thought provoking conversation coming up…the battle between motivation and discipline, the force of Resistance, and tuning out or maybe giving into the call of Netflix (that beautiful song of the siren) The post How do I recover my motivation? [PSP20] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Well, Happy New Year to you. Today we’re talking a little bit about our favorite things from 2016, and also how to make the most of 2017. And we know there are a lot of podcasts out there, and other programs, all vying for your attention. So thank you for checking us out, and spending part of your day, hanging out with us. And that’s largely why we started this podcast-because as classical music performers, we spend a lot of time by ourselves practicing, or in rehearsals. And when we’re hanging out, we usually want to keep things casual, and upbeat. And so when do we ever talk about things are really going, or the things that encourage and inspire us as creative professionals. We hope that this podcast can be that place for you. The post Growing the Musician, Technician, and Person [PSP19] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

We started this podcast because being a classical musician is a difficult profession. David Oistrakh said the stage is one of the loneliest places on earth. I think what he was expressing was how few people understand the demands, sacrifice, and service that being a musician takes. And during this time of year..this most wonderfully busy time of year, where it's pretty normal to have 3 or 4 services a day, you most likely only have time to say hi and goodbye to the other musicians at your gig before racing out the door to get to the next one. So we believe that sitting down and talking with other musicians can be incredibly encouraging and inspiring....most of the time. This might not be one of those times. The post “Ask us how we really feel about Jingle Bells” [PSP 18] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

The post Insecurity, Uncertainty, and Gig-mas: The Freelancer’s December [PSP17] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Our episode today is mostly about immediate anxiety, or stage fright and some coping skills, including the ever controversial…Beta-Blockers. We aren't medical professionals, so always talk to your doctor first before trying them. However, we are dedicated to having authentic and transparent conversations about our experiences. But drugs are not the only way to reduce the effects of being nervous, and we go into some of the other options to having a successful audition or performance. The post We Took Beta-Blockers, Here’s What Happened [PSP16] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Practicing is something we all wrestle with: Getting started practicing Having goals for practicing Staying focused while practicing Actually fixing things that are broken. But it's one of the most important aspects of become a better musician. The post Practicing vs. Improving [PSP 15] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

With less than four weeks until the US heads to the polls to elect a new president. The podcast team is less than enthused about our options. So, we decided to pick some of our favorite musicians of all time who we would rather vote for (yes, we realize how ridiculous that sounds). Also we kick things off with some other current events, unfortunately about the strikes and lockouts at major orchestras and what it means for us. Also included are what politics in orchestra and quartet rehearsals look like at the local level.  The post Let’s Get Political..or Not [PSP14] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

It's that time of year: Back to school & back to orchestra season. How do we navigate getting in touch with colleagues, dealing with the summer braggers, and setting our sights on the year to come. The per service podcast team discuss how to make the most out of this time of year, and some advice on how to start the year off right. The post Summer’s Over: Getting Back to Work [PSP13] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

The post Why you shouldn’t do this at Rehearsal [PSP12] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Hey Guys! Just a quick update about what’s going on this summer. Also I’ve got a short story about one of the best lessons I learned from my undergrad. Well, it was one of the worst lessons actually. I’m calling it my best, worst lesson. The post My Best Worst Lesson [PSP Update] appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

On this episode of the show, we're talking about accepting other people's success, when you feel like a loser. And this is something that we all feel like at some point. It's become an issue especially lately with the advent of social media and how fast news travels these days. You know, because Jascha Heifetz didn't get a notification every time Isaac Stern played a sold out concert. But this is a daily occurrence for us these days. But more importantly, what does this dwelling on this negativity do for us as musicians? And in the second half of the show, we cover some actionable things you can do to improve if you feel like you have stalled. The post Dealing with the success of others when you feel like a loser (PSP11) appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Making friendships with colleagues can be quite the challenge. There are a lot of potentially awkward dynamics to navigate, and managing your social avatars has only made things more difficult. But despite the challenges, having friendships at your gigs makes "going to work" a much more enjoyable, inspiring, and pleasant place to be. In addition to the personal reasons, friendships are essential for getting more work. Musicians are more likely to send a gig to, or recommend someone they like and trust, than to somebody who may be a great player, but a jerk. The problem is: Musicians are not that good at making friends. Let's be real here. We're good at spending prolonged periods of time in very small rooms, often looking into a mirror and listening to recordings of ourselves. On top of that, most gigs are not good social gathering places. You only a few minutes beforehand to warm up, 15 minutes at the break to go to the restroom, get some water, turn in some paperwork, and as soon as it's over, everybody rac

We have a confession: We may look like happy smiley people, but we are actually highly critical and cynical. And it's not just us. You don't have to look far in the classical music world to see the cynicism and pessimism. So, is cynicism just part of becoming an advanced musician? Or is it detrimental to becoming a top-notch musician. The Per Service podcast hosts discuss these issues, and arrive at 5 simple things we can do to avoid becoming a cynical musician. The post 5 Ways to Reduce Your Cynicism PSP 09 appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Today we're digging into Rejection. It's not a lighthearted topic, and one that's not very comfortable to talk about. But that is why we're here. Because all of us have been there. We invite you to sit in on our conversation as we discuss why it's such a big deal, and then some of the things we can do to pick ourselves back up after facing rejection in both college auditions or professional auditions. But your mindset going into an audition has a lot to do with how you feel after it's over. The post Rejection: How do I move on? (PSP 08) appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Hard Work Vs. Talent. Which is more important? Or is it possible that we're forgetting about way more important aspects? Also, why does it matter? If you were more talented would you watch more Netflix? These are some of the topics we get into by digging into Jessica Wiersma's story, our 4th in our series of introducing ourselves. You can learn more at www.perservice.co/7 The post PSP 07 Hard Work vs. Talent? Who Cares? appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.

Finding the motivation and drive to practice and improve is hard enough when you're feeling inspired. But what do you do when your family moves away from your great teacher, or you literally don't have the strength to hold your instrument up? These are just two of the challenges that Anna has faced while battling a chronic illness since undergrad. But she hasn't let that define her playing. "I've had to continue in persistence, and conjure up a form motivation, even if the circumstances are bogging me down. Every year or two, something big happens that gets in the way of my plans as a musician. And I could choose to walk away from it, but I can't let go of it. Even when I'm not feeling motivated, I have to keep going. Persisting even if the motivation is not there... cause sometimes the music on its own is not enough." -Anna The post Persisting when you’ve lost motivation (PSP 06) appeared first on Orchestra Excerpts.