Message Control and the Clouds in the Silver Lining….

Three different groups announced financial news that will have a big impact on their respective organizations, but with each announcement the negative is the focus with little or no regard for the impact the actual announcement might have on their constituents confidence going forward.  It’s We’re a 4 Alarm Dumpster fire, run for your lives!…meets…sheesh only 30 million dollars….meets…. welcome back to the Millennium!……..

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Quick Takes: The Gold Medal for the greatest Orchestra goes to…..

Another attempt to pit Orchestras against each other in an unofficial “Olympics” at Carnegie is a real head scratcher.  What is the prize, who actually cares and what is the point?  Thankfully Alex Ross provides some sanity but what is interesting is how Orchestras making the Carnegie pilgrimage seem to think it is a magic bullet to spur ticket sales back at home……

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More ASS in clASSical – Unexplain This!

So I’m late in getting to the widely panned Philly marketing campaign Unexpect Yourself.  Now to their credit it has created a lot of buzz in the blogosphere but whether it translates into sales and repeat business….well time will tell.  What marketing in general seems to lack is creating a connection to relevancy with this and many other tag lines going for a just try it kind of E Harmony vibe.  There is an incredible study out there that marketers should take note of that is not sexy but is relevant and might change the philosophy of sending out the message into sending out the messenger(s)…..

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Very STATisfying! – part 1

It’s about Artistic excellence, We want to be the best orchestra this side of the…(insert iconic river or Great Lake here!), We’ve practiced, practiced, practiced…now we want to go to Carnegie Hall.  How many times do you hear how great an Executive and/or Music Director wants their orchestra to be, but what does great actually mean.  I contend that for an organization to be great it is others that need to bestow that adjective upon us, not ourselves.  After all Olympians never judge themselves.  I contend that the goal should always be Organizational Excellence, I want to share a stat…you be the judge….

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Quick Takes: How transparent are we?

We all make a big deal sometimes that as an organization we are transparent, see through, nothing to hide etc…but is there a test out there that determines just how transparent we really are?  It is more relevant that with transparency someone can see, “who you” rather than see “through you”!  Recently at the Springfield Symphony we were tested, but we didn’t realize it until we were put on the spot…..

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Quick Takes: Gesturing….

My teacher Jorge Mester the first time I met him asked me this simple question “What is conducting?”  I was stumped and after several feeble attempts to describe what conducting is (which is what I wanted to do with my life!) he helped me work it out. That lesson was the most profound he ever gave me and it is something I apply to this day allowing me to never lose sight of what it is I actually do and how I can apply it elsewhere…….. 

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Fear Factor(y)!….

We are not going to admit it are we?  Why is it that writers constantly try to put a positive spin on the negative by proclaiming it’s simply an emotional response that prevents people from attending a Symphony concert or an arts event, basically saying it’s their fault.  This time it’s fear, yes people are fearful, scardey cats, wobbly need at the thought of an audience member shooting them a dirty look if you applaud inthe wrong place.  Give me a break, if 98% of a city is not into you, it can’t be just fear.  I mean it is not as if they are being asked to bungee jump (although you should see how high the balcony is in our hall)…..

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