About

The stage is lit but the lights are out on the audience members. I can’t see them but I can “feel” them.  They are nervous for me; they are taking every breath with me; they know I’m in trouble but they don’t know why.

I Can’t Seem To Keep The Oboe In My Mouth!

In my 47 years as a classical musician, this has never happened before.

I got through the evening, although it certainly was NOT my best performance!  After I got over the initial embarrassment and fear, I needed to find out what was really going on, so as not to have a repeat scenario.

With the help of my doctor and colleagues, and through much testing and exploration, we identified the culprit.  I have what is known as “Musician’s Focal Dystonia.”

Dystonia is a movement disorder (usually brought on by years of over-use of a specific muscle or muscle-group) in which your muscles involuntarily contract. For me, it is task-specific to my embouchure (how you set up your mouth).

The bottom line is that I am no longer able to play the oboe, this thing I have loved all my life.

Unfortunately, Focal Dystonia is not uncommon for professional musicians.

What’s Next?

I realized that I may need to find another way to support myself, so I trained and became a real estate agent. I learned so much about running a business: working with the public, securing leads, follow-up, organization, etc. But, I was looking for something more creative for my next career.

So in 2019, I decided, again, to change gears. And if the events of 2020 have shown us anything, it’s that we should enjoy our lives and be doing something we love.

So, getting back to a more creative outlet, I spent 3 years training and working on my writing skills. In the course of doing that online work, I came across copywriting. Somewhat to my surprise, I found my new career path!

This transition made perfect sense.  After all, music is emotional, persuasive communication without words.  Copywriting is persuasive communication using emotions and words.  If I need to reinvent myself, doesn’t it make sense to find the art that most clearly juxtaposes with the skillset I already possess?

• Musicians practice.  Hour after hour, day after day, year after year. We don’t practice until we can play it right, we practice until we can’t play it wrong.  Writers similarly need to practice writing every day.

• Musicians research.  As a matter of fact, my Masters degree is in Historical Performance Practice.  This is the practice of researching the history of a piece you’ll be performing to implement some of the idiosyncratic tendencies of the period in which it was written. I enjoy doing research and I understand the value and necessity of researching for writing.

• My approach to the study of music is scientific.  While researching and practicing, you take one aspect, like phrasing for instance, and really pick it apart. Like a science lab, you try the experiment again and again, changing one small thing each time.  You notate all the possible reactions and results.  You test, test, and test again. Through this process you determine the best possible approach.  Copywriting thrives on rewrites and testing.

• While doing all this “scientific” work, you must also make sure you are communicating several strong emotional concepts. This is where creativity comes in. But it must be translated in a way that the audience can feel it as well.  If they don’t leave the concert hall with their emotions having been stirred, the performer has failed. With copywriting, the art of the sale is to guide your customer towards your goal by prodding at those same emotions.

Copywriting was the perfect, most natural transition for me.

I have discovered that I would like to leverage my years in the music business by helping companies, artists, and music venues write better marketing and sales materials. Most companies have more marketing materials to write than they have the time or resources to create them. This, I believe, is where I can be most helpful.

 My goals would include:

•  Help businesses to increase their revenue, enhance their brand, and create a strong following.

• Encourage audiences to come back to live theatre and concerts.

• Using the science of neuroarts, help musicians understand the complexities and value of what their performances do both for themselves and for their audience. 

• Guide and encourage businesses that service the arts and help them regain the bulk of their pre-pandemic business.

• Help the “Mom & Pop” music stores create enough income to be able to stay in business.

• Help all companies create marketing strategies that engage and attract new customers.