The Working Musician- Taking Inventory

Upon graduating from Hofstra University with a degree in Bachelor of Science in music, I went directly into teaching Junior High School music.

I was still performing as a musician for agencies that booked catered social events. There were no DJs on the scene yet, so musicians worked often. It wasn't uncommon to do four weddings or Bar Mitzvahs on a weekend. The band members were picked from a pool of musicians and the bands often met for the first time on the band stand. The afternoon musicians might be going to an evening concert with their band. It was exciting when members of Blood Sweat and Tears were on your bandstand in the afternoon. I heard musicians say that they played a Bar Mitzvah with Chick Corea.
(If anyone who finds this blog speaks to Chick ask him to say it's not so...)

We didn't read music on the bandstand and we faked a wide variety of music. My inventory was forming. I was a 'jack of all trades' -variety of music- musician that could fake his way through many types of music, and I was an educator that can combine the music and stage presence to do a music clinic. A friend of mine on and off the band stand, Dom Famularo, came into my class to do drum clinics. At first he did them as a favor and then he did them at other schools. He parlayed his visiblity infront of hundreds of students that would become potential purchasers of drum equipment, into endorsements with drum companies. He marketed the endorsements into profitable clinics. The clinics were marketed into more endorsements. Google Dom Famularo. He took inventory and marketed the inventory.

Dom and I traveled from New York to California with Tony Oppedisano, an excellent all around musician who was self taught on guitar and bass. We arrived in California with no contacts. By promoting ourselves to agents, networking, interacting with customers on our breaks, taking dedications, distributing tent cards and generally enjoying the marketing process, we worked continuously until we went our separate ways. Tony had a passion for Frank Sinatra and his music. His knowledge of 'everything Sinatra' made him part of Sinatra's inner circle and road manager. He is now road manager for Don Rickles. Tony took inventory and acted upon it.

That was then; can it be done now? Yes!