Upbeat: A Guide to High School, Business and Life for Young String Musicians

This is the book your private teacher, orchestra director and the 30-year-old you, wants you to read. The advice you’ll find here derives from the simple idea that musicians – even young musicians – ought to be equipped for the business side of their careers. Without that preparation, the most talented musicians can fail to make a living. As you read, you’ll encounter the same recommendations that I give my college bound music students and their parents. The information in these pages has led many of them to get into good colleges and pursue remarkable careers. If you take it to heart, it can do the same for you. In music, an “upbeat” is the last beat in a bar that precedes the downbeat. It marks a transition, and is characterized by the anticipation of the next movement of music. In life, “upbeat” refers to a positive and optimistic mood. I hope this book can be both.