Ashrith was a student who I worked with for quite a few years. He started right around the same time as a few of my other students, namely Advait, who was featured in another Family Support Blog. Ashrith, Advait, and a few others all lived in the same neighborhood, so they were fairly interactive with each other as students.

Ashrith started guitar with me, and then we evolved into piano, vocals, and songwriting. He is one of the only other students that wrote original music at such a young age.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkOctober 11, 2019Comment

How to Manage Complex Projects: Part 2

A complex project requires a lot of resources, people, time, and as always, the almighty dollar. These components aren’t always readily available, but with solid planning, networking, and mindful frugality, anything is possible.

Often people are your best resource, and that’s because people often have their own resource pools and networks.

Music Education, Musings, Music, Collaboration, Music BusinessJimmy ClarkSeptember 2, 2019JC Music and WellnessComment

The Borkars: Family Support Story #11

Sometimes natural talent just screams from the rooftops, and when it does, heed the call. His parents did a spectacular job raising him and his brother. They are cultured, talented, and kind people. Support skill with steadfast attention and great things will happen. Advait worked so hard to earn his accomplishments and his family took an interactive role which provided him the resources he needed to thrive.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkAugust 30, 2019Comment

How to Manage Complex Projects: Part 1

In the entertainment world, many people wear many hats; songwriter hats, manager hats, tour bus driver hat, graphic arts hat, musician or artist hat . . . and the list goes on and on. I personally have a huge hat collection. It would seem like I have ten heads. I wear them all fairly well, but that is not often the most effective way to operate, even if you can. Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. That is an important lesson to really learn over and over again. As artists we get carried away, and we get excited, so it’s not uncommon for us to dive head first into all processes. It’s not a bad thing to do, per se, but it limits the other areas to which your energy can go. If you are an artist, and you happen to hate managing social media accounts, then consider, if you will, hiring a social media manager, and freeing up all that time to do what you do best, . . . create!

Music Education, Musings, Music, Collaboration, Music BusinessJimmy ClarkAugust 26, 2019JC Music and WellnessComment

Pete Jablonka: Family Support Story #10

Sometimes in life, you meet people under circumstances based on business, but life can turn all that around by putting all parties into situations where it becomes a matter of keeping one’s sanity as a team effort. A karmic connection, where without each other being part of the mix, neither would have come out as unscathed. Friendship can endure over the years, even with sizable brakes occasionally as a factor. The biggest lesson learned: Generosity, Kindness, and openness are all transferable qualities. It’s the essence of the idea “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and I think that a large part of my demeanor and the quality of my character was forged in my relationship with my friend, Pete.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkAugust 23, 2019 Comment

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

This is one of the most common questions that a songwriter will get from an eager student or an enthusiastic fan, or sometimes from a friend curiously pondering as they listen to a song...

“When writing a song, which comes first?...The words? The melody? The chords?”

There is an easy answer to this...

There is NO set method that is universally practiced by everyone.

The songwriting process is vast in its ways of manifesting and inspiring itself into existence with the help of a skilled (or not always so skilled) conduit. The conduit for this divine outpouring is YOU, and it’s Me, and it’s every being with the intention and desire to make it so.

Music Education, Musings, MusicJimmy ClarkAugust 19, 2019JC Music and Wellness Comment

The Sarnas: Family Support Story #9

Years ago, I met a family while lingering around Guitar Center. I overheard them talking about buying a guitar setup for their daughter, and so I offered my card and we had a conversation. I started lessons with them shortly after meeting them and I worked with the daughter, Christine, for several years.

I learned early on that her mother had cancer, and that she was battling for her life, so her mom’s health was often a topic that I would check in on week to week as we worked. I would do my best to help distract her from the difficulty of the situation, while also flowing with the emotional shifts that were coming with the coping process. She was a very good student, and took to the guitar and singing with an open mind and great ease.

Sadly, sometime after we started lessons, her mom passed away. It was a heavy time in their house, and I did all I could to help Christine and her father feel supported by my presence.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkJuly 19, 2019Comment

Agreements for Collaborations

Have you ever found yourself in a collaboration or team effort spin-out? Have you ever walked away from a meeting with others and said, “What the hell just happened?” or “I don't like the way this turned out?” If you have, then likely you have either NO agreements in place, the agreements are not defined well enough, or the agreements were not honored. This is not good...but it is fixable and it is manageable, provided that all of the terms are stated, agreed upon, and written down. It’s really that easy. The hard part is nailing down everyone’s true needs, desires, and expectations. In this blog we will explore this topic.

Musings, Music, Music Business, Music Education, CollaborationJimmy ClarkJuly 15, 2019Comment

The Vawters: Family Support Story #8

I first met the Vawters while leading a drum circle for the Freehold Special Scouts troop 454, where they earned the music merit badge.

The gig had resulted from a referral I had received from a woman I met at a different special needs drumming event that her child attends. So it was a nice little connection.

I met the father, Jamie Vawter and we talked about having me at his home to do private lessons and drumming for his family, which included his elderly mother, a delightful woman I might add, and his son Zach, who is 20 years old with low-verbal Autism.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkJuly 12, 2019Comment

How To Travel Well With Others (Part 2)

Sometimes, collaboration includes the element of travel excursions. For bands this could mean going on tour, for artists this could be traveling with an agent to a gallery opening across the country, for architects this could mean going to Europe to restore a historic structure, and so on. No matter who you travel with, it's important to travel well. This blog will explore travel dynamics and offer some tips gained from experiences I've had on the road.

Musings, Music, Music Business, Music Education, CollaborationJimmy ClarkJuly 8, 2019Comment

Becca/Kelton: Family Support Story #7

When it comes to building trusting and loving interactions with clients over the years, there is an openness that develops, a sense of safety that one can be themselves free of judgement or condemnation. I enjoyed this level of comfort with Becca, and one day when she came into her class she went quiet and kinda smirked as she said “Can I tell you something?”.. to which I of course said, “Sure, whats up?”, and that’s when she revealed her truth to me.

Family Support, Music EducationJimmy ClarkJuly 5, 2019Comment

Music Video Tips #2

Just as it was with advent of the video age, modern day artists rely heavily on video and image content to “show” more than “tell”. That’s the beauty of video; it’s dynamic and more exciting than a photo or text. Artists have been using video to showcase themselves for many decades now. The Beatles did it 1964 on Ed Sullivan before MTV, Score Composers alongside animators did it before as early as 1937 with “Snow White”, and really, all major artists have done it before, during and after these times. You tube changed the game, and then came other standards like Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook, and dozens of other platforms, all of which feature video platforms and Live Stream features. Given all of these technological media advancements, it’s crucial for Artists to get in line with the times and utilize video as a way to promote themselves.

Music Education, Musings, Music BusinessJimmy ClarkJuly 1, 2019Comment

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