Are you waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you believe deep inside that your life will be better later?

Sometimes we think that right here and right now is not where we are supposed to be performing. Here’s not where we should make the contacts or start a business. The perfect place seems to be somewhere far, because far is unknown and perhaps (hopefully) better. Even though we are not sure exactly how far looks like, we hope it’s better than here.

The other day I was sending some emails to keep in touch with old friends and one of them told me “yeah! we should get together but not here, anywhere is better than this hole.” And then I thought, that’s exactly what I felt when I was in school. Hell, that’s what I think right now! The same thing happened when I went back to visit friends and play a gig near my old university. The common response to “what are you up to?” was “I can’t wait to finish my degree so I can get the hell out of here”.

And then I think—why? Why are we so desperate to leave? We chose to be here in the first place. Is there a way to be happy and satisfied wherever you are, even if your next performance isn’t at Carnegie Hall?

My friend, we take so many things for granted. Yes, it’s important to stay ambitious but also to stop for a second and see what we have today. What we are today. It’s great to always wish for a better environment, paycheck and benefits, but we also need to enjoy the small things (that may actually be big) we do now.

The hole you live in was created by your ambition, and that’s great—ambition is usually good. Unconsciously or consciously you want something bigger and as you look for an easy way out, the idea of moving far seems very desirable, because you don’t know what it will be like. Not knowing is reflected as a magical land where you get the perfect gigs and everything turns out great.

Instead of considering the things that could go wrong we expand

the fairy idea.

Human nature at its best.

Here and now, you know how it works. Here is bad because things settled. When you got used to living in the same apartment, brushing your teeth in the same sink, wearing the same clothes. It’s all the same and it’s boring.

Guys, you don’t have to live in 10 different places to realize that anywhere you go you’ll feel the same after a year. Every single café will lose its exotic enchantment if you visit it every day. The same with your rehearsal space.

No matter where you go, things will settle at some point. That’s when you have to spice things up. Find new opportunities, move around and do something different.

The answer is not leaving (or is it?).

Once you know that things settled, you’ll want to start a new project, join a club or visit new bars. Practice in different environments, read a book in the library, play a different game on your PS3, make new friends. You may also want to start a concert series (yes, all by yourself). Find the musicians, concert place, money,etc. It’s a big project but it will keep you busy and motivated. You can also take lessons from other people, write a proposal letter to restaurants and hotels, read the Savvy Musician, play auditions, learn about bird watching (what is that anyways), buy a motorcycle or take a plane somewhere else and come back fresh.

When you take the new journey, you leave everything behind, often to start from zero. I know I’ve recommended to take the risk before. Yes, risk can bring many wonderful opportunities but before leaving it all behind think and re-think. You are exchanging the known land, friends and gigs for something that can be better or worse.

I took the challenge a year ago because it was part of my

journey. A journey I chose beforehand.

It’s been a year now. Hard as you can’t imagine, but I really left everything I knew for the unknown. It was part of my quest, but that’s another post.

Your decisions are your future. Choose wisely and don’t look back, if you do, you might not have the strength to keep going. Just in case keep the motion—I’m sure it will lead somewhere worth going.

For the Empire!!

CESAR AVILES

If you go over to My Quest page, you’ll see a bunch of my goals completed.

Over the years, I’ve grown into a different person because of these voyages—that’s why I can’t recommend traveling enough. My Survival Kit even includes a guide on the subject so you too can travel for free.

But even though traveling and luckiness have abounded my life, I haven’t yet accomplished my ultimate goal. It all started 13 years ago when I accepted the biggest challenge of all. I put an instrument over my shoulder only to decide that music was going to stay forever. After playing in a chamber orchestra I had to begin my quest. I decided to aim all my forces into becoming a professional orchestra musician.

Soon I moved to the capital to pursue my dream and major in violin performance. 5 years later and right before graduation, I auditioned for the national symphony and past the substitute try out. I almost destroy my car after jumping on it out of happiness.

Playing with them meant the biggest goal being accomplished. Even though I didn’t get a permanent job, life was more than having assurance and stability. It was about having a finish line and stepping on it with pride. And I did that.

It turned out that life had other plans for me, not just yet was I going to settle. After that and other huge breaks, I went to pursue my master’s degree and experienced a whole new level of music, people, environment and life.

Along my career I’ve done tours, gigs, started this blog, traveled, read 17 times as much as I used to, had a year to work my technique, acquired B1 level in German, grew up, ate more healthy, started an exercise routine, practice meditation, write for other websites, had my compositions being performed internationally, wrote a book, analyzed scores, became an entrepreneur, learned about style and composers and much more.

I still don’t have my permanent position in a professional symphony orchestra and that makes me a little sad. Last year I really, really worked for it. I lost 8 auditions and felt like crap for long days and weeks. I know, that’s not a lot but either way it was devastating.

I’m not done yet, and I guess even when I get my orchestra job I won’t be done either. Music is a life quest.

Today, I looked back and realize all the beautiful things I’ve gotten over the years. Not the orchestra job but I got out of the way many important stages and circumstances one has to go through in order to grow.

I’ve done quite a few things thanks to not having a fix position.

I’m grateful—I grew as a person and as a musician and that’s not to be taken for granted.

My quest started 13 years ago and I haven’t crossed it yet—that’s fine. I live for it.

The last 7-8 months have been the hardest of my entire life and I am still alive. I learned a very important lesson: the harder it gets the more you evolve—simple mathematics.

My only one request to life is: Bring it on!!!!!!

For the empire!

CESAR AVILES

When I wrote

My intention with Viejos Tiempos was to send a message through my favorite medium—the string orchestra.

It’s not the score, the composer, the pencil or paper or monitor or midi keyboard—is the performer and her performance.

A composer’s talent would be insignificant without musicians to interpret it. Fifty Shades of Grey would mean nothing without my mother’s interpretation. Books and compositions are works of art only when someone reads it, otherwise it’s just organized paper in a bookshelf.

Auditions, strings, reeds, conductors, sheet music, metronomes, composers, Musical America, Tips for Classical Musicians(subscribe here), scores, tuxedos, Sibelius software, Henle, manuscripts, letters, editions, etudes, concertos, the Savvy Musician, A Survival Guide, music festivals, lessons, master classes, Naxos, dynamics, ASCAP, halls and scales.

They all contribute to the magical performance you had last weekend. The preparation to kick some ass requires tools and gear and today we have most of it free on the ‘net. Your knowledge in music history is reflected in your performance, so is that mandatory piano course for non-majors. Know this and give it a good open shot, it will make your life easier, happier and smarter. It all comes down to music performance.

The perfect musician has perfect pitch, a five million dollar instrument, a helicopter, the cutest dog, the best partner and knows all of her repertoire from memory.

She plays in style and knows in depth each legendary composer (she’s read every single book out there). She also understands orchestration, counterpoint, harmonic functions and has a vast knowledge on any music-related topic you could mention.

She has the opus number of each piece (solo, orchestral, chamber music) including the Köchel Catalogue and the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis all engraved in her head. Oh, don’t even mention the dates of guys like Beethoven. She recites them like if she were reading a paragraph.

The perfect musician loves film music, reggaeton and fox trot—not only classical. Her favorite composer is not Brahms like everybody else. In fact she likes Schoenberg. She is always encouraging people to understand or at least give contemporary music a chance.

The perfect musician practices 5 hours of scales, arpeggios and etudes and 6 hours of repertoire. She uses 100% of her brain capabilities and stays concentrated for 11 hours in a row. Her hobbies include bird watching, thinking about Mozart and learning about contemporary painting. She is often wondering about the future of music and what would music be like 10 years from now.

Becoming the perfect musician.

The person above sounds surreal, stressed and horribly busy. She sounds to me like a person that doesn’t have a life. More importantly, she sounds as if she has to mandatory love music.

In the past, I’ve tried to become someone like that many, many times. I often want to be as perfect or more as the musician above. But even though I keep trying I feel I can never reach my ultimate goal. No matter how hard I try, it never seems to get any closer. In fact, I realized that every time I move an inch closer, I add to the “perfection list” hundreds of things—making the finish line even farther away.

Laugh in the face of perfection.

The harder you try, the farther it gets. Being perfect is not within our nature as human beings, leave that to God, Buddha and mother nature.

Humans do their best and move on.

Yes, try to buy that Ferrari and save like crazy if you are certain it will provide you with happiness for a long time. Otherwise (and most likely), you’ll be better off enjoying your daily walks and getting warm showers. It’ll be cheaper too. 

Take advantage of every opportunity to grow as a musician, but when your mind tricks you onto being perfect, laugh at it. Remember it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being the best you can and staying happy for the rest of your life.

For the Empire!

CESAR AVILES

Rule number 6 states that you shouldn’t take yourself so damned seriously. In the middle of an uncomfortable situation or a problem, stay in control. Stop for a second and feel the breeze, relax and look out for something positive. Ask yourself: What’s the worse that can happen? Then smile, literally smile—it will trigger something inside.

The great thing about rule #6 is that you don’t need to learn other rules—because there aren’t any other rules. That’s what conductor and author Benjamin Zander explains in his book The Art of Possibility.

With a creative and unique approach, Mr. Zander takes you on a journey of possibility. His book explores the human/musician side of finding success.

I’ve personally worked under Ben Zander and can tell you that his philosophy of life has a positive impact on everybody around him. From the podium to the bus ride, his energy and enthusiasm makes you want to work at your best level. No matter what you are going through, there is always possibility.

Get the book and find out how possibility can add the spark you need to keep moving forward every day of your life. Next time you think you will collapse, remember rule number 6 and things will lighten up, for you and those around you.

Many of us play regularly in orchestra and take for granted the outcome of such an ensemble. It’s normal to seat in your chair and follow the guy with the stick and the one, two, three, four.

Today I want to bring back awareness and perhaps change your vision of the orchestra so that every time you get together, you appreciate the miracle that it’s about to happen.

The symphony orchestra is the most elaborated and massive form of art. That’s what I believe since many elements have to unify beforehand in order to have a professional sounding ensemble.

The orchestra is composed by at least 80 musicians and when you join forces with a choir that number can triple. The image of dozens of unique talented people stroking and bowing and singing and blowing in harmony to produce a work of art—it’s just magical.

Think about the amount of hours each of them has dedicated to the instrument since day one. Master classes, lessons, teachers, methods, instruments, rehearsals, solos, recording sessions—add to that his or her personal experiences. You end up with 300 different souls on stage with different paths, experiences and problems playing the same music professionally.

That’s just incredible!

A work of art has never depended on so many artists to make it alive.

Oh, and the magic doesn’t end there..

The music we play in orchestra was written by someone who spent years learning how to put everything together. Colors, phrases, instruments, balances—it’s a very long course, especially when you don’t have an orchestra in your living room to experiment with colors and what blends with what well. The composer spent years learning orchestration, taking piano lessons, conducting and studying scores.

Dudes like Ravel and Stravinsky left us with some of the best orchestrations ever written for our ensemble. And when we play these guys, we barely listen to what the other members of the orchestra are doing or even the effect the composer tries to create.

Another guy that works solo is the conductor. He has to interpret the work, understand it, learn the history and the whole purpose behind it—that alone will demand to stay home studying for quite a long time. Add to that the technique you need to master so you can communicate your ideas effectively through gestures.

All of the above can make a miracle happen, one of unanimous work done by incredible people. But they still need one more guy to complete the whole miracle operation.

Musicians are nobody without the artisan who builds exceptional instruments. These guys also spend long years learning their craft and should be as respected. 

The process of making art is the same for all of us artists. It demands patience and perseverance—because being incredible at what we do is our ultimate goal. It’s not easy and we know it, nevertheless we keep trying to leave a legacy.

If a symphony orchestra is already a miracle, imagine when the best of the best get together. Take Simon Rattle and put it in the Concertgebouw or Carnegie Hall, then get yourself one of the top orchestras in the world (Berlin Phil, Chicago Symphony, Concertgebouw). These orchestras have a unique sound and history. Now, hire a professional choir and make them perform Mahler 8.

It can’t get better than that!

That’s why practicing makes sense. Because you want to be part of a bigger miracle every time. Winning auditions is hard but once you make it happen you will be part of a bigger miracle and worth every single second of effort.

I say let’s keep aiming high and enjoying each miracle, even if it’s a small miracle it’s still one. Never stop dreaming—your biggest miracle may come true one day.

For the empire!

CESAR AVILES

Practicing 10 hours in a row is a waste. A huge and fat way to believe you are achieving something you are actually not. It’s impossible to stay sane when you practice 10 hours in a row for a month non-stop. What are you? An unhappy machine that has no friends and plays everything perfect? That’s not human.

People need interactions with other people, we need to have fun, read a novel, play Call of Duty. Yes, we need to work our asses off but also keep ourselves mentally and physically healthy so that our brains retain more info when we do practice. (In human amounts of time).

Someone important said 85% of happiness comes from your relationships, not from your personal successes. People matter, and the connection you make with them will open up your opportunities anyway—give that idea a chance.

If practicing 10 hours is a waste, then what is worth doing?

Things worth doing are those that will contribute to your persona or someone else’s by gaining the highest percent of the benefits using the least amount of time.

You’d want to spend your time in the practice room getting the most out of it, to waste it watch the Simpsons, don’t practice. Man! I love that show.

Eating a banana is worth doing, so is buying flowers to your girlfriend. They both provide huge benefits with little amount of time or effort. Some people call it productivity.

Training everyday to reach the mental capacity to practice 5 hours with the mandatory breaks, is extremely worth doing. Considering your health at all times is also worth it since it will help you stay in shape for years to come.

It’s always worth spending on your future.

Spending three years writing in a foreign language and convincing an audience that your posts are worth reading is priceless. More than worth doing it. Only if you don’t spend 12 hours a day for three years to make it happen.

Balance will make sure you don’t burnout.

It will also make sure you enjoy your kid’s childhood, her first recital and her first ballet performance. Balance will help you learn Paganini’s 24 caprices (all of them) the fastest and smartest way possible. It will make sure you are good enough to make your local bowling team and have time to go see a mariachi performance.

All the things you balance work for one another.

Those two hours you spend at the Mexican restaurant listening to mariachi music will expand your music horizons. Making the bowling team teaches you perseverance and technical training. Being there for your kid will help you understand the importance of support, plus every time she looks at you from the stage something inside will lighten. Playing Call of Duty will help maintain your social life with your buddies. Reading a novel will expand your imagination and watching the Simpsons, well, that won’t add much to your life but will make you laugh—and for an instance, you’ll forget about problems.

Organize, schedule, keep a balance, stay human, do what’s worth doing, connect with people and watch the Simpsons. All of the above are the right combination to real success (except for the Simpsons ).

For the empire!

CESAR AVILES

How cool would it be to be remembered for something awesome you said, performed, taught, composed or wrote way long after you disappear from Earth? No, it’s not about fame or popularity, it has a deeper connotation. It’s about leaving a legacy.

Legacies are left by leaders who create something so extraordinary that people have no choice but to pass it along to other generations. Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan will be remembered 100 years from today. Their incredible performances will still inspire generations to come, but you don’t need to be remembered by everybody to leave a legacy. It takes 2 or 3 people to read your book, witness your conference or perform your composition to be convinced of an extraordinary message and pass it along.

Leaving a legacy should be a priority for every musician.

Because we can.

When you teach with a dynamic and entertaining attitude, you reach your students in a unique and positive way, touching their inner soul and changing their lives. That is leaving a legacy. Changing someone with a positive idea that inspires them to work harder, happier and with passion.

Those hours you spend on technique, intonation, phrasing, learning the story behind the piece, the orchestral part of your concerto or the piano part of your sonata—are not to be taken for granted. They will enhance your final performance to provide an audience with legacy material. If you own a piece, played it for years and feel it under your skin, you are in the right path to leave a legacy.

On the other hand, it’s not so easy to make it happen. A lot of people do the above and still don’t leave a legacy.

In order to leave a legacy you have to be indispensable.

You are indispensable when you smile to your neighbor. You are indispensable when you help someone achieve a goal or even when you let them borrow your pencil to make a quick mark on the score. You are indispensable when you listen a friend talk about her problems. Not indispensable to the world, but to her. When you master the artistic part of your legacy plus the human side of it, you become indispensable.

The more you build both sides, the higher the chances you’ll

leave a legacy and live a great life.    

As you work your way up into the music business, you’ll have many chances to become indispensable and therefore leave a legacy. During your life time, you’ll teach, record, perform, write, conduct or deal with people in many ways. All of the above are things you do for people or with people to have a satisfactory result. Make sure you create an environment where people are happy and thrilled to have you around. One that encourage both parties to contribute to the art at hand.

Leaving a legacy can be done by changing people through a book or a magical performance, but also by humanizing every aspect of your life.

Fame means you are good at something. Indispensable means you are good for a tribe of people (big or small) that respects you for your art and your values. Be indispensable and fame will come behind, followed by your personal legacy.

For the empire!

CESAR AVILES

This post was inspired after reading: Linchpin.

We classical musicians have competitions and auditions, but what are the chances of getting a prize? I mean, don’t get me wrong, apply and practice your ass off—but don’t limit yourself to only these things.

There is a lot of great opportunities out there, you just have to create them.

How? You have to become a people-person. In other words an entrepreneur.

As an artist, you will play for people, sell to people and offer your services to people. Even if you are only teaching music, you will need people skills in order to transfer your knowledge effectively. 

You only need one hour a day to create opportunity.

Practicing takes at least 4 hours a day, rehearsals take 2 or 3. Having a part time job will also take you a couple of hours. When are you going to gain exposure and put your name out there? You have to do it. There is always something bigger to go for, don’t you think? You can do it man! Set the goal today.

The time you invest is for no one but you. 

Those 30 minutes/1hour every day will be to level up your career. I would say that having good contacts is at least 60% of finding good opportunities, and today technology makes it really accessible.

Here is how I would do it:

1. Login to your Facebook account and warm up your contacts. Let them know what you are up to and your next projects. You will be surprise of their reaction. Offer them your help and try to do something valuable. One day you’ll get it in return. Don’t wait for it, though. This works 100% like magic.

2. Research grants and money stuff. What can you get for free? Are you a student? Are you Latino? Are you short? Are you tall? The have for everybody. There are many scholarships available for music students. People don’t research this stuff because it’s complicated. You have to write a letter, etc, etc. Do you research for a month and you might end up having free money. It’s so worth the trouble.

3. Contact a different teacher around your area or near by. Get a lesson with a different professor, learn a different style of teaching. He might know someone that knows someone that could help you achieve your goals. Talk about anything. Get to know him or her and keep in touch. Every month or so you should touch base. A good app for this is Evernote. Google it.

4. Send your compositions. Go to people’s website and spam them like crazy. Kidding, but do send your music to them with a nice letter of interest. You are going to be surprised how many people will respond. I thought I was going to get a lot of emails saying how dare you!!!, but it actually has given me a lot of opportunities. Because I create them—and you can do it too.

5. Email your favorite restaurant, or go in person. The cold way is always the most difficult way. It’s also the most effective. Tell them who you are and that you want to play there every weekend. Offer them a quality service, a variety of music and styles. If it doesn’t work, try it with you second favorite restaurant. Don’t give up, create opportunities.

6. Organize a concert all by yourself. Find the musicians, find funds, sponsors, audience, use Facebook to advertise, Google ads. Book a hall and take many risks. Not too crazy though, you don’t want to end up in debt for years .

Remember, you don’t have to do all this in a day. And these are only a few examples. Sit down and think how you could create opportunity.

You will then work your way up one hour a day.

Today you send emails, tomorrow you research grants, and the next you invite friends to perform in a concert, the next day you send emails again. Once you get used to it, you’ll find yourself getting into awesome projects and creating different opportunities for yourself.

Act today, tomorrow will be too late.

This week I was contacted by the team over at Classicalist.org, a database of orchestra jobs. Each week they search the world for orchestra auditions and deliver email alerts tailored by instrument and geography to their users’ inboxes.

Jonathan at Classicalist.org tells me that each week they add between 100-200 new orchestra job announcements and are planning enhancements to the user experience over the summer. They have also invited me to write some guest posts on the Classicalist.org blog in the coming months so stay tuned.