Drawing Courtesy Emily Petrella

In the last 10 minutes of part 2 of our interview with Susan and Nick of The Concert Truck (episode #147), I recalled a conversation I had many years ago with a friend in the US Navy Band in Washington, DC. He was on the team responsible for overseeing the logistics of their annual US tour, and told me there were places they’d visited where they were the only live “classical music” some people have ever heard. When I asked Susan and Nick how it makes them feel that they could be the only live classical music some will ever hear, they said it was a powerful thought and makes them feel uneasy because it puts a lot of pressure on them as performers. We didn’t discuss why they felt pressure, but I assumed that as conscientious musicians they were focusing mainly on the pressure to perform their best, especially if they would be the only live classical music some in the audience would ever experience. 

Happy New Year! Those of you following the podcast are aware that my wife and I accepted positions at Kent State University last year. Since May, we’ve moved, renovated most of a house, learned new gigs, etc., which is why the blog posts have slowed—but one of my New Year’s resolutions is to consistently contribute to the blog. Another resolution is to be more effective with my time, so I thought I would begin the year by sharing some content I created for a career mentorship site when asked about the most important skills for recent arts graduates to have and highlight in their resumes: 

• Across the arts the specific skill sets may vary, but highlighting critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills that enable candidates to build a portfolio of experiences and creative activities is very effective. Self-starters with a wide breadth of experiences are better equipped to see patterns and infer new trends, which bodes well for future growth.  
• Empathy is the most important soft skill because it enhances most, if not all, of the other soft skills. One who more deeply understands another person’s point of view creates an environment that fosters a greater degree of engagement and trust.