An Administrator’s Perspective

After my last post, a friend wrote to me with some questions that were too long for the comments box, and concerns about communication between administrators and musicians. Her insights made me realize that I had missed some crucial points of clarification in my arguments about musicians’ perspective.

In her words:

“What I’ve noticed far more than any sort of ego, is a lot of mistrust and fear.  Particularly the statement that the Detroit proposals “seem instead designed to give much greater overall control to management” – how much more us vs. them could you get?  Even without a clear understanding of specific financial issues, musicians are aware to some degree that money is a huge problem right now, and that all organizations are suffering, but it seems to me that many musicians also have no faith whatsoever that they and their management are on the same side.  Negotiations aren’t always seen so much as attempts to mutually rectify a poor economic situation as they are viewed as power struggles.” (emphasis added)

I’m embarrassed to admit that I played right into that mistrust and fear in my last post, but I’m glad Emily raised this point, because it really gets to the heart of the matter. I take my background as a musician for granted, but I’m sure a lot of people don’t know about my experience as a performance major, gigging in DC, and singing at church my whole life. Or that the reason I got into administration is that I LOVE music and I want to be an advocate for it to the general public, and help people realize that there really is enough money to go around.

So, without further ado, one of my patented Love Notes (TM).

Dear Orchestral Musicians, Conservatory Students, Choral Singers, and Similar Friends,

I love you! Well, most of you. Even the people with whom I have personality differences I respect because you make amazing music that I believe in! So I love you! And I’m trying to work hard to pay you! That’s what my job is about. If you think about every area of arts administration, it all boils down to figuring out how to support you in your work and make sure you can keep making that beautiful music that you do so well.

I’ll start with the easy ones: Operations/Concert Production: duh. These are the stage managers, roadies, managers, etc, who herd the cats and get everything organized so that all you have to do is show up and play the music and you don’t have to stay late to do things that aren’t part of your job description. Mostly, you love these people, but in case you don’t already, that’s why you should.

Next, Marketing and Ticket Sales: making sure that, when the curtain goes up, there’s an appreciative audience on the other side. That when you make your music, someone hears it, and we don’t have to deal with questions like “if a tree falls in the forest.” Many of these people will go out and tell their friends about the music, and some might even come back next time! We love our marketing friends, because they make sure that you have a reason to play!

Third, Donor Development: sadly, even if I fill the concert hall, I can’t make enough money off tickets to pay your salary and that of the concert production staff/expenses. This is what is meant when people talk about “finding a better business model” or that “orchestras are built on a failing business model.” So we have to find extra money somewhere else. That’s where our donors come into play. And we get money from them by building relationships. Some might call it “ass-kissing” (I used to), but it’s a necessary part of the job. Ideally, we try to develop relationships with people we like, and usually they are people who are passionate about what *you* do when you make that beautiful music.

Fourth, Education Programs: investing in the future of music. I should hope I don’t have to tell you why this is important.

Lastly, Public Relations: telling the story behind or around the music to make all these other parts easier. If someone has already heard of Podunk Orchestra, it’s much easier to do these other things (like selling tickets or asking for money).

There are a few other parts of orchestral/arts administration (Finance and HR, who *administer* the money and benefits! we love that!) but hopefully now you understand why there should never be an “us versus them” attitude. I really like musicians, and want to pay you all a fair wage.

Unfortunately, there’s just not enough money in the arts right now (thanks to our current economy) to pay everyone a super-star wage. That means that some orchestras or operas or whatever that are used to a certain lifestyle might have to make some adjustments. Comparing your earning power to other organizations in cities with different economies doesn’t make sense financially, because $60K in Detroit buys different things than it does in San Francisco, or New York or Boston.

All my love and good wishes for amicable arbitration,
Maura the Good Administrator (like Glinda but without the bubble)