Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
Welcome Back! Yesterday, we talked about trying to raise money after the concerts are done. Today I want to focus in on accountability, performance reviews, and tactical planning.
One topic I hear a lot about in the orchestra world is accountability. In a very obvious way, musicians are accountable every time the orchestra plays. They are held to extremely high standards; when they make a mistake, it’s often out there for everyone to hear.
Lock up the liquor, hide the kids, and brace yourselves as conductor Bill Eddins has something to share on the painful subject of cutting staff. In particular, Eddins directs his in-case-you-miss-the-point-easily-let-me-make-it-painfully-clear pointed commentary squarely at those shouldering the task of deciding which employees stay and which go. His advice is not only well timed but could serve as a chapter in the Orchestra Management for Dummies book (wait, that doesn’t exist yet)…
The 10/25/2007 edition of CNNMoney.com featured an article by FORTUNE senior writer, Anne Fisher, which examined eight ways to tell if your job is in jeopardy. Although the article is obviously directed to the for profit workplace, it is fascinating to see where the suggestions overlap with an orchestra workplace and where they go astray…
