As a music student studying at a Conservatoire, my days usually revolve around practising my instrument and playing in orchestras and chamber groups. I've always known that once I graduate I will become a freelance musician and that the world of music is a very competitive industry to work in. Knowing how to promote yourself as a musician is vital for being able to find work and survive in such a competitive environment. When I saw that Nonclassical were looking for a Marketing & Development Intern, I thought it would be the perfect chance to gain some experience in this area, which may help me with my own career in the future.
The great thing about working for a small charity is that you get thrown into the deep end straight away. From day 1 of working at Nonclassical I was learning how to edit and add pages to the website using Squarespace and WordPress as well as setting up the ticketing pages on Eventbrite. I've really enjoyed the creative side of making the event pages and writing news articles, blog posts and newsletters, adapting my style of writing for different audiences. It's been great working on Nonclassical and Street Orchestra of London, charities with similar aims but very different branding styles.
Then there's the social media side of things. I'm an avid social media user, but I've learnt that there is so much more behind social media than we think there is. Following the right people and pages on social media and persuading people with large followings to retweet or repost an event or album post can be key to making something successful. For a business or charity, tools such as Twitter and Facebook analytics are crucial for finding out what kind of posts reach people well and get the most interactions. Seeing how much growth there has been in followers across all social media platforms from the work of the marketing team has been really exciting to see.
Through organising events and album releases, I've helped to promote Nonclassical artists and composers, where I've learnt about label and artist development. However, as a classically trained musician, I'd never really listened to or played much new or experimental classical music. At first, having to promote the launch of Tape Works Vol. 1 by Langham Research Centre felt like a massive step out of my comfort zone as it was the complete opposite to the kind of music I'm used to playing and listening too. But after researching the background behind the album and in general being exposed to an expansive range of new classical music in the office, the way I listen to this genre of music has completely changed and is now an area of music I'd definitely like to explore further.
I started this internship only knowing the very basics about marketing that I'd learnt on a module I took last year. I'm now leaving, feeling ready and to promote myself as a musician so that when I graduate hopefully the freelance music world won't come as too much of a shock. It's also great to know that there is a future for classical music thanks to charities such as Nonclassical and Street Orchestra of London.
I'll miss everyone in the office and the fact that there is never a shortage of tea!
Thank you Nonclassical!
Leah