about Mentors

[hummingbird]

At the Road Rally, each member gets a 15-minute one-on-one with the Mentor of their choice.Matt wrote, on another thread "I think every single person on that mentor roster could teach you quite a bit...they are all music industry professionals with years of experience. And while you're right that the mechanics of writing and producing music can vary substantially from style to style...the mechanics of succeeding in the business and making a living at this really don't."This will be my third Rally, and I have to say, my first two meetings with Mentors were... not that great. Not their fault, at all, but my own. My first Rally was rather overwhelming and I picked this manager who'd worked with Celine & stuff but I really didn't have any sense of who I was as a songwriter and therefore didn't have any sensible questions to ask and I don't think the Mentor knew what to do with me. I played a song and he said a few things. I brought my press kit and even put it on the table but didn't have the courage to ask him to look at it & give me feedback.I had better results at the one-on-one mentoring when I actually chose an electronica/dance producer who could give me some feedback on something I was working on.Last year, I chose a Mentor who was a better fit for me... but made a not-so-great impression because the CD I brought for him to listen to... which was burned at home on my computer... was flawed and so the song I wanted him to listen to, which should have been, like #4, wasn't where it should be. We spend 5 minutes just trying to find the song and we'd started late as it was. So I didn't feel good about it altho I did appreciate what he had to say once he actually got to hear the song.However, I spent the money have an hour with John Braheny while I was there, and played him 4 or 5 songs that I was working on, and that was well worth the consulting fee.So here I am approaching my third Rally and you'd think that with the path that I've mapped out and the work that I've done, I'd know what kind of mentor to pick and what to ask that person. But I find myself stymied. So I just wondered if you Rally vets could share your experiences of approaching mentors successfully and how you managed that precious 15 minutes to get the most you could from it. Might help me figure what it is I want to know

[gitarrero]

hey vikki,it's great to read such experience - I think it will help all rally participants to clear some things for themselves and therefore get better prepared for the mentor.it'd be great to read from other experiences, too.since it's my first rally, I can't tell anything about this situation. I just recall a situation a few years ago I experienced at a music fair. my demo was choosen to be one of the 10 best in a contest (out of 600) and was played before some industry professionals (a&r, journalist, radio guys..). the moderator then asked me to tell brief what I do/who I am.to make it short: my experience from that event was that it's important to sell ourselves. this doesn't mean at all that we try to look bigger than we are or tell things that are not true (...that'd be very bad...). just know what are your competences, why you are in the music industry, what you already achieved and where you want to go.I didn't know it that exactly back then, but in the meantime I did my homework;)I think it's important to put us in the clothes of e.g. a jury and think about what would they need to know, what is interesting for them to hear, etc.cheers,martin

[tedsingingfox]

so, Miss Vikki, I truly appreciate your starting this thread. I'll be watching it closely. Attended the NCSA/WCS conference three years in a row and can completely relate to feeling poorly about how the mentoring session went.Will be eager to read more here later.Ted

[tedsingingfox]

Ah... and one more question. In two parts.So, Vikki, what did that hour with John Braheny run you?And are additional 15-minute sessions available? for a price, as well?Thanks for the info.Ted

[hummingbird]

Quote:Ah... and one more question. In two parts.So, Vikki, what did that hour with John Braheny run you?And are additional 15-minute sessions available? for a price, as well?Thanks for the info.TedLast year, a one-hour consult with John was $100. I made my appointment with him before leaving for the Rally.Additional mentor times are not available through Taxi. You'd have to ask the mentor themselves. I wanted to meet with John because I'd been to a songwriting workshop led by him and I'd used his on-line critique service as well. I specifically wanted feedback on songs I was writing and that's why I wanted to meet with him.Bear in mind there is also "one on one" mentoring - meaning there is a room & time set aside for you to go and line up to speak to a mentor - they will play one song & give you some quick feedback, or they will spend max 5 min with you. They normally put a sign above the mentor's head with their name & expertise.

[davewalton]

Quote:So I just wondered if you Rally vets could share your experiences of approaching mentors successfully and how you managed that precious 15 minutes to get the most you could from it. Might help me figure what it is I want to know You and I have been to the same number of Rallys so if I'm a "vet", so are you. My concern was more about the time choice. My first year I picked the first time slot. Be the first to make a memoriable impression and all that. He got caught in traffic and arrived frazzled with only about five minutes left (although he did give me a lot of time when I ran into him a day or two later). So no more first time slot for me.Last year I picked the last time slot. That worked out much better although I could tell that he was maybe glad I was his last appointment. It actually went very well.This year I'll probably stick with the last slot.Vikki knows this but the line for registration starts E-A-R-L-Y, many, many hours before official registration time. You get your registration taken care of and then you can pick your mentor and time slot. You really get to know the people in your general area in line since you're there for four or five hours.

[tedsingingfox]

Thanks for the heads-up, Dave.Ted

[matto]

I think the more you know what you want from your mentor appointment, the more you'll get out of it. If you go in thinking, this is a music industry expert, let's just see what (s)he has to say...then you might not get the information that's most helpful and applicable to YOU.So I would suggest:1- Figure out what you want2- Choose your mentor wisely3- Come prepared4- Don't be nervousTo look at these in some more detail:1- Figure out what you want:This really depends on your individual situation. Here are some possibilities:- Overall focus and direction: Perhaps you're relatively new to this and would like some kind of idea what steps you should be taking. So tell your mentor your overall goal ("I want to be signed to a record deal" - "I'd like to have my songs recorded by country artists"- "I want to make a living from film/tv placements" etc etc) and ask your mentor what specific steps you could take toward achieving your goal. You'd probably want to have them listen to a song to give them perspective about where you're at.- Help with a specific step: If you're a bit further along and know about (some of) the steps you'll need to take, ask a mentor about how to approach a certain step...e.g how to organize an indie tour... how to get college radio airplay...how to find an approach music libraries outside of Taxi...how to find small independent features to score...things like that.- A one-on-one custom song critique: Maybe you just want feedback on a song. Here it helps to be specific and put your song in a context...such as...I'm an artist and this is my "single"...how can I improve this song for a Nashville pitch?..is this sufficiently well recorded for music library uses?These are just some ideas. It's always a good idea to be as specific as possible as the appointment lasts only 15 minutes...2- Choose your mentor wiselyOnce you know what you need, you can select the mentor(s) that would seem to best meet your specific situation. You should always put more than one mentor on your list as their appointment slots tend to fill up quickly, particularly if you're at the back of the line on Thursday or are just coming in Friday morning for registration.I think the best advice is not to be blinded by big names. There's a tendency to want to meet with a mentor who's worked with the biggest names or works at the biggest labels or publishers...but that might not be the person who's the best mentor for your situation. To use Vikki's "manager who has worked with Celine Dion" as an example...unless your interested in what a manager does or how to find one...or you write songs a la Celine Dion and would like feedback from somebody who's worked with her...then that person might not be the mentor for you at all. Instead find somebody who works with the kind of music you do or has experience specifically related to your mentor session goals.Another thing is to try to "coordinate" your mentor appointment with the rest of your Road Rally schedule. What I mean is if you're going to be attending a class or panel that deals with one specific issue, don't make you mentor appointment focus on that same issue...unless of course this is the one thing you want to focus on at the Rally (or that you think you need the most help with).3- Come preparedBring plenty of questions...even if you can't get them all answered...at least you can be sure you won't be wasting any appointment time going...uhmm...let's see... . Write them down so you don't forget. Make sure they're all focused on the goal you've set for this mentoring session. Have all materials you want your mentor to review in hand and ready to go...you don't wanna have to go dig thru your bag to find something while "the clock is ticking".If you want them to listen to a song, make sure you check that your CD plays and that what you THINK is on it is really on it. 4- Don't be nervousFor many people, this is easier said than done . I used to be absolutely terrified about meeting with anybody who was somebody in the industry...messing up my introductions...figuring why would this big shot wanna talk to puny little me So to anybody who has a problem with this issue...I can relate . Just (try to ) remember that every mentor, panelist and industry person at the Rally is there because they want to help you, and because they are always on the lookout for great new music. They need us and they want to help us.Hope this helps, and best of luck!matto

[hummingbird]

Hi Matt - thanks so much for writing such a detailed post with some great suggestions! I never thought of writing my questions down, that's a good idea. And I'll definitely be checking the CD plays what I think it plays this year cheersHummin'bird

[tedsingingfox]

Yeah, those are some great insights, Matt. Thanks so much for taking to time to type that out for all of us.Ted