Going Beyond the Notes and
Into the Real World
By Brian Ammons
O
n more than one occasion I’ve been
told “Brian, you have to focus on the
music, you have too many distractions.”
You see, music is my passion, but I also
enjoy being involved in many other student and
community service activities, not to mention
taking classes and studying. Sound familiar?
Is it possible to juggle multiple responsibilities
and interests? Is it possible to do it all and do it
well? I believe part of the answer lies in striking a balance and setting priorities. You have to
make time for what is most important to you.
Even though I was a non-music major in
college, I was actively involved in many aspects
of percussion studies. I played snare drum in the
marching band and performed in the symphonic band, percussion ensemble, and two steel
bands. These experiences within the percussion
program gave me the confidence I needed to
become actively involved in numerous campus
activities, which included several leadership positions. It took a great deal of organization and
time-management skills to balance these varied
responsibilities.
The same hard work and preparation needed
to be successful in music are needed to succeed
in any organization. The experiences gained
from ten years of practice sessions, private lessons, and rehearsals have helped in other areas
of my life and are just as relevant to my chosen
career path. After graduation, I will be working
for a global company as a sales representative,
and I will have the opportunity to apply lessons
learned from percussion studies to my personal
career development.
The steps to success as I see them include:
(1) Visualize Success, (2) Learn the Ropes, (3)
Build a Team, (4) Demonstrate Leadership, (5)
Stay the Course, and (6) Sell the Product. The
following are examples of how I applied these
concepts to my percussion studies and how I
plan to translate them into the real world of
business.
Visualize Success
My mother always tells me to dream big,
because I can achieve anything I set my mind
to achieve. This is a cliché, but there is value in
visualizing your success. I always visualize performing at my highest potential. To accomplish
this, it is crucial to set goals and identify the
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18 FEBRUARY 2009
steps to get there. My goal of being a versatile
and well-rounded percussionist requires improving from lesson to lesson, being prepared
for rehearsal time, and applying concepts
learned in lessons to my personal practice time.
Because of my involvement in other student activities, I have to make practice time a priority.
Setting goals and priorities helps me focus on
each task at hand and gives me confidence that
I can succeed.
I am able to begin preparing for my job in
the same manner. I must do my homework to
understand the mission of the company and
their expectations for success. It will be important to be organized and prepared for my job. I
The same hard work
and preparation needed
to be successful in
music are needed to
succeed in any
organization.
will identify the most important tasks necessary
to achieve my goals and focus on those first.
Learn the Ropes
Once the goals are set, the next step is to
learn the ropes. It is necessary to understand
the basic skills before you can work hard to
perfect them. In high school, our drum line
had an inspirational slogan printed on T-shirts:
“To be the best you have to play with the best.”
Learning from those who strive for excellence
helps challenge your abilities. I am fortunate to
have had quality teachers, mentors, and peers
who helped guide me along the way. These
teachers gave me constructive feedback, pushed
me to constantly improve my percussion skills,
and challenged me to achieve more than I had
before. To truly learn the ropes, I had to listen,
keep a positive attitude and learn from mistakes.
In my new job it will be imperative that I do
a lot of listening and studying. I will have to
learn the basic techniques before I will be able
to excel and reach goals. I am eager to learn
about the products and services I will be selling.
I will try to understand the customers’ needs by
asking questions, listening, and thinking creatively to create value for them. Furthermore, I
will seek positive mentors within the company
to help me learn, and I will stay upbeat when
receiving feedback.
Build a Team
Being part of an ensemble creates opportunities to enhance your own skills. As a true team
member, you have a responsibility to play your
part well, in addition to supporting and helping
the rest of the team do their best. There can be
varying skill levels and personalities within the
group, so it is essential to build relationships
and communicate with team members. Having
fun is one way to energize the entire group and
build great morale and chemistry. We embrace
our roles as ensemble members by recognizing
that each person’s part is important. Nonetheless, the success of the ensemble must come
before the individual. While everyone has an
individual part to play, it is how the group plays
and how the group sounds that matter.
As I embark on my new business career, I
will be part of a group of new employees who
will be learning the ropes together. I will be
learning directly from a mentor and will be a
member of a sales team. It will be crucial to
build a good relationship with my mentor, clients, and peers in order to be successful. I will
show respect for the knowledge and participation of every person on the team because each
contributes to the company’s success. Frequent
and open lines of communication will ensure
that everyone is on the same page and able to
work through any problems or misunderstandings as they arise. I will be accountable for the
responsibilities I am challenged to manage;
however, the entire sales team will be accountable for the company’s growth. Our team will
be stronger as we share our best practices, leverage each other’s experiences, and learn from our
successes and failures.
Demonstrate Leadership
Leadership is about helping people achieve
a shared vision rather than telling them what
to do. A leader must have a connection with
and understand people’s needs, aspirations, and
abilities. A leader has qualities such as integrity,
humility, commitment, passion, optimism, and
determination. As a leader, you must be open
to the best that everyone has to offer. Every
team needs a leader to be successful and to set
an example for others. In music the goal is to
lead the ensemble to the next level by inspiring
others to improve their skills as musicians and
percussionists.
As a newcomer in my job, I will be expected
to be a productive team member, but I will
exhibit the type of qualities and ethics that
are expected of a leader. In work groups and
other opportunities where leadership skills are
required, I will follow these basic rules of leadership: know your objectives and have a plan on
how to achieve them; build a team committed
to achieving the objectives; and help each team
member give his or her best effort.
about. I must be able to enthusiastically demonstrate the value of the product. If I enjoy
what I do, I will be good at it! By identifying
the tasks needed to be successful, learning the
ropes, building the right team, showing leadership, and applying these concepts to my work, I
believe I can accomplish my goals.
Many long-term values come from being
involved in music programs and being able to
balance percussion/music with other pursuits.
These six steps kept me focused as a musician
and will continue to help me as I go beyond the
notes and into the real world.
degree in Communication Studies and started a
new job with The Dow Chemical Company in
Midland, Michigan, training to become a sales
representative. As a college student, Brian participated in marching band, symphonic band,
percussion ensemble, steel band, and applied
lessons as well as being involved in the Blue
Key National Honor Society, Tiger Brotherhood Honor Fraternity, Student Alumni Council, Sigma Pi Fraternity, Interfraternity Council,
and IPTAY Collegiate Club. Brian can be
reached at Bwammons@gmail.com.
PN
Brian Ammons is a 2008 graduate of Clemson
University. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Stay the Course
Once the groundwork has been laid for the
ensemble to perform at a high level, it is necessary to stay the course. In other words, I must
be totally committed to the ensemble because it
is important not to let anyone down. At times
it can be overwhelming when the music is difficult or if there are multiple responsibilities
all competing for your time and talents, but
a constant focus is needed to overcome these
feelings. I feel a strong sense of accountability
not only to my peers in the ensemble, but also
to give my best to the audience, composer, and
the music. This is why it is so important to stay
focused, work hard, and never quit. I have to be
committed to succeed.
I will bring this same sense of responsibility
and accountability to my new career. My clients,
co-workers, and bosses will be counting on me
to consistently deliver on assignments. They will
expect me to stay focused on the task at hand
and to give my best. If I have questions, I will
seek assistance and take the necessary steps to
ensure success. Lastly, to stay the course I know
that I must be self-reliant and motivated because no one else will sell the product solutions
for me.
Sell Your Product
When it is all said and done, it is really all
about the music. All the hard work, practice,
and preparation finally pays off at the performance. With each note and each instrument,
it all comes together using the steps outlined
in this article. I try to sell the audience on the
meaning and passion of the music, but I also
have fun while performing. I always try to live
in the moment while performing with ensembles and truly enjoy the culmination of all of my
hard work. If I am enjoying the music, people
watching and listening will too.
Selling the product is what my job is all
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