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On Networking
Angela Myles Beeching, Director, New England Conservatory Career Services Center
ArtistLink •
11/10/2008
You often hear, "It's not what you know, it's who you know!" There is a real element of truth to this but to be accurate, it's who you know and what you do about it that matters. Networking, or "schmoozing," is simply an exchange of information and resources; it's a two-way street.
People often associate networking with other fields — with high tech or business — not the arts. But networking is an important factor in all fields, especially in the "small world" of music where reputations and connections are critical, if not crucial, to career building.
About the Author: Angela Myles Beeching directs the New England Conservatory Career Services Center, a comprehensive career resource office for musicians, internationally recognized as a model of its kind. Beeching has been a guest speaker at the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, and the Oberlin, Colburn and Peabody Conservatories. A frequent speaker at national conferences, she has presented at the National Association of Schools of Music, the Classical Singer Convention, Chamber Music America and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. Her articles on music and careers have appeared in Classical Singer, Inside Arts and Chamber Music magazines. A Fulbright scholar, Beeching holds a doctorate in cello performance from SUNY Stony Brook. She is the author of Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music, published by Oxford University Press.