The Art of Collaboration
Brian John is a Student Advisor at berkleemusic.com. He has a Bachelors in Piano Performance from Miami University of Ohio, and a Masters in Composition from Longy School of Music. Brian’s background is primarily in Classical music, but a 4 year stint in a home-grown jam band gives him a unique perspective on both genres. He continues to compose and perform for people across the US.
“Collaboration” is a scary word. It doesn’t matter if it’s a complete stranger or your best friend, when someone asks to collaborate, it raises all sorts of red flags. In many ways, collaborating with someone is like taking them on as a ’significant other.’ It’s a very intimate, exposing, and delicate relationship that takes work and faith to develop. It can either go very right, or very, very wrong. In this post, I endeavor to relate a ‘best practices’ that have helped me keep my collaborations, if not sparklingly amazing, at least on an even keel and successful.
1. Agree on a goal: Having a well-defined goal is crucial to any collaboration. Whether you are forming a band, working with a lyricist, or hiring a publicist, everyone involved must be working towards the same vision. Before the collaboration begins, you yourself should have in place a solid idea of what you want to accomplish. Going into a collaboration with an unformed idea leaves you open to being hijacked by your partner(s) and their interpretation of your request. They may not realize that they are doing it, and you might not catch it at first, but nothing kills a collaboration quicker than realizing the project you end up working on is not the one you started out wanting to do.
2. Establish ground rules: How long should this project last? How should profits or proceeds be distributed? How should the division of responsibilities be handled? Should any additional people be recruited to help and, if so, who decides when/how they are brought on-board? The list of potentially contestable issues that could arise is too long to be published here, and I would most likely miss many important points. The thing to take away from this step is to think ahead, and anticipate conflict. I’m not saying you need a formal contract, but by agreeing to ground rules, you set yourself and your collaborators up for a successful and open relationship. Also, by discussing and establishing these ground rules, you learn a lot more about your partner(s) than you would otherwise—you may get to this step and realize that the person you are talking with is not the right one for your project. That’s ok! It’s better to find this out now and keep looking then to try and force things along with the wrong people. I liken it to putting one square tire on a hotrod—it ruins the entire machine. This brings us to step three:
3. Pick the right partner(s): This is, perhaps, the most difficult step in the collaborative process. I must admit, my first instinct is to reach out to my immediate circle of friends when I get a new idea, need a second point of view, or need someone with a particular skill set. This is self-defeating in two very major ways. The first is that you have a pre-existing relationship. This makes establishing ground rules and agreeing on a goal particularly difficult, as you are more likely to compromise your vision. Think about how many times a friend has talked you into doing something that you’re not entirely comfortable with. Now imagine that, instead of that extra drink at the bar, you’ve agreed to alter a portion of your project that can affect your entire musical career. Secondly, by recruiting your immediate friends and acquaintances, you limit your connections. The music business is all about fostering relationships, and meeting new people. Collaborations are one of the best ways to self-promote, but it does no good to show off your skills, ingenuity, and drive to the people who already know you! Ask your social network, reach out to friends of friends, join a local musician’s group—any of these options will allow you to meet new people and make new connections.
4. Begin: I know, this one is obvious. However, I can count on both hands the truly successful collaborations that I have completed. These are exactly equal to the number of collaborations that I have started. On the flip side, I have a drawer full of ideas half-formed and filed away for “another time”. I have logged hundreds of hours discussing potential projects with potential collaborators. All of your work on steps one through three are for naught if you and your group never take the first step. It’s scary, it’s nerve-wracking, but by following these steps you give yourselves a much higher percentage of success. You have a shared vision, you have a structured working environment, you have the right people by your side—now get out there and start doing what you love!
Here’s a question I get all the time as an advisor for the online school and as a working musician: How do I get my own gig?
Let’s say you have been working on an arrangement or an original piece. You have all the notes down but something is missing. If you’re arrangement doesn’t catch your interest and hold it, then you can be sure it won’t hold the interest of publishers, teachers, girlfriends, boyfriends, pets, or most important, paying fans.
