The Cereal List / No artificial sweeteners!

After receiving numerous emails of solicitation from the Electronic Music Foundation, The Cereal List asked for their advice on behalf of musicians who want to work with electronics. Here are some pointers from EMF:

• First you should decide what your relationship to the electronics will be. Think of the electronics as a storm. Will you run out to play in the rain, and risk being struck by lightning? Or will you stay indoors and admire the lightning and thunder from the safety of your house?

• Next, you should decide what type of sound file you want to work with. Playing along with an mp3 file, for instance, tends to give your audience more instant gratification whereas an AIFF or WAV file encourages a more introspective response. Whatever you decide, make sure that your acoustic performance mimics the sample-rate of your sound file. Here is an easy way to get your sound file’s sample-rate.

• Finally, you need to think about proper grounding, which is especially important if you’re working with loops.  Static electricity is the last thing you want while playing electroacoustic music. It could cause electric shock during performance.  Worse, you could blow a fuse or set fire to concert hall!

Editor’s Note: The EMF has provided this helpful illustration for musicians who need help grounding their instruments.

Whether you’re a composer or a performer, recording your first CD is a big step towards establishing yourself in the classical music field. But it’s not enough for your CD to simply sound good, it also needs to look good. The Cereal List knows that an attractive product can increase sales exponentially, so we’ve put together an instructional video to help those who might be getting their debut recordings ready for the marketplace.

It’s no secret that contemporary music is outside the lexicon of most music critics at the New York Times. Critics are very busy, and they simply do not have time to evaluate a piece of music with which they are not familiar. That’s why it’s up to composers to generate a pre-written paragraph and send it to the critic assigned to review their performances.

Fortunately, The Cereal List has created the Automatic Review Generation Helper (ARGH)! All you have to do is fill in the forms below and click the “Create Review” button.

Writing about yourself is sometimes the hardest thing for a performer to do. You have to spend most of your day practicing, so how on earth can anyone expect you to find the time to write your own bio as well? The Cereal List understands and we’re here to help. Simply use the template we’ve created below and you will have a first-rate biography worthy of any community chamber music series you might perform on.

[NAME] has been recognized as one of the most exciting [INSTRUMENT + 'ISTS'] of [HIS/HER] generation. Since [HIS/HER] debut with the [SMALL REGIONAL ORCHESTRA], [HE/SHE] has been igniting audiences with [HIS/HER] [ADJECTIVE] technique and [SPELLBINDING INTERPRETATIONS OR CAPTIVATING SINCERITY]. [NAME] has performed in [LIST AT LEAST FIVE COUNTRIES, BUT NO MORE THAN 15. IF NUMBER IS > THAN 15, USE CONTINENT NAMES] and garnered many prizes at prestigious national and international competitions, resulting in solo performances at [LIST UP TO 15 FAMOUS CONCERT/RECITAL HALLS]. In addition, [NAME] has been a featured guest performer at many renowned music festivals, including [LIST UP TO 10 FESTIVALS] and at meetings of the [ORGANIZATION(S) DEDICATED TO YOUR INSTRUMENT].

(If you are a new music performer, use the following paragraph. If not, skip ahead.)

A champion of contemporary music, [NAME] is committed to expanding the repertoire of the [INSTRUMENT], which has resulted in over [NUMBER] commissions from [IF ONE IS LIKELY TO HAVE HEARD OF THE COMPOSER, USE THE WORD 'ESTABLISHED'; IF NOBODY IS LIKELY TO HAVE HEARD OF THE COMPOSER, USE THE WORD 'EMERGING'; IF A COMBINATION, THEN USE BOTH TERMS] composers such as [LIST UP TO 20 COMPOSERS BEGINNING WITH THE MOST FAMOUS AND ENDING WITH THE STUDENT COMPOSER THAT NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD OF], among many others.

An active chamber musician, [NAME] has performed with the groups [LIST UP TO 30 CHAMBER ENSEMBLES YOU HAVE PERFORMED WITH, STARTING WITH THE ONE PEOPLE ARE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE HEARD OF AND ENDING WITH YOUR COLLEGE'S BAND/ORCHESTRA/CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ENSEMBLE]. [HE/SHE] has also performed with [LIST UP TO 15 MUSICIANS PEOPLE MAY HAVE HEARD OF. IF YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED WITH A FAMOUS MUSICIAN, LIST ANY FAMOUS MUSICIANS WHO MAY HAVE PERFORMED WITH YOUR SCHOOL ORCHESTRA TO INCLUDE MARGINALLY FAMOUS TEACHERS AT YOUR SCHOOL] and under the baton of [LIST CONDUCTORS]. In addition, [NAME] has recorded for the [NAME OF RECORD LABEL] record label.

[NAME] is currently pursuing a [TYPE OF DEGREE] at the [YOUR SCHOOL] under the tutelage of world-renowned [INSTRUMENT + 'IST'] [TEACHER'S NAME]. In addition, [HE/SHE] has studied with [LIST ALL TEACHERS, INCLUDING THOSE WHOM YOU'VE HAD JUST ONE LESSON WITH OR WAS JUST AN AUDIENCE MEMBER DURING A MASTERCLASS]. A dedicated teacher and up and coming pedagogue, [HE/SHE] is currently the graduate assistant at [YOUR SCHOOL] and is currently on the faculty of [SMALL RURAL COLLEGE YOU TEACH HALF-HOUR LESSONS TO NON-MAJORS AT AND SPEND MORE ON GAS FOR THE TRIP THAN YOU ARE PAID].