Wanna be a Musician?

Charlie Eckhardt performing with Bachus Lotus.

A career in music can be difficult, but incredibly rewarding. Charlie Eckhardt, Gibraltar’s Band Teacher and musician, said that you have to get specific about what area of music you are most interested in.
Eckhardt said, “What do you want out of it – do you want to be a star? That reason drives some people and it’s made them succeed. Do you want to write the perfect song? Do you love it so much you can’t imagine your life without it?”
Once you narrow it down, it’s practice, practice, practice.
“You have to play all the time,” Eckhardt said. “For some people that means music school. Schools for music have changed; many get into the pop side of music. You can take courses in music business.”
Eckhardt stressed the importance of learning a wide range of music: Latin, jazz, rock or gospel, to name a few. The more versatile you are as a performer, the more gigs you’ll get.
“You have to develop musicians’ ears. You can’t be about ‘my part’ – listen to all the sounds. It’s good to learn many genres of music, so you open yourself up for all employment opportunities,” Eckhardt said.
There are musicians that live in Door County year round that Eckhardt encourages aspiring musicians to meet and play with. In summer people come to vacation, and there are plenty of live music events happening.
“There are performance opportunities everywhere. Open mics are a great opportunity,” Eckhardt said. “Get used to being in front of people. You’re taking something you’ve created and putting it out there. It’s pretty fragile.”