Ellington

My music isn't the kind people go to listen to at happy hour after a long day of work. I totally understand that at 5 p.m., people just want to have a good time and not listen to three hours of my songs about mean girls, sexual abuse and dysfunctional families. However, Jackson doesn't have a lot of opportunity for music that isn't as "safe" as the typical bar music. So you better learn some good covers. But learn them in a way that you would play them if you had written them yourself. And learn to play the blues. You'll always get a gig if you can play the blues.
—Caroline Crawford, singer-songwriter

Try playing everything! Figuring out and practicing music in other genres will build your chops in your genre of choice as well as teach you about other forms of music. And for young classical musicians (particularly Suzuki-trained robots like me), don't be afraid to improvise. Try improvising a short piece after your warm-ups and before you get to your rep. It will inject creativity into the rest of your rehearsal.
—Karen Hearn, assistant program director, MPB

Know your craft. Don't be a one-trick pony; be original and find your own sound. It's unfortunate that "American Idol"-esque reality shows and the radio dictate what music and musical styles are "sellable." What we see and hear on TV is only the tip of the audio-iceberg—go deeper. Listen, listen, listen and learn about those who came before you and broke new ground on their instruments.
—Chris Crothers, The Church Keys

I'm not a musician, but one piece of weird advice I give to local musicians from a listener's point of view (when asked): Turn the vocalist's mic up so the lyrics and vocal melody don't get drowned out. This can be a problem even with acoustic sets. So many beautiful voices in Jackson get crushed under guitars and drums.
—Tom Head, audience member