My Music YES!

  • 3rd Aug 2025
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  • 3 min read

A year ago, I wasn’t making any music of my own. After spending most of my life as a professional musician, the involuntary pandemic hiatus hadn’t yet lifted.

Then, last September, I started playing taiko locally every week. In October, I began singing again in San Francisco. November brought playing for a local capoeira group. By January, I was leading Journeys In Rhythm every month. Add in gigging with a local jazz trio, providing sound‑healing accompaniment for meditation sessions, teaching a few music students again… and now, honestly, it’s gotten to be a bit much.

But it’s still good. I’m loving the chance to exercise my hard‑earned skills, help create community gatherings, and connect with people through music again. I missed that. And the fact that I’m doing it for the music of it, not the career of it, is really working for me.

Still, having been a professional musician now working alongside semi‑professional musicians, I’ve found certain things take far more time and effort than they should. That’s why, if you’d like me to be part of your musical project, I need a few things up front. It’s not because I don’t want to say “yes.” It’s because I can only make space for projects that are clear, organized, and realistic alongside my existing commitments.

I can lend skills and materials to cover gaps, but I can’t show up and be surprised by them. That’s not fair to you, me, or the other people I’ve already committed to.

Here’s what I need from you before I can consider joining in:

1. Music

  • What’s the material, and how do I practice it independently? (video, score, lyric sheets)
  • What’s the set list? If we’re rehearsing other material, how does it connect?
  • What’s the musical intent? (fun on stage, fun with audience, impress audience, build a following, make money, etc.) 2. Costs
  • Money: what will I need to pay out‑of‑pocket? (for travel, performance clothes/gear, rehearsals, gear, etc.)
  • Time: what are the dates/times, and what’s optional? What travel/prep/cleanup is needed? 3. Production
  • Rehearsals: who’s coordinating, and how do I reach them?
  • Performances: who’s producing? (lights, sound, stage management, recording, front of house) 4. Promotion
  • Who’s promoting, and how do I reach them?
  • What promotions are already prepared or planned? (advertising, word of mouth, performer invite scripts)

Downloadable checklist version here

Music is joy, but it’s also work. When the logistics are clear, the work becomes effortless enough that we can get to the good part: where we make magic happen together!

If you’ve got that covered, I’m much more likely to say yes. Remember that I’m happy to advise or generous lend a hand for any gaps, as long as that’s part of the ask.