I recently started a brass quintet at my university. I've been managing it more or less myself, and while I'm trying hard to do it right, I'm sure there are things that I'm missing.
We are all students in other fields (no music majors). That said, we play well enough (a grad student in the group did his undergrad in music performance) to get paid for gigs. However, the main aim of the group is to play music and enjoy doing so; we're not looking to make lots of money or start a world tour. Which brings me to my question.
Essentially, what are the most important practices for managing a small ensemble? This boils down to two main questions:
- Mentorship: Should I seek out an experienced musician to give the group guidance (musical and otherwise)? How many mentors is best? How/where can I find such mentors?
- Networking: How/where should I get word out about my group?
Additionally, if there is something I left out I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.