How can you be successful if you don’t have ambition? Can you skip practices, miss gigs because you have a more important social event, not participate in the development process for new music, not come prepared to gigs and practices, not do any social media promotion, not return emails and calls for performance opportunities, and still believe you have ambition?
Our organization is challenged to find performers who are talented, passionate and also ambitious. We frequently hear people saying, “I haven’t practiced since the last gig.” Imagine how much better they would be if they were ambitious? It doesn’t mean you need to practice ten times more, but it does mean you need to make every practice meaningful and goal oriented. Don’t waste your bandmates time if you are not on the same page as them. Faking it will only hurt everyone else. The worst thing you can do is let your band and development team down.
Another common issue is getting all band members together to practice with a committed schedule. Is it all worth it if it causes discord and relationship challenges just getting practices organized? Everyone in the band absolutely needs to be passionate about their music career and be on the same page.
Below are some young performer comments added to our Facebook post when we asked what
ambition means to them.
- Continuous commitment and dedication to reaching your goals
- Being passionate about every note you perform
- No excuses! Just getting out there and pursuing every opportunity presented
- Knowing what you want to accomplish and doing what you need to so that you accomplish your goals
- Performing with the same passion with or without an audience
- Having a positive demeanor through every step in the process
- Having a daily commitment to getting better and utilizing resources to support your development
- Being happy and loving every minute of your music career
- Being able to look beyond the roadblocks and staying focused on your progress
We have worked with performers who don’t answer phone calls, texts or emails, who make a face if things don’t go their way, who complain if sound is not perfect, who don’t watch the other performers performances, but instead walk out when it’s their time on stage, who rarely practice, who attack with criticism before they know the facts, who are bullies toward other performers, who have egos that are ugly and taint their reputation, and who simply feel they are already stars and don’t need to go through the motions to be famous or get a big break.
You can have talent without ambition, and ambition without talent. Seeing both aligned is not as common. Ambition is powerful, so those who don’t have prodigy talent but have a strong ambition to learn and succeed will see great results. Many with natural talent waste it and don’t feel the need to work hard. If you have other interests pulling you in other directions, you need to sort through it all and devote your time to what makes you happy. Be honest with yourself, and do what is best for you! It has to be your decision and not your teacher’s, band mates, friends or family.
Without ambition it will be an uphill battle! If you don’t love everything about a career in music, you won’t be able to hide it. Ambition, talent and passion are the triple crown to stardom.