Happy 4th of July! The craziness of June gigs is now behind us…

Once you leave school and start gigging full-time, you will discover that certain months are inherently more busy than others annually. Here in DC, those months are June and October. There will be a string of gigs throughout the year for the fortunate ones, but everyone is slammed during these two months. The 4th of July always signifies the last of the outdoor concerts for the summer. I and many trumpet players across the country are performing on this day outdoors to celebrate the 4th. During the hottest portion of the year, July - August, I have noticed that musicals and salsa gigs are the most prevalent, whereas private parties and weddings are May - June here in the DC area. These private events make a resurgence in September and October, usually concluding by November. November and December are the holiday concert season, so it will be busy with classical events and jazz concerts, but not like June and October, which are slammed with all types of work. In January, everyone is not really working because of the weather; I usually play at conferences and small jazz venues during this month, as well as in February. February is jazz concert season here in DC, and this usually stretches into March. I will start having private events in early March, but I typically have mostly indoor concert performances.

I share all of this because, as a student, I was surprised to learn that this is how the performance season would shake up as a freelance musician annually. This information not only helps me structure my trumpet preparation but also my financial budgeting… As freelance musicians, this becomes a proper art form; balancing both and making sure that you are prepared for slow months and ready for the busy ones is essential for success. Spend some time thinking about the annual gig rotation in your area and what you do annually. Each player is different, and each region has its nuanced differences.