This month we talked to Katherine McVicker and her team at Music Works International about strategies for booking yourself and succeeding in your career. Their new book and course Anyone Can Book a Gig is available now! www.anyonecanbookagig.com Katherine is a well-established professional in the music industry. In 2002, she launched the European touring career of Norah Jones and spent seven years developing Jones’ profile internationally. After three decades in the music industry as an agent developing the touring careers for dozens of internationally renowned jazz and world artists alive today, Katherine founded boutique agency Music Works International (MWI) in 2014. Today, MWI books over 500 performances each year worldwide and represents over 30 of the top jazz, Americana, and world music artists performing today. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Katherine started to develop a course for musicians and those struggling to book shows. The aptly named, "Anyone Can Book a Gig" is a self-managed online course with the goal to give artists the no-fluff tools and strategies they need to successfully book shows at any stage of their career. For more information on this course, you can visit AnyoneCanBookAGig.com Katherine is also active in the international cultural community as an organizer of arts networks in Africa (CCA, soon to be renamed ACC: www.culturalconnectionsafrica.org) and in Latin America (CCLA: www.conexionesculturales.com/en). Both networks share the mission of connecting cultural stakeholders to each other for professional development and mentorship, to create and support educational initiatives, to facilitate cultural exchange and to support economic development through the cultural arts.

This month we talked all about the National Guard with First Sergeant of the 215th Band, Amaranth Cole. We also had a discussion about what it's like to not be a man in the Army.

Join director Alexis Cole and guest Matt DeLeón of Music Works International to discuss how to book yourself and your ensemble on your own. Their online course and companion book, Anyone Can Book a Gig, has helped musicians tap into the knowledge some of the most successful booking agents and managers in the business. Trombonist and industry professional Matt DeLeón brings his experience and passion as a musician to help others succeed in reaching their goals.

This month's special guest is Luis Santiago, a percussionist, educator and military band commander. Luis Javier Santiago Sierra is a native of Yauco, Puerto Rico and a professional musician with nearly 30 years of experience. His professional career started at 17 years old when he joined the US Army as a percussionist with the 248th Army Band of the Puerto Rico National Guard. In 2006, he was commissioned as a US Army Warrant Officer and since he has commanded the 248th Army Band, the 319th Army Band, and currently the 78th Army Band. Additionally, he served as Music Professor at the University of Puerto Rico where he taught Marching and Concert Band, and served as Marching Band Director for the Office of Youth Affairs of Puerto Rico. Prior to joining Boston University where he currently teaches, he worked at Berklee College of Music as an Assistant Director of Admissions for the Americas, Assistant Director of Global Programs, and as Military Affairs Representative-Berklee Online. During his time at Berklee, he developed and managed the Berklee Latino program conducted in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile which focused on performance, songwriting, and production workshops. Luis Javier is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a BM in Professional Music and holds a MMus in Songwriting from Bath Spa University, UK.

For December's monthly Meet Up our guest was Nancy Soulé, a cruise ship entertainer who wrote the book Work at Sea, See the World, and the upcoming book and online series - Notes that Float, a platform to help musicians get prepared for cruise ship work.