About Sharon...
Pianist, educator and author Sharon Black has taught music to all grade levels in public and private schools and holds a master of Music degree from Northwestern University. She currently gigs at Von Maur, holds singalongs at health facilities and plays church organ.
Dear Readers,
Once I was a bored, sluggish and depressed fourteen-year old. Nobody knew that, as in every student, there was an active and talented person inside trying to get out! Anyway, a friend called, who was having an upcoming sleepover for her birthday. She asked, “Would you play the piano for us at the party?” Would I! After saying YES I rushed to the piano and played with abandon, wild with purpose and the exciting thought for playing for others. I will never forget that IMMEDIATE change from deadness to joy. (As it happened, I played until 4:00 A.M. when girls asked me to stop so they could sleep.)
Wow, it’s years later and I have enjoyed a career in music. The book got started because people would frequently ask, “How do you get your gigs?”
Please help to share this book with teens! Help to light a fire, to be a teacher friend and guide to high schoolers!
Testimonials...
Fabulous! I only wish Gigs handbook had been around during my gigging days!
-Jorja Fleezanis-concertmaster, Minnesota orchestra;
Adjunct Professor of music, University of Minnesota
“This is terrific stuff! I appreciate (the) succinct style, the good humor and the really lovely ideas, my favorite of which is, “Practicing is saying thanks for your ability: I plan to say that often to my ten-year-old son and three choirs.”
-Aimee Beckman D.MA., Drake University, Director of choral studies
"I especially like the (cartoon) characters. Very colorful, enjoyable to read and a very good source for young people.
-Cindy Tenney, flute instructor, Val Paraiso University
Sharon Black’s Gigs Handbook is bible, talmud, atlas, and just about everything else for the freelance musician. Short of practicing and making phone calls for you, it seems to give and tell you everything. Moreover, all its cornucopia of wisdom, knowledge, and common sense is dispensed with clarity, humor, and charm, to which Sharon’s own cartoons contribute delightfully.
-Michael Steinberg-program annotator, New York Philharmonic; author of The Symphony: A Listener's Guide and The Concerto: A Listener's Guide
