The Musician’s Compass:
Charting your New Course
What if it were possible to move, to change trajectories, knowing that no matter which way you went, you would land on your feet?
That you could have an artistically fulfilling position,
that you could set your own terms
and that you could immediately plug into any community you were about to arrive in with confidence?
YOUR STORY:
Where are you? You’ve been looking down at the hard-trodden path for quite some time, and now, looking up, it sinks in: you’re not in Kansas anymore. Maybe you’ve just moved to a new city and you’re realizing just how different this place is from the one you’ve left behind. Maybe you’re still in the same old city, but you know things can’t stay the same:
you’ve absolutely got to move your artistic career in a new direction.
Whichever one it is, even though you’re excited to embark on a daring new adventure, you feel like you’ve just been teleported into a desert without a compass. And, worst of all, deep down you feel like you’re building your career back up from scratch. Again. And then the thought hits you: making a change would mean leaving behind your colleagues, your career network, your friends, and possibly a stable paycheck. Even though you know exactly where you are on the atlas, you’re completely lost.
I’m a classical pianist, vocal coach, piano professor and musician’s relocation coach. Over the past 20 years, I’ve moved 15 times and lived in 6 different countries on 3 continents. I’ve charted my own course many times: I know what it’s like to start over with finding new friends and colleagues, and pounding the pavement to hustle up work again, and again. Yet, in each new place, I’ve carved out a niche for myself, moved into a space of peak performance, and created an artistically fulfilling career.
As a relocation coach, I’ve been engaged as a mentor by the Association for Opera in Canada and for Ensembl’Arts’ Digital Paths program as well as an invited guest speaker for National and International Organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society.
When you work with me, I’ll show you how to dive into a new culture and get your bearings in your new environment so that, even when it is hard and disorienting, you can jump into a new community with ease, charge into any situation with self-confidence and dig right in to doing what you love.
Valerie helped me articulate my goals, so I could realize them!
As a result of working with Valerie, I developed a deeper grounding in my WHY. One of the biggest “a ha” moments I had while working with Valerie was discovering that when I articulate my goals in writing, they are inevitably realized:
When I get CLEAR on my WHY, followed by WHAT, then the HOW, WHEN and WHERE materialize, often in amazing ways!
Val Gay: Serial Entrepreneur
Now I don’t feel as tangled up about how to explain myself. Especially to myself.
Before I started working with Valerie, I was struggling with presenting myself in a way that felt authentic and would portray what is truly unique about me. I felt like working out why I do what I do, rather than WHAT I do, became my blueprint for moving forward.
I find that settling into this knowledge actually makes the horizon wider for my search and yet has given me an amazing sense of things I most certainly will not pursue. I have room to grow and expand. I feel more bold about the things to which I say yes. And no guilt for when I say no.
Billie Jo Miller, Collaborative Pianist, M.Mus, Carnegie Mellon University
Is this for you?
If that sounds like you, then you have a choice to make.
You can:
Close your eyes and wait for everything to start feeling normal again, even though “normal” is looking less than ideal these days…Besides, you’ve done it alone before and things turned out pretty okay.
or
2. Take action! Find your path alongside others looking to do new things, see new sights, embrace new cultures. Even though everyone’s paths and destinations are different, you know you this is your chance to be inspired to do bigger and better things than you’ve ever dreamed possible before.
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
- Anaïs Nin
FRAMEWORK
No matter how culture shock shows up your life, my course will help you to build community around yourself, both in the social and career networking senses, and to stand out with your unique skills, in order that you can nimbly integrate into a new, adventurous life.
Through weekly, personalized coaching and training sessions, you will learn how to:
Navigate culture shock – whether in a new city or a new work culture
2. Debunk the reinvention myth – after all, you are only capitalizing on skills you already have (but then you can you use those skills and go ahead and reinvent yourself anyhow!)
3. Create your community – so that you can find a new sense of belonging.
I will help you find self-sufficiency, agency, a way to make your creative contribution and financial stability, so that you can boldly and confidently embark on your own artistically fulfilling quest.
Valerie Dueck’s “Musician’s Compass” gives you directions to your true self.
A compass gives you directions to the true north; Valerie Dueck’s Musician’s Compass gives you directions to your true self. Working with Valerie helped me develop a plan of action towards achieving my musical career goals.
The Musician’s Compass is an empowering program that helps you recognize your authority and build your community. With Valerie’s guidance, I made many new connections, I developed my offer and increased my rate! Musician’s Compass is the tool to develop a concrete and executable strategy to reach your goals. Thanks Valerie!
Gertrude Létourneau, flutist, singer, pianist and therapeutic musician
Before, I was time poor. Now, the sky’s the limit!
Before my work with Valerie, I felt like a mouse in a cage. I was creating my Italian summer program and in high demand as a teacher, but was spinning my wheels, and I couldn’t find true enjoyment in my success. The primary reason for my choosing the field of music, my love for singing, was not being fulfilled because I couldn’t carve out time in my day for my own singing practice and I was overwhelmed at the prospect of auditioning and going after gigs on top of the parental and administrative tasks that were demanding my attention. I was time poor.
The results have been astonishing. Valerie opened up a new perspective of what life as a musician, mother and executive director could look like. Through our work together, I started to see that just because it's always been done a certain way, doesn't mean I have to follow suit. I began believing anything was possible, and step by step, I'm seeing real results. I began an ensembles class last season 5 weeks from the end of the school year, yet I sold out in only a few short days with very little advertising. I'm thrilled to report that I have surpassed the target number of students I was hoping to attract this fall into my new program without even advertising!
Now that I have the time to invest into following my passion of singing, the sky's the limit and I can't wait to see what's next!
Maghan McPhee, soprano
Founder of Bremo Italy International Music Academy
Now, when people ask me what I do, I say openly that I am a singer and a Program Manager for the CEO of a group of companies.
Before I started working with Valerie, I was struggling to find an identity that encapsulated both my professional musical and corporate work experiences. I behaved like these two professional spheres didn’t exist outside of each other, believing that I needed to convey a sense of dedication to whichever sphere I was in at the moment.
I worried about being judged by my mentors and peers for committing to an identity outside of music – something I’d turned to out of necessity as a student.
Valerie created a safe space, acknowledging my unique journey. She was non-judgmental and welcoming. This went a long way in me being able to accept that the two spheres could co-exist!
Now, when people ask me what I do, I say openly that I am a singer and a Program Manager for the CEO of a group of companies. Embracing both of these spheres doesn't mean I don’t take music seriously or compromise my artistry: each of these pursuits feeds the other. I can now acknowledge the value of my corporate work experience in the singing world that allow me to drive artistic projects, collaborate and participate in the artistic process from concept to creation.
I’ve already been able to pay this realization forward by recently hiring a former violist for my team. She’s amazing! Because musicians are inherently proactive, high-level communicators and self-directed, we possess tangible co-creation skillsets that can translate into financial security; huge assets in our current financial climate!
Whitney Sloan
Soprano and Program Manager
MY JOURNEY AS A RELOCATING MUSICIAN:
Here are some of the things I’ve accomplished as a freelance musician within the first year of moving to a new city:
Geneva, Switzerland: On Friday, October 13, only 6 weeks after our arrival, I landed 3 jobs in one day (“13” is now officially my favorite number): one was a maternity leave piano professor position for an international school, another was to be an accompanist and replacement piano professor for the Conservatoire de musique de Genève. By the end of that first year, I had a job teaching music for ages 2-6 at Collège du Léman using the Juilliard Curriculum, and a contract playing for the education outreach program of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, as well as an invitation from the Ambassador of Canada to perform in the country’s capitol, Bern.
Geneva, Switzerland in a Confinement World: A few months ago, I had a new kind of move in store for me (as we all did), into the online world. For a self-professed luddite, moving into this world took culture shock to a whole new level! After learning how to be an online piano teacher, I decided I’d also like to reinvent myself as a live interview host. I created a program called Well-Tempered Bernadette: A Piano’s Tale of 5 Cities.
Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan: within a year of my arrival (and despite my piano being lost at sea for 6 months!), I had a full studio of piano students, a recital series, invitations to adjudicate a piano festival in the country’s largest city (Almaty) and a performance that I curated and performed in that was aired by Kazakh National Television.
Prague, Czech Republic: Still a youngling in my musical career, within two weeks of my arrival, I had 3 job offers to teach English at prestigious institutions. I was in the luxury position of choosing the highest-paid offer.
Ottawa, Canada: I’ve lived in Ottawa on 4 separate occasions. Four weeks after arriving from Vienna, I was playing for auditions for Opera Lyra at the National Arts Centre. On my second return to Ottawa, I was the producer and musical director for the inaugural season of Carmen on Tap – a full-length production that took place in a pub. On my third return move to Ottawa, within a year of my return I held the only full-time vocal coaching position in the city, where I was a freelance vocal coach for the students of the Head of the Voice Department at the University of Ottawa. That same first year, I was scouted to create large scale musical events for Music and Beyond Festival, including the Ottawa Family Music Expo and the National Art Gallery Soirée which won the Ottawa Tourism award for Partnership of the Year.
Vienna, Austria: Two months after my arrival, besides being accepted into the prestigious Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien to do a post-graduate diploma in vocal accompanying, I was engaged as a vocal coach and repetiteur for several international voice competitions and had my first opportunity to perform at the Brahmssaal of the Musikverein.
I was able to seek out and find these pursuits and more within just one year of my arrival in each city (this list doesn’t show the other amazing opportunities I had after living in a city for more than a year!). I have had so much experience - and so much success – delving into a new city, looking for and creating opportunities for myself, no matter what the climate is, and I want to help you to do the same.
Through my specialized program, I will guide you through the steps of getting you to where you want to be. If you want to create a group program, a new festival, or land that dream job, I will give you personalized, step-by-step tools for you experience your own unique transformational journey.
What will be your takeaway?
You will walk away with:
A plan to set sail on your creative proposal - you will chart your own course in a new project that is both financially empowering and artistically fulfilling.
Confidence to execute that proposal, even if you are embarking on completely new territory
Your own personal version of the Guest Artist Mentality that will allow you to adapt with ease into any new environment
A robust understanding of the components of a career structure that can allow you to reinvent yourself over and over again as you see fit.
