Professional Development for musicians
Survive and Thrive in the Music Industry
Topics
Auditions & Interviews
Careers in Music
Composition
Education
Finances
Marketing & Promotion
Mental Health
Musical Theatre & Opera
Music Law
Music Technology
Professionalism
Writing Resources
About
About Aaron Alon
Aaron Alon is an award-winning composer, writer, director, filmmaker, and teacher. His concert music has been played in concert venues in seven countries on five continent, has been released on several labels, and has received numerous national and international composition honors. He’s been an active writer and lyricist since 2009. His plays and musicals have been performed and read around the US and in the UK. As a musical theatre writer and composer, he was a 2022 finalist for the Fred Ebb Award. His work includes The Chosen Ones (named “one of the best-written and [most] emotionally effective musicals [of the] year” by Broadway World), The Great White Way: the Bert Williams Musical (a 2026 semifinalist for the Pipeline Arts Foundation Award, a 2025 honorable mention for the American Playwrighting Foundation’s Relentless Award, and a 2023 Stanley Drama Award finalist), Mad!, and Everybody’s Son. His first feature film, Bully, was screened in numerous film festivals around the world, winning over 20 festival prizes. Current projects include new stage musicals, plays and screenplays, and content for his YouTube channel, which has had over 10 million views. He is a member of ASCAP and a founding member of Houston’s Thunderclap Productions, as well as a cofounder of Vocal Toolkit, a new nonprofit dedicated to science-backed vocal pedagogy. Aaron holds a doctorate in music composition from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and he is a professor of music at Lone Star College, where he is a two-time winner of Lone Star College’s Faculty Excellence Award and served for eight years as a department chair.
About the course
2016 Professional Development Class
Lone Star College
Dr. Alon also teaches a course in professional development that’s designed to assist students in developing the critical skills required to be successful musicians in the professional world. Among other topics, students learn how to write professional résumés, CVs, cover letters, and bios; effective audition, rehearsal, and performance etiquette; and the basics of music law and music business. Dr. Alon teaches the course exclusively at Lone Star College-University Park in NW Houston. Learn more at LoneStar.edu/UPMusic.
blog posts
Web Design for Musicians
So, you've got your website up, but now you need content for it! (Don't have your website up? Read this starter guide!) Before you start designing your site, spend some time searching through others' sites and find ones that you like, so you can borrow ideas from...
Applying for Undergraduate Transfer
With the ballooning costs in undergraduate education (bachelor’s degrees), more and more students are deciding to start their educations at community colleges. Whether you’re transferring from a community college to a university or between universities, this guide is...
Album Distribution Starter Guide
So you've got your music recorded and you're ready to distribute it? That's great! There's a lot to learn about distribution, but this starter guide will help you get off to a good start to getting your music out there!Overview of Topics Copyright Digital Distribution...
How to Set up a Basic WordPress Website
A well-designed website is your best way to organize and present your professional self to the world. Let's look at the steps necessary to set up a basic website using Wordpress, either as a premium (paid) site or free. First, familiarize yourself with some basic...
How to Give a Successful Teaching Demo
Oftentimes, as part of an academic job, you'll be asked to give a brief teaching demo. This is a part of the interview that often sinks candidates. Use these tips to help you prepare a solid teaching demo and avoid common pitfalls. Picking the Topic A topic will...
Understanding Performance Rights Organizations
DISCLAIMER: This blog is a general guide on PROs. This is not intended as legal advice. The information on this page may be incorrect or outdated. Please confirm any information in this post with an attorney and/or the relevant PRO. For transparency, the...
Graphic Designing for Music
Musicians are deeply dependent upon the talents of graphic designers to create posters, logos, websites, and more. However, graphic designers all too often fall into common traps that render their designs nonsensical or unintentionally amateurish or comic in...
Introduction to Score Reading
It's important for all musicians to be able to read from a full score and to know about common ensembles, even ones in which they don't play. This primer is meant as an introduction to score reading and orchestration. Post Navigation Navigate to your area of...
Earning a Degree in Music
In this post, we'll look at the different options for studying music in a post-secondary institution. We'll consider the different types of institutions and the degrees you can earn.Different Types of Schools There are different types of music schools one can attend...
Musicals vs. Operas
In this modern age when academics seem to eschew most binaries, it may seem impossible to say what anything is anymore. In the music world, the distinction between musicals and operas is a thorny one that plagues music students, audience members, and...
Genre Guide: Opera
It's important for emerging musicians in all fields to immerse themselves in those fields. To help, I'll be releasing a series of basic guides that offer starting places for learning about your field. It's critical to note that these guides are very incomplete and...
Genre Guide: Musical Theatre
It's important for emerging musicians in all fields to immerse themselves in those fields. To help, I'll be releasing a series of basic guides that offer starting places for learning about your field. It's critical to note that these guides are very incomplete and...
The Care and Feeding of Composers
While all musicians will play music by composers that are well established and often dead, many will also have the opportunity to perform new works by living composers with the composers present. While this can present some of the most exciting opportunities in...
Coping with Writer’s Block
If you're on the creative end of the arts, you have probably at some point felt creatively "blocked," as though you reached a brick wall and can't figure out how to break through. Here are some tips for avoiding and countering writer's block: You Don't Have to...
Coping with Failure
One of the most paralyzing fears for many artists is a fear of failure. However, we often fall into the trap of fearing failure and dreaming of success without really defining either term. In my experience, too few artists really live with the...
Stress Management
Musicians are often under high amounts of stress. Gaining a better understanding of stress can help you learn to manage it. Stress management is a lifetime commitment, but you will be hard-pressed to find something else with as much of a pay-off for your quality (and...
Contemporary Concert Music Listening Guide
This list is chiefly assembled from various lists by other composers and musicians. This list is to get you started in listening to 20th and 21st century composers. It is by no means comprehensive, but it should give you a taste of some of what's out there. JOHN...
How to Write a Bio
At some point in your career, you're going to need to provide a short biography (or "bio"). Here are some tips on constructing a suitable bio. Style Third Person: Write your bio in the third person. (Use he/she, for instance, rather than "I") Formal Tone: Keep the...
How to Prepare for an Interview
Interviews are a tricky landscape. While in auditions, people are generally rooting for you to succeed, interviews can be a little different. When a company hires you, it's not just for one gig; it's ostensibly forever. So while you're trying to show...
How to Prepare a Professional Score
With so many excellent compositions submitted to contests, calls, and colleges, adjudicators have to look for ways to thin the herd. If your score doesn't look good, chances are that it will be cut before it's given a really earnest listening. Attention to detail in...
A Primer for First-Time-In-College Students
Congratulations on starting your college career! In my time in higher education, I've noticed a number of similar problems that first-time-in-college students tend to have when they arrive. I recommend that all college students familiarize themselves with these...
Need to Cancel a Gig?
You should never cancel a gig if you can avoid it, but sometimes we all have to. Here are my 6 tips for canceling a gig with the least negative impact on your professional career. While this may seem like a lot of work, you should try to get this wrapped...