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Sisterly Advice
A group of former Berklee women students return with war stories.
By Janelle Browning
Berklee.edu Correspondent
January 29, 2004
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Susan Tedeschi applauds one of her fellow panelists. |
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Photo by Nick Balkin |
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When six women musicians who studied at Berklee returned recently to tell students the secrets of their success, their comments boiled down to two key ideas: independence and hard work. Of all the women on last month's Women in Music panel, it was Susan Tedeschi who stood out as perhaps the clearest example of how all that self-directed toil can pay off.
Tedeschi, who cut her teeth in the Reverence Gospel Ensemble and other Berklee groups before graduating in 1991, led her own band to first place in Boston's Battle of the Blues Bands in 1994. After Tedeschi placed second in a national competition, she decided to borrow $10,000 to record Better Days, her 1995 debut album.
Then came the really hard work.
Tedeschi packed up some CDs, collected her band members, and hit the road. For 12 months, she played as many clubs and festivals as possible and at the end of the year, she had sold 30,000 CDs at those shows, a remarkable achievement for any musician selling a self-produced debut. She paid off her debt and has gone on to sell 80,000 copies of the CD. Tedeschi's next CD went gold and her current release recently eclipsed 250,000 in sales and has earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"If you want something, go get it. It's there," said Tedeschi. "If you don't want it, then it's not going to happen."
As impressive as Tedeschi's story was, the mostly female audience was just as enthusiastic about the other five women on the panel. All of them—Tedeschi, arranger/vocalist Sherma Andrews '94, singer/songwriter Trina Hamlin '90, vocalist Robin McElhatten '99, vocalist Ellen O'Brien '85, and singer/songwriter/jingle writer Darcel Wilson '86—answered students' questions just hours before performing at the Singers' Showcase 20th Anniversary Concert in the Berklee Performance Center, part of Song's Nothing Conservatory About It Concert Series.
Each panelist presented her unique view of the industry, but a common thread emerged: the importance of looking within for the strength, motivation, and support to succeed in the music business.
Donna McElroy, associate professor of voice, and Karen Wacks, associate professor of music therapy, hosted the event, and facilitated the conversations between past and current students. At one point, they asked the alumnae to talk about what helped make the difference in staying focused on their careers.
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| Sherma Andrews sings "One Moment in Time" at the Singers' Showcase 20th Anniversary. |
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| Farnsworth/Blalock Photography |
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"You can't go half, you have to go whole. You have to go with all your heart," said Andrews. "Everyone has something to offer. You have something great inside of you. Just let it come out of you and startle you and become what you are in every way possible."
Andrews was the only panelist to discuss what it means to be a female performer in a male-dominated culture. She encouraged the women in the audience to know their music.
"Call it out," she said. "If you're on stage, and you don't hear it, call it out. Be musicians. Don't just be singers." Andrews explained that not wanting to be labeled "the chick singer" played a role in her decision to major in arranging while at Berklee, rather than voice. She felt that knowing the music on such a level would make her a better musician, and as a woman, she felt that was particularly important.
Discussing her versatility as a performer (she plays harmonica and guitar as well as being a singer/songwriter), Trina Hamlin encouraged students to challenge themselves and not fear growth. She told students how she avoided majoring in piano while at Berklee, because she thought it would be too difficult. While not regretting that decision, she told students that growth never stops, and that as musicians, they should constantly challenge themselves. She explained that she later picked up guitar because she was "looking for more rhythm" and how she found harmonica in the midst of some vocal challenges. These two instruments are now a central part of her musical sound.
Members of the panel expressed divergent opinions when McElroy asked that they give a number between 1 and 10 to indicate their measure of personal success, however they define it. Answers began with McElroy's own personal rating of 1, representing the potential, she said, of what she has yet to do. Tedeschi and Andrews both gave themselves 7s. O'Brien and Hamlin opted for 5.
"[I'm] halfway from where I used to be and halfway to where I'm going," she said.
Janelle Browning is Bulletin Editor for Berklee.
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