The Musicians Linkage Company is built upon the goal of improving the performance standard of the international music industry by creating a global consortium of musicians, music teachers, students, accomplished performers, and aspiring music performers.
In order to ensure success, we are intending to start at the national level in Malaysia in order to more efficiently control the quality of the performances and instruction before expanding outside the national borders and because Malaysians have proven to be exceptionally talented musicians capable of reaching world class standard in a short period of time if given decent opportunities. Additionally, by forming this company and putting forth this idea, it is our intention to remove or dissipate the intensity of the major barriers that currently plague today’s aspiring musicians. The common barriers include networking: finding compatible and qualified teachers, finding students, finding quality training, and quality opportunities: quality learning opportunities, quality teachers, and quality performance opportunities.
Networking has always been a hurdle for many budding musicians when attempting to find a good teacher or get their first break into the performance scene. Musicians Linkage helps musicians network with retail marketers for their necessary supplies, helps connect students with compatible and high quality teachers, helps teachers find students, helps find and connect performers to high quality performance venues and opportunities, provides several tiers of quality instruction, and helps prospective students connect with world class musicians all over the world for tertiary or professional study.
Quality opportunities have always been a difficult problem in Malaysia for musicians. Musicians Linkage, through the use of our intended company structure, will solve this. We begin with our Philomusica Chamber Orchestra (PCO) which will be a crucible of producing international class professional music performers. This group will perform at the highest level possible and performances will garner ticket money to be split between the company and the performers. Some members of the PCO will be selected to perform in functions where they can potentially earn a comfortable income, will be sent for professional orchestra auditions, and potentially be sent for further education opportunities in other countries with superior post graduate education opportunities. Below the PCO will be a training orchestra for training less established musicians who are hoping to eventually make it into the PCO. The training orchestra members do not make any money from the performances or ticket sales – this is to give them extra motivation to make it into the PCO. All of these musicians will be connected with students and be given opportunities to teach as well for extra income and would be ranked according to tiers in respect to their qualifications, experience, and teaching capabilities.
Mission and Vision
Musicians Linkage Vision: To be the first and foremost platform for performing, learning, and teaching music to the highest standard on a global scale.
Musicians Linkage Mission: To achieve our vision through great integrity, mutual respect, and an endless quest for excellence and beauty.
The Teaching/Performing Relationship
The relationship between teaching and performing in music is complex. A great performer can be a good teacher, but a good teacher might not necessarily be a good performer; and within those generalizations, there exist many exceptions and clarifications. By teaching, a musician is constantly forced to think about how they do what they do so that they can explain it to their students. By having to explain their craft, the teacher is constantly assessing, analyzing, reassessing, and reinventing their craft. In this way, teaching becomes a catalyst for constant improvement for the performer. However, if a teacher does not perform, their skills will become rusty and they may forget key ingredients to being a good performer which would limit the quality of their instruction to their students. Thus, it is vital that musicians continuously teach and perform in order to constantly reinvent themselves and improve their skills.
