This column is dedicated to all those wishing to advance their musical career. The information contained here is best suited for the young band, or singer under the age of nineteen.

First let me tell you a brief bit about who I am. I spent several years in the music industry on the technical end, owning a fair sized stage lighting company that catered to bands of all levels from local through national. I am also a guitar player who has performed with several bands, but I would say that my most noteworthy accomplishment has been to form and manage an all kid rock band that my 11-year-old daughter Sarah played the drums for. The band was called Reflection, and was based out of the central Florida area. Reflection became successful in our area and put out three CDs.

Now, If you want to be a performer, it is important that you perform a lot. Just playing at the school talent show once a year is not enough. Just like a swimmer who is hopeful of someday entering the Olympics, you must perfect and polish your talent often. This includes your stage presence, which is only developed by performing live.

I have noticed that the KidKountry.com message boards are full of kids wanting to know how to "get discovered." The only way to get noticed is to perform!

The scene where a talent scout drives by your house and hears you singing in your room, and then rushes up to offer you a record deal, is best reserved for fiction. You need real world experience and exposure.

Most likely, years of it if you intend on "making it." And it doesn't happen overnight. The average kid group, or kid singer that has been successful, has spent about four years working their craft and being promoted. In order to be promoted you will need adult help, such as your parents.

Having an adult act as your manager will add instant credibility to what you do. Adults will also be more likely to get in touch with the people that can make things happen for you. Keep in mind that most of these suggestions will involve "paying your dues" which means performing for free.

At this stage of the game you should be performing just for the love of it anyway. Later down the road you will start making money if you are persistent, dedicated, promoted, and experienced.

So let's talk about how to stay booked and in the spotlight.
Many of the elementary schools offer after school programs for kids whose parents both have to work. Find out how you can perform for them. I have found that their attendance is usually about 30-150 kids, depending on the size of the school. Have your parents find out who the director is and make contact with them. It doesn't matter if you are fourteen going on fifteen and that you will be performing for eight to eleven year olds. These school kids make a great audience.

Reflection used to perform thirty-year-old songs that was unfamiliar to these kids and they still responded in a very positive way. In fact, at times the cheering was near deafening from young high-pitched screams. Nothing is better than to feel the floor vibrating from your audiences screaming. If you are performing current music that is popular, they will cheer even more and treat you like music royalty.

Another benefit to schools is that most have really nice stages. When you start performing for a living you will find that very few of the stages are as nice as those found in local schools. And don't stop at one school. Check with all the schools in your area and see if you can tour them, returning about every eight weeks. Stay in the spotlight!

Don't overexpose yourself by returning in less than eight weeks. Familiarity breeds contentment. Let people know what you are doing and do something positive. Reflection use to deliver "Just say no to drugs" messages to their younger audiences. Not only did this help get a positive message to kids, it got us a lot of publicity and recognition.

In early 1999 former President Ronald Reagan's wife, Nancy, heard about what we were doing, and cited the band for their efforts to fight the war on drugs. Two weeks later the kids appeared in the newspaper, each of the band members posing proudly with the framed letter from a President's wife. Something like this looks great in your press kit, a subject we will cover in another column.

Summer camp programs are another excellent venue. This is where Reflection got its start. They are sometimes held at schools, and some are actual private camp facilities. Your local Department of Leisure Services, or Recreations Department will know who you should contact for city run programs.

Local kid's magazines will have ads for their camps. This will give you the phone numbers and lead you to the people that can make things happen. They normally start appearing the last issue before school lets out. Another way you have to perform is for family type festivals and craft shows. They normally occur in the warmer months and end around October with several "Fall Festivals" planned in surrounding areas.

If you are a rock band don't think that you wouldn't be welcomed at a craft festival. Reflection has been invited back to all the festivals that they have performed at, and they perform songs by acts like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. It just doesn't matter. People love to see youngsters perform as long as the volume level is not offending. Most of these festivals book acts that work without pay, but they get good exposure. There are several ways to find out about upcoming festivals or other events. Check with both your city and the surrounding cities. A call to the local town hall or Chamber of Commerce will normally get you a list of upcoming events.

From there you can research how to get in touch with the person who handles booking the entertainment. In many cases the festival is sponsored by the city itself, so they can often connect you to the entertainment coordinator directly.

But there is more than just city sponsored events.
There are many events thrown by private organizations such as churches, the YMCA, the Lions Club, the JCs, and the local business and merchants association. You have to search out these events long before they happen. Too many times I have read about an event in the newspaper, scheduled for the next day. Then it's too late to get booked. If you want to do this for a career, you have to stay ahead of things. Read every flyer that you see on every store or library bulletin board.

You can usually find information about scheduled events. When you do, have your parents call the phone number and act as your manager. Book the show! Stay in the spotlight.

Grand openings are another place to show your talents. New store-owners often welcome free entertainment. Let's not forget about people that are running for local office such as the mayor or sheriff. Contact their campaign headquarters and ask to speak to someone about volunteering your services at their next rally or dinner. The local press often covers these and getting your name in the paper is part of "getting discovered."

I have found that many of these shows lead to offers of paid performances. Often when people approach you, it is with an offer that includes pay. If not, you still get the exposure and experience you need. Let the world know who you are and what you are doing. Most newspapers have a local news section. Type and send them your story and allow about a week before you call them to follow up. I have been able to have Reflection featured in more than one full-page story complete with photos, in the larger circulated papers.

Check with all the free local magazines and see it your story would be of interest to them and (more importantly) to their readers. Contact the press by sending them a release (story) through the fax or e-mail and let them know when you will be performing at local events. You can also contact the papers entertainment section. I have found that you should take great care to make sure they have the correct spelling of your name. Fifty percent of the time they bill my daughter's band as Reflections, rather than by its proper name of Reflection. I have had strangers call and ask me if we were the Reflections Jazz Trio, performing at the Holiday Inn. I just used that call to tell them who we actually were and invited them to our next show.

Always promote yourself.
This column contains many suggestions and ideas, but if you follow up on the advice and pursue it on a regular basis, you should have a year's worth of work. One school, one festival, one press coverage is not enough when you are truly interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment business. If you want real world exposure and experience, you will have to treat it like a job. You will need your parent's help and support. You should talk with your parents about setting aside a certain amount of time each week to be used in pursuing gigs, and promoting your act.

Good Luck and Break a leg! Hypothetically speaking!