Regular readers of this column know I am fond of a good sports analogy to illustrate a lesson we can apply to our musical lives. Buckle up, friends, I’ve got a good one for you this time.

…you can give all the effort in the world, but if your attitude stinks, you will never be as successful as you want to be.

Back in college, I was a big fan of my school’s football team. I spent most Saturday afternoons in the fall cheering on my Michigan Wolverines in the Big House when I probably should have been working on my arpeggios in a practice room at the music building a few miles away.

One Friday night before a big rivalry game, I found myself at an impromptu rally on campus. Our revered football coach, Lloyd Carr, was giving an off-the-cuff speech to fire up the crowd of students that had gathered. 

“Our team is gonna bring three things we need to win the game tomorrow,” he yelled. “Effort!” 

The crowd cheers. 

“Spirit!” 

The crowd cheers louder. 

“And…uh…effort!” 

The crowd goes wild.

Ol’ Coach Carr probably should have jotted down some notes so he wouldn’t forget his third point, but as I’ve thought about this story over the years, I’ve concluded that maybe there were only two keys to victory in the first place. With so much left to chance, there are really only two things you can control: your effort—the quality of your advance preparation and in-performance focus—and your spirit, or maybe a better word here is your attitude. 

We often write about effort quite in Harp Column. Practice habits, technical skills, memorization strategies, performance anxiety mitigation—all these things are practical, achievable ways to maximize your effort before and during a performance. For all our coverage of effort, we don’t spill nearly as much ink about attitude. But the truth is, you can give all the effort in the world, but if your attitude stinks, you will never be as successful as you want to be.

Let’s define attitude for the sake of this article. We’re talking about your outward-facing demeanor here—how you do your work and how you treat others in the process. Why is your attitude important? After all, we aren’t part of a team (unless you’re a regular member of an ensemble), and we usually work by ourselves, for ourselves. But music doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Careers don’t grow spontaneously. Gigs don’t happen in isolation. We need others to be successful in music, and attitude is everything. 

Two articles in this issue highlight the good things that can happen with a positive attitude. Now, I’m not talking about a Snow White whistle-while-you-work fake smile. I’m talking about an authentic mindset of gratitude, kindness, humility, and generosity. Think being humble and kind won’t get you gigs? Read Laura Sherman’s article How to Grow New Gigs. Sherman lays out a compelling case for a positive and professional attitude being the linchpin in a successful career. In her 40 years of freelance experience, Sherman says, “I am convinced that who you are (that is, your attitude and integrity) is as important, or in my opinion, even more important, than what you do. In other words, having a good reputation as a person is as essential as being a good player and will help you achieve a long-lasting and more satisfying career as a harpist.”

Want another real-world testimonial for the value of giving “good vibes,” as the kids say? Read our interview with international freelancer extraordinaire Joel von Lerber (see Perfectly Positive). Von Lerber believes harpists should follow their passion and contribute to the music world in their own way. “When someone gains visibility, it opens doors for others,” he says. “I’ve found that people often think that if one harpist gets a big gig, they’re taking it away from others. But in reality, it creates more opportunities. People book musicians because of their personalities and talent, not just because of the instrument.”

That’s a team we can all cheer for—Team Harp! •