Daniel Bennett is a talented multi-reed horn player, composer and bandleader who has made many praised jazz albums usually informed with a healthy dose of folk, minimalism and wit. Lately, he’s also become an advocate for musicians maintaining a positive attitude through the current pandemic and even seeing them as leading the way to an artistic revival.
In Part 1 of this two part series, we shared Bennett’s campaign to inspire his peers with a message of hope and self-help. For this companion piece, Something Else! asked him a few questions about how he sees the world becoming a better place once the virus threat subsides, with artists using technology playing a big part in that:
My broader question to you is how will the environment be forever changed in the post COVID-19 world?
Video killed the radio star. Video continues to dominate every other platform. The entire world became “video stars” within hours of this pandemic. My wife’s 80-year-old grandmother mastered FaceTime and Skype in ten minutes. Society had NO choice but to adapt. This is actually a huge blessing. When COVID-19 fades away, we will have video as a vital “arm” of society. Humans will resume safe physical interactions, but we will have the added benefit of using video as an added safety mechanism. Society will adapt and it will be beautiful! There is nothing to fear. Humans have adapted since the beginning of time.
We’re starting to see musicians do a lot of live-streaming of performances (mainly from their home) where the entire audience is online and not physically present with the artists.
Do you think that those kind of performances will remain with us permanently and is there a way for artists to monetize that? Or would that be utilized more as a promotional tool?
LIVE music will come back strong and steady. But Artists will have the added benefit of “video concerts” whenever necessary. Humans will sort this out. It will feel right and society will adjust. Artists have been monetizing online music for over a decade. All of the seeds have been planted. CD Baby, Soundcloud, BandCamp have empowered Artists to be in control of music sales. Web design companies like Bandzoogle have allowed Artist to be their own web developers. I have used Bandzoogle since 2004. I shared my experiences HERE.
Also, I know that many other musicians besides yourself make a living also as music educators. Do you see more of them follow your example and conduct classes virtually, with students around the world, instead of in a traditional classroom?
Definitely! But I don’t draw a line between teaching and performing. It’s all music! My students learn my original compositions and every lesson basically becomes a performance with the student. It’s something I’ve done since I began teaching. I don’t view music lessons as “separate” from performing. Skype and Zoom have perfected the technology. I just taught a student in Japan. It was like we were in the same room. On a related note, my Asian students have given me very positive updates on the pandemic. People are going back to work in Asia (with safety precautions). God has given humans the incredible power of resiliency. And we can learn from other cultures. Classroom teaching will always exist. But now it’s enriched by video learning.
What are some other aspects might you see permanently altered for musicians as a result of the pandemic? And how can they get ready for these changes?
Musicians can adapt to anything. I teach at the New York Jazz Academy and Bloomingdale School of Music in New York City. Both schools made a hard pivot and are thriving as a result! A creative person fixes problems. If the sink is leaking, you call a plumber. The plumber knows they can fix the leak. It’s not because they’re simply “optimistic.” It’s because they know how to fix things! Humans have the unique ability to fix problems. We need to tune out “complainers” who flood our Twitter feeds. I recently disabled most “breaking news” notifications. Headlines are written every 30 seconds in America. Guard your eyes. Focus on solutions. We are re-calibrating our world right now. It’s amazing. We will return to normal life with a deeper love for humanity. This virus will die, but our cultural renaissance is just beginning!
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