Jeff Tsai, a potentially “destructive manager?” You be the judge.
Hello everyone. Today, I want to address some comments made about a past tsailog post by fellow blogger Drew McManus in his daily Adaptistration blog on www.artsjournal.com. First of all, if you are new to tsailog, it is important to note the fundamental differences in journalistic profiles our two blogs exhibit: mine is a casual weekly personal reflection on my life geared toward family, friends, and passers by while his is a daily, calculated forum that explores political and philosophical current events to the field as a whole.
That being said, I often agree with the points Mr. McManus presents in Adaptistration. Without a doubt, the field needs to change and I plan on promoting this mentality of challenging the status quo throughout my career.
That is why I am in the Fellowship program.
Unfortunately, I find that when using the words of others, at times Drew misinterprets meaning and in this case, assumed a statement of fact to represent some deeper philosophical mindset.
Yes, I did make a reference, based on my experiences with the LA Chamber Orchestra and the Memphis Symphony, to the musicians being part-time. By this statement, I meant that the majority of these musicians have secondary sources of income outside of the orchestra’s payroll (everything from teaching and studio work to other day jobs unrelated to music). This is completely factual statement. It is based on direct observation and nowhere in it do I make a connection to my developing management philosophy on the issue.
Drew, in so many words, says that managers who hold a “they’re only part-time” mentality are barriers to organizational growth:
I want to clarify another point. Later in his post, under the section heading “Equal Pay for Equal Work,” Drew mentions three ROPA orchestras: New Mexico, Memphis (my current orchestra), and Richmond and how they must be available to work 12 hours a day, six days a week. Does this mean that they actually rehearse or perform 6 x 12 = 72 hours a week? Not by a long shot.
As stated in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between musicians and management of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, one week cannot exceed 17.5 hours of rehearsals or performances (except under rare pre-announced circumstances). Furthermore, the entire season’s tentative schedule (September – May) must be posted by May 15 of the previous year and any final changes must be announced 28 days prior to the service (21 days for events outside of our main Masterworks and Pops series). For better or worse, this opens the door for relatively predictable part-time work outside of the symphony, a door that most musicians choose to walk through.
With respect to Patricia Mitchell, another fellow blogger, and her oboeinsight.com posts on this topic, it is important to note that the 17.5 hour figure reflects only group rehearsals/performances. Personal practice time is not addressed in the CBA.
Once again, these are simply statements of fact. Drew assumed that I am pleased with this status quo when in fact the opposite is true.
Finally, in defense of my stipend, I am provided $25,000 (less than base pay in Richmond by the way) over the course of this year for over 60 hours of work each week (see my previous blog). Unfortunately, I do not have the opportunity (again, for better or worse) to subsidize my income through part-time employment outside of the Fellowship.
I hope this clarifies what I feel was a fundamental misunderstanding of a factual statement on my behalf. I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone, including Drew, who may have misunderstood its intentions.
Musicians in ROPA orchestras, just like their ICSOM counterparts, are full-fledged working professionals and deserve recognition as such (now that is a step closer to a statement on management philosophy).
As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments.
That being said, I often agree with the points Mr. McManus presents in Adaptistration. Without a doubt, the field needs to change and I plan on promoting this mentality of challenging the status quo throughout my career.
That is why I am in the Fellowship program.
Unfortunately, I find that when using the words of others, at times Drew misinterprets meaning and in this case, assumed a statement of fact to represent some deeper philosophical mindset.
Yes, I did make a reference, based on my experiences with the LA Chamber Orchestra and the Memphis Symphony, to the musicians being part-time. By this statement, I meant that the majority of these musicians have secondary sources of income outside of the orchestra’s payroll (everything from teaching and studio work to other day jobs unrelated to music). This is completely factual statement. It is based on direct observation and nowhere in it do I make a connection to my developing management philosophy on the issue.
Drew, in so many words, says that managers who hold a “they’re only part-time” mentality are barriers to organizational growth:
"These managers tell board members and individual donors that the musicians are only part time employees, they’re happy that way, and they should stay that way."Drew is right in that these kinds of managers, whoever and wherever they are, prohibit the growth of an orchestra. However, my statements do not lean toward evolving into this “destructive management philosophy.” In fact, the two ROPA orchestras I have worked with are both spending a great deal of cross-constituent resources (musicians and board included) identifying and excercising areas of growth through long-range strategic planning. That is a huge reason why they were picked as my host orchestras. Their executive directors, my mentors, are growth catalysts. The American Symphony Orchestra League and its Orchestra Management Fellowship promotes such industry change, as often times contrary to Drew’s opinions.
I want to clarify another point. Later in his post, under the section heading “Equal Pay for Equal Work,” Drew mentions three ROPA orchestras: New Mexico, Memphis (my current orchestra), and Richmond and how they must be available to work 12 hours a day, six days a week. Does this mean that they actually rehearse or perform 6 x 12 = 72 hours a week? Not by a long shot.
As stated in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between musicians and management of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, one week cannot exceed 17.5 hours of rehearsals or performances (except under rare pre-announced circumstances). Furthermore, the entire season’s tentative schedule (September – May) must be posted by May 15 of the previous year and any final changes must be announced 28 days prior to the service (21 days for events outside of our main Masterworks and Pops series). For better or worse, this opens the door for relatively predictable part-time work outside of the symphony, a door that most musicians choose to walk through.
With respect to Patricia Mitchell, another fellow blogger, and her oboeinsight.com posts on this topic, it is important to note that the 17.5 hour figure reflects only group rehearsals/performances. Personal practice time is not addressed in the CBA.
Once again, these are simply statements of fact. Drew assumed that I am pleased with this status quo when in fact the opposite is true.
Finally, in defense of my stipend, I am provided $25,000 (less than base pay in Richmond by the way) over the course of this year for over 60 hours of work each week (see my previous blog). Unfortunately, I do not have the opportunity (again, for better or worse) to subsidize my income through part-time employment outside of the Fellowship.
I hope this clarifies what I feel was a fundamental misunderstanding of a factual statement on my behalf. I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone, including Drew, who may have misunderstood its intentions.
Musicians in ROPA orchestras, just like their ICSOM counterparts, are full-fledged working professionals and deserve recognition as such (now that is a step closer to a statement on management philosophy).
As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments.
