Nathan Gregory: Freelance Musician
Nathan Gregory describes himself as a freelance musician, although his role spans across performing, stage management and teaching. He states "the stage managing stuff all falls under that bracket in my opinion, got to do what you can to survive, including broadening your horizons". Nathan studied Classical Percussion and Timpani at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, but his musical career began much earlier, learning the drums from an early age and playing in numerous school bands. But he credits much of his success to his dedication to the whole music environment whilst studying, building contacts, learning practical skills and continuing to grow as both a musician and as a professional within the industry. Nathan claims "if you build good relationships with people, they'll pass work onto you", and his recent travels show this, having spent Christmas and New Year on tour in China.
"if you build good relationships with people, they'll pass work onto you"
A common question people ask those in the creative industries, especially to those that work on a freelance basis, is "when will you get a 'real' job?" Nathan takes on several roles and currently performs with orchestras, various ensembles, manages Young Musician Symphony Orchestra concerts, and does freelance pit management work at the Royal Opera House. With all these jobs, this builds a familiar picture for many people working in the creative industries.
"I consider what I do lots of little real jobs that add up to make a career. Being employed is great for job security, but as a freelancer you can manage your own time, and that way, the harder you work, the more you earn. It feels very rewarding. As a performer you'll always be working unsociable hours, so 'office hours' never really come into it, you do the job until the jobs done"
Launching into a freelance career can be daunting; there's no guarantee of work, irregular pay and often long hours. However, Nathan states "freelancing as a musician comes naturally, you start doing a few bits and bobs for various people, and through that you meet more people so you get busier until you're working full time. Going to music college is the start of freelancing, many of the people you meet there could well end up employing you, or vice versa."
Another logical step for many musicians is teaching. Teaching is an excellent way to supplement an income through private tuition or after school clubs, however the benefits of teaching go way beyond monetary value. "At first I saw it as an opportunity to make money, but now I see much more into the importance of teaching, especially in the current climate. Giving people the opportunity to expand their skills, and sometimes their thinking, can lead to positive changes elsewhere in their lives. Kids in schools need the opportunity to be able express themselves, get creative, work together creatively".
Nathan is at an early stage in his career but through hard work and networking he has built a reliable source of income through various roles as both a performer and in the wider music industry, and continues to grow his passion for the subject through teaching. He credits this ability to adapt to these roles for opening many opportunities to him as well as giving him the confidence and initiative to begin establishing his own projects.
To anybody considering a career in the arts, whether employed or freelance, Nathan offers this advice
"it's not easy, but the clichés are true, the more you put in, the more you'll get out, it's taken me until leaving the security of studying to fully realise it, so the earlier you can start to be pro-active with your time and ideas, the better"