Artist Story: Mitch Paliga

Mitch Paliga

This is an ongoing struggle that I find I have in common with most, if not all, of my colleagues in the music business. We all deal with this issue differently. How I have dealt with balancing my creative process and my music business has changed and evolved over the course of my professional life, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. There is also the business of teaching which can at times take over everything. It can be quite difficult to find balance.

When my wife and I bought a house, I was looking forward to having more space, privacy, and the flexibility of time for practicing and writing music. Being at home is great, but sometimes I find I need to be in an environment where it is easier to be focused. It can be distracting at times knowing that there are countless things to do around the house when I'm trying to practice, write, or deal with the business side of music. When I do practice at home, I try to do this before any other tasks. I schedule how much time to dedicate to practice before doing the rest of the day's business. I have tried practicing after doing other things around the house first, but I found my mind was less focused. For me, it's better to do my work when my mind is fresh and easier to focus. If I am doing mostly musical tasks at home, I will break up the creative and business aspects for variety. An example would be: practice, make phone calls and/or answer emails, write, take care of some teaching business, and then maybe practice more on creative ideas rather than technique.

What makes this issue of balance more complex for me is being an adjunct instructor at three to four colleges in the Chicago area. The classes, ensembles, and lessons that I teach change with each school year. I may teach at two schools in the fall, three in the spring, and occasionally a summer course at another. Plus, teaching takes me away from home, adding another dimension to this balancing act. I actually spend more time working at home on various aspects of my teaching responsibilities than at any one school. When I am at any of the schools that I teach at, there is usually a decent piano which is helpful for writing and a practice room that is designed for just that, practice. If I have a half hour or more between students, I can get some very focused practicing in. This has been a great help and I often do feel that I am achieving more balance even though I'm busier.

There was a time in my life where I worked more heavily on writing composition than anything else, although it caused a temporary shift in priorities. It was master saxophonist, David Liebman, who suggested taking some time to work at the craft of composition when I studied with him. Another teacher suggested that I should write every day no matter how insignificant it may be. When I write a bit each day, it does help to keep me in the frame of mind for writing. Lately, writing has not been a daily thing like I’d like it to be. I had been fairly steady with my composing until I started working on my first CD "Blithe Moments" as a leader. The “business side” of that endeavor seemed to have upset the balance. It's been hard to get back to writing especially since I'm working on my next CD.

Preparing for the actual recording of “Blithe Moments” was a dynamic process since I composed all of the music for it as well as worked on individual practice and rehearsing the band. The business details afterward involved cover artwork, CD design, mixing, mastering, manufacturing, promotion and booking performances in tandem with the release. It seems the business side of music can detract from the creative side. I do not have a manager/agent, so like many other musicians it's up to me to take care of the business. This is my least favorite part of being a musician and frankly it is also what I'm least adept at. It's a necessary part of being a working creative person, so I do try and keep on top of things.

As far as performing is concerned: it is the payoff, the icing on the cake compared to all of the other work. Everything else is important, but practice, business, writing, and teaching all ultimately support my performance. I feel that I am a better educator because I perform and have a practical knowledge of the music business. Trying to balance all of these areas has a price, of course. Occasionally, I have had to decide whether or not to turn down a performance opportunity or cancel teaching for that day if even possible; also, getting up early to teach after a late-night performance can be taxing over time. I came to teaching by way of working on a career as a performer, so performing is where my heart lies. This is where I feel that I live in two worlds—one creative, one business—even though they are both musical. Making decisions and trying to balance these two worlds responsibly can be emotional for me. The balance of performing, practice, writing, and business is certainly not easy and I'm not sure if I’ll ever achieve it perfectly. Although, since I am able to do all of these things, I guess I must achieve a certain level of balance after all.

Saxophonist Mitch Paliga is an active performer, educator and composer in the Chicago area. He has performed with Randy Brecker, Vinnie Colaiuta, actor Gary Sinise, Victor Kraus, Dave Easley, Damon Short, Jo Ann Daugherty, Fred Simon Deanna Witkowski, John Elmquist's "Hard Art Groop", the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Temptations and Bob Newhart. He is also a member of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective. Mitch has a master's degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in music from Eastern New Mexico University. He teaches at North Central College, Lake Forest College, Illinois Benedictine University, Governors State University, and Old Town School of Folk Music and has a number of private students. In 1993, he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for individual jazz study with master jazz musician David Liebman. In 2002, Mitch received a City of Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program Grant. His self-released CD is entitled “Blithe Moments.”