Meet Michael Skillern: Musician, Educator, Side Hustler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Skillern and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I choose to live this life because it is hard to imagine something different. Now that I have a wife and a daughter, the financial constraints of being a musician became more apparent while not overbearing. But, the life got much easier overseas. Maybe other cultures are better at supporting the artists (teachers, nurses, everyone who actually makes society run…) in their culture. There’s no time to make art, in America. I hate to be dramatic, maybe there is… I chose to pursue an artistic, creative, musical career because it’s the only thing that made sense to me, and for what I needed. And, I was killing it! Here’s how… I chose this life in the 10th grade. I gravitated towards percussion. The performance aspect, and wearing tuxes, and collecting equipment was fascinating to me. People really taught and played music professionally? I never really thought about money, or jobs, and careers. I just wanted to play and teach music professionally. Our percussion instructor quit mid-year. After this, I took up more leadership duties with my section as the resident expert. I auditioned, sometimes winning and sometimes losing, for honor bands, summer programs, etc. Weekly, I played with a youth orchestra. So I guess I was the resident expert. In whatever I pursued, I needed to feel important. From there, I worked through a Master’s degree and experienced most of what classical music had to offer. I had performance and education degrees encompassing conducting, percussion, general music teaching, and band director. I had done the festivals, the camps, the concerts, the gigs, the stage managing, the sound recording, the composing, the arranging, the teaching, the band directing, the conducting, the traveling, the records and the albums and the practice, practice, practice. In undergrad though, I did a lot of percussion and band teaching. It’s humbling though, realizing you don’t want to take orchestral auditions though. It’s weird, as a child you don’t realize where health insurance comes from. All of those things you take for granted. So, at that point the life kind of hindered on being a full time educator, or being a full time orchestra player. The freelance life was never for me. I wanted sick days, and PTO, a 401k. You know, that stuff they tricked us into ‘needing’. So many people I’ve met continue working at jobs they hate just to keep health insurance. Why do we have to trade work for life. Anywho, I digress… In whatever I pursued, teaching and playing music had to be a part of it. I fell in love with new music in graduate school. Practicing the same excerpts forever, just was not the move. Working with living composers and playing world premieres was adventure. There’s nothing like seeing world premiere on a program. Most human innovations were more subtle. Every invention isn’t the lightbulb. It’s the same way that every world premiere and every recording isn’t Grammy worthy. Playing new music, that hasn’t been heard much, was enticing. Being able to create that spirit of newness in a way that Beethoven cannot. Alas, there’s very few new music ‘orchestras’. Just a bunch of freelancers. Sometimes freelancers get together to make chamber groups. Being able to cement yourself. Recordings last for every. Taught students at least last a generation. I want to be forever. This can work. Remember, I needed something full time. I decided that in my professional life I needed: performance, education, and entrepreneurship. I need to be performing, I need to be teaching and; I need to be furthering my reach myself and; I need to be full-time and; I need to feel important. I needed to be new! That was how I was going to be MICHAEL SKILLERN and not michael skillern. In whatever I pursued, I had to have the opportunity to be on the forefront. Showing someone something new, creating something new, working with people who create new stuff. I wanted my career to leave a mark. So, I settled on this life. This musical life. Right now, I am: (1) an accomplished international band director; (2) an award winning international percussion soloist focusing on the music of living composers; (3) an orchestral percussionist/timpanist; (4) the Teaching Director with the Xi’an Concert Hall Youth Percussion Ensemble; (5) a Teaching Artist for Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets; (6) a part-time consultant; (7) an e-commerce dabbler; (8) a wannabe stock broker and; (9) a daddy-husband. I pursue this because I feel full, worthy, important and forever.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Right now I am preparing for a virtual/in-person “tour”. I have prepared a recital of music by living composers and will be presenting about 7 times at: a music store, several US secondary schools, 1 international school and 1 college. The virtual trend has allowed me to use my big international connections. Schools returning to in-perosn learning and the vaccine helped facilitate my in-person gigs. My biggest lesson on gigs is CREATE YOUR OWN. You do not have to wait for someone to tell you you can play your instrument. Create your own events. My whole mindset towards being a soloist and most of my appearances were made this way. But I believe that all artists need multiple income streams. Ownership of my own playing is how I overcame the uncertainty around performing and freelancing. Through my teaching, work in new music, recording, and business ventures. I want to know that I’m talented. I want people to see me, know that I’m talented and let me pitch ideas. I want to be trusted enough to be creative.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Atlanta I frequented a few areas. Long ago, in a foreign land, I love the nightlife scene on Edgewood Avenue. To get your new music fix, check out venues like Eyedrum. Look for brands like Brunch ATL. Eating, hmmmm. You can get wings from American Deli. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the white sauce from Halal Guys. You can find real Chinese food at Canton House. For something different, check out the Starlight Drive-In theater. 8 dollar movies and the freedom of being outside!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this Shoutout to my beautiful, smart and powerful wife Kim. We have experienced so much together; navigating this huge world. Standing up is a little easier with you standing next to me. I love you, Kim.

Website: www.michaelskillern.com

Instagram: @michaelstradition

Linkedin: Michael Skillern, MM

Youtube: Michael Skillern

Image Credits
5th image: Credits of the Xian Liangjiatan 2nd Annual Int’l Education Conference