Happy New Year! It is always a time for looking forward to the year ahead and for contemplating what went well in the year before, and what exciting things the New Year may bring.
As a composer the festive period is a fantastic time to reflect on the year - what projects were successful? What projects didn’t go as planned? What did you learn? What did you enjoy? These are all fantastic questions to evaluate the year we have just had.
It may have been the best year of your life, but as creatives we will always leave the year with more ideas than we began with - it may be a new music style you want to explore further in your writing, you may have ambitions for better technology, or to plan grander projects than you have ever tackled before. This is what resolutions are for. Creative minds always yearn for more, so acknowledge this, and commit to new and exciting things in the year to come.
Challenge Yourself
What scares you with your work? Now is the time to act on that. Do you fear rejection for the crazy ideas you have? Or is it the fear of the unknown? No matter what, each year is a new opportunity to continually push yourself further than you have ever been before. Any challenge, big or small, will help you develop new skills and experiences to take forward into your music, portfolio, career or personal life. You may make this year your first year to record with live musicians, expand your network, or to simply aim to limit the collection of tea mugs beside your desk! Whatever it may be, write it down and tell your family and peers. This way they can remind you whilst giving an opportunity to talk to people within your network about your aspirations - they may be able to help!
It can be easy to convince ourselves that we are not good enough, but through small, manageable goals, we can develop an exciting and successful career. Gentily push yourself to have a conversation with a potential peer, explore a new musical genre or learn something new. Identify, specify, simplify and testify. Write it down to remind yourself frequently. No matter what, 2025 is the year of taking bold risks and embracing the wildest musical possibilities. Gain experience, face your fears, be bold, be brave, and most importantly, compose beautiful music.
We have created a new years bingo - print this out, pin it to your wall and see how many new year's resolutions you can complete - some are harder than others! Keep us up to date with how you are doing with the hashtag #NFONewYearsBingo. We can’t wait to see how you challenge yourselves this year! NFO New Years Bingo - PDF Download link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WKEos3DujmXoS8FuWXT0a5342M7pwg02/view?usp=share_link
Take Your Networking To The Next Level
Let’s make 2025 the year of networking. Develop your relationships with peers and those in surrounding industries. This is an essential part of finding work and people to assist in projects. The only way to accomplish this is by putting yourself out there - go to events, enter competitions, post your work online and get involved in projects. Start small and develop your work throughout the year. Why not begin with a local film project in your free time, and from there you are building your portfolio and developing a professional reputation. Submitting your work to a competition is a great way to get noticed, but don’t just sit back once you have submitted. Be active in the surrounding community, get to know your fellow competitors - these are your future peers and hopefully friends. Attend events where you can meet fellow creatives, directors and technicians, who, as composers, we may want to work with.
Don’t just sit back, a network requires constant attention. Be proactive - talk to your network, discuss projects new and old, talk to new people, grasp every opportunity with both hands and run with them - you never know where one may lead! We suggest contacting your peers every few months, just to keep strong, professional relationships. This may be a simple email, or it may be a trip to a coffee shop. Either way, be open, be friendly, be proactive and be inquisitive, ask about their current projects, life and future plans. By seeking out like-minded professionals you will maximise your opportunities for 2025 and beyond.
Embrace New Tech
2025 is the year to embrace new technologies, whether it's samples, software or new instruments. Technology is progressing at an outstanding rate, and so the start of a new year is a good time to take stock of your tech and look at what could be upgraded, or what new tools could be added to your arsenal.
This all begins with research. Throughout the previous year, what new technology has entered the markets? Assess how this may benefit your work, writing style and work/life balance. Sometimes the cost of time or money can be too high to make it worthwhile, so it is important to be honest to yourself if it is worth the benefits it may bring.
It is also important that reviews and peers are consulted alongside research in order to assess the true quality of the gadgets, software or sound libraries you are investing in. This is where your network can come in handy - ask about what technology they are using, which sound libraries sound the best for each type of music and what makes the process of creating music a breeze. They may even let you have a go before you make any commitments yourself! It is a fantastic way to reach out and keep strong relationships throughout your network.
Work With Live Musicians
2025 is the year of working with live players. As technology advances, our sound libraries get ever more powerful and AI looms in the shadows, the opportunity to work with live musicians - real people - to make your vision a reality has never been more important. The ability to discuss your vision with musicians and utilise their feedback, alongside using the musician’s own experience and expertise to produce the most successful performance of your work possible. This collaborative approach is invaluable and often invites you to consider new and exciting aspects of your music you may not have considered previously.
It may seem a little daunting to work with musicians to perform and record your music, however it is an essential part of any composer's career. You do not have to plan any grand projects, you can simply locate players in your local community through online forums and group chats (facebook is a fantastic source for these groups), through word of mouth (don’t be afraid to ask around - that is what a network is for after all!), or even employ your friends.
If you want to think bigger, there are plenty of funding opportunities to help composers access professional musicians and recordings in order to boost their portfolios and careers. We will be posing more about this in the coming weeks as we discuss the upcoming funding opportunities for composers (and much more!) in 2025. Keep your eyes peeled! As an organisation who specialises in recording the work of talented and aspiring composers, we are here to help you through any aspects of the process that may be daunting or challenging. We are all lovers of music, and together we can make 2025 the year of live music!
Conclusion
No matter what direction you want to push yourself in 2025, it is important that you continue to challenge yourself with new and exciting opportunities. Think about the past year and what you feel went unexplored in your composition and relationships and act upon it now. Set yourself challenging but achievable goals for the next year - expand your network, level up your technology and musical knowledge and explore the world of live performance. Now is the time to let your ambitions and imagination run wild, be bold and see where it leads.
From everyone at the Northern Film Orchestra we want to wish you a very Happy New Year, and we cannot wait to see what you achieve in 2025!
Remember to keep us up-to-date with your projects with the hashtag #NFONewYearsBingo - good luck!
Happy new year what a great and positive article .