Dearest Friends and Colleagues,

Are you aware that the public often views artists and musicians as self-indulgent, their craft as leisure, and their profession as frivolous? Reports from the National Endowment for the Arts confirm the reality that while the public may attend a few concerts a year, they are not invested in the artists lives—lives which they think bear no relation to the everyday experiences of most working people. How can they understand your six hours of daily practice when all they see is the end result--a concert delivered effortlessly by a professional musician? The disconnect between musician and the public results in a lack of enduring support for the artist, and a lack of obligation to encourage youths to seek professions in the arts.

You know better than that. Most artists and arts advocates recognize that the only way to change the mind-frame of the public is to interact with them, to work towards developing an understanding and appreciation for who the artists are and what they do. This change will only come about with the consistent diligence of the artists themselves, as well as those who support them, to make what we do relevant and worthy of all the hours we spend cultivating our respective crafts (e.g. to get paid).

To that end, The Myrtle Hart Society (MHS) is dedicated to illuminating the accomplishments of historical and contemporary classical musicians of color. The MHS is an Internet-based music research and educational resource committed to providing a forum for classical musicians of color to discuss the social and economic challenges faced within the classical community. It provides information to and support for interested parties, including but not limited to classical musicians and their supporters, to address these issues. The MHS strives to promote collaborations between musicians of all backgrounds. It aims to share its findings with the widest audience possible through public events and performances, and online information dissemination. All of this at no charge to you.

The primary goal of the Myrtle Hart Society is to support live music and musicians of color and to disseminate their livelihood to the broader public. Through this, MHS demonstrates its commitment to educate and inform both the classical community and the general public of the varied historical and contemporary roles played by musicians of color.

This resource is for YOU.

It works because it's general. The reality is that unless someone knows your name or your groups' name, it's difficult to find you--especially as individuals! I've already done the research. I know what keywords people put into the search engines to find musicians. I have targeted those keywords to create ads to attract whoever is looking for you to the site. I will steadily work to improve those search engines to create even more traffic. If you already have a site, let MHS bring more potential money to you.

In order for us to be successful, I will strategize marketing and ad placement on major internet search engines (MSN, Yahoo, Google, etc.) and in various publications, and you must do the following:

1. Send a bio and pictures that you would like on our website- We will have a 'Featured Artist' section on the main page. This featured position will be occupied by one musician or group per week chosen based on their up-coming performances or spectacular events that need publicity. It will act as an advertisement to promote that artist or group.

2. Send the link to your personal website- The more exposure you have, the more support you will receive, and more opportunities may be presented to you. There are many places on the website that you will fit. The overlap will ensure that you are seen. If you don't have a website, you need one. In the meantime, the MHS site can help your exposure.

Remember: this information is online which means that it is accessible to millions of people every day. If you are interested in exposing your presence to the world, building relationships with your peers and colleagues, and having a voice in this chosen musical culture, please consider letting the Myrtle Hart Society help.

3. Submit your performance calendar/schedule to the MHS- I will send you monthly reminders to email me with your event information and will post your events by state, name and instrument. Your name will be hyperlinked to your bio on the website or your personal website, so that netizens (people who use the internet) can get to know you better, and support your efforts. Please keep me updated! The involved you are with your career, the more up-to-date the site and the better MHS can support and promote you.

Tip: The quality of the information that you provide may influence the booking decision of potential gig clients. This is DIRECT booking! Customers contact you directly. You choose how customers will contact you.

4. Submit your birth date. I will highlight birthdays with site links or existing biographical page on the website. I will also post the historical and contemporary musicians' birthdays monthly.

5. Participate in the online debate as we tackle issues from gender and race (as they relate to the musical profession) to teaching and gigging tips. You may also email me with questions that you would like to discuss in this forum. The goal is to communicate with each other, and let the outside world know that we are intelligent people who care about our futures and have thoughtful opinions about current issues.

6. Submit bits of history. This online resource will aim to educate netizens about both historical and contemporary classical musicians of color. If you ever wrote a performer's profile or a composer bio, please consider being a contributing author. Also, if you know interesting historical facts, submit them for the 'Did You Know?' section of the site.

7. Check back often to see where your colleagues are performing, to read about what your community thinks about issues that affect you, and to engage in the online resources dedicated to celebrating you and your musical history.

Benefit: Today, more then ever before, the internet is becoming the first step for finding and selecting music of all kinds. In fact the internet is the #1 source for finding information of any kind. With internet access at both home and office on the rise, professional event planners as well as individuals planning their own special events are increasingly going online in search of live musical entertainment. This is FREE exposure.

8. Give me your feedback - Since I'm still trying to create this site, I need you to interact with the site and let me know what's missing and what needs to be changed.

THIS SITE BENEFITS ALL OF US. The more exposure we have, the more of an impact on the world at large. We represent a huge population around the country. It's time to be recognized. If you know of any professional musician of color that could benefit from extra exposure, please share the site info. If at any time you wish to remove yourself from the website, please send an email and I will do so promptly.

Many thanks to you for all of your hard work.

Sincerely,

Rashida N. Black
Founder/Director