Video Resume

 Justin Bieber was found on YouTube, why not a conductor?

"Using social media to book artists or winnow out job candidates is on the rise as cash-strapped arts organizations discover they don’t have to travel to world to scout — or take on artists sight unseen — in this global environment, officials say."

I found this interesting article this week about the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. The organization is looking for a new conductor. They requested the standard paper resume and references, but interested parties were asked to post a video to YouTube displaying their skills as a conductor.

I'm actually surprised this is the first time I've read about an organization doing this. What a great way to weed people out without having to sit through hours of auditions. The applicant provides a video that they think best displays how they work and you can go through in your own time to pick and choose. This is a great way to take advantage of social media and in turn save some money and valuable time. I think any way that an organization can use technology and social media to cut unnecessary costs is great. I also agree with the comment in the article that there are some things that you can't leave to social media. If you are going to spend big money then you better see it live. Obviously, Windsor knows this because the finalists will perform live in the fall before one person is chosen to be the conductor.

As a final comment on the article and not the organization...I'm not sure comparing finding the leader of your orchestra to discovering Justin Bieber is a great comparison. Depends on who you're talking to I guess :-).