Adam Price’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Adam Price shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Adam, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
I’m a professional musician. As a musician, I play music as my primary job, but in reality, my job is being a “party facilitator” of sorts. It is important that people not only like my music, but have fun and enjoy themselves. If they don’t, they will not want to come back and hear me again. However, this creates a perception that being a musician is all fun and games, when in reality, the work behind the scenes is incredibly tedious and time consuming. Unfortunately, I think our culture has come to equate work that is worthy of a paycheck with long hard hours, pain, and hardship. And because the only time people actually see me is when I’m “facilitating a party”, they assume that is all I do. Why pay someone to party? But the show is only about 5% of my actual work. I think that is a big reason we don’t really value musicians in our society.

I also think it is hard to measure music or the experience music gives you in traditional business terms. How do you measure the ROI of an experience at a show? What are your Key Performance Indicators? There are no physical products or tangible ways to track these things. I think in a product driven consumerist society, people don’t really know what to make of music, and therefore I don’t think they really respect it as a career path.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Adam Price. I’m a professional musician and music educator. Music has brought me literally around the world, and has offered me some of the most incredible experiences. I can’t say it has been lucrative. There have definitely been some hard times. But over the years I have accomplished things I never thought possible, and been to places I never knew even existed.

I also recently started a podcast with tap dancer Emily Jane Acree called the Relative Rhythms Podcast. We explore the intersections of music and dance, and talk about the shared history of jazz music and tap and swing dance. We also host occasional educational events for dancers and community jam sessions.

In between my playing, recording, and writing schedule, and the podcast, I also have been building up a teaching studio to help the next generation of musicians create a successful career in music. With the technology available today, I’ve been able to expand my studio to teach people all over the world. It is so rewarding to see my students go on to study music at university or start performing shows of their own.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
As a kid, my sister always thought I was way cooler than I really was. And even today, she believes in me way more than I believe in myself. I’m so grateful to have her in my life.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
As a child, as a teenager, and as an adult, the one thing that has always helped when I was struggling has been music. Either listening to it, or playing it, it has always helped. It is my career, but it is also my passion, my therapy, and my safe space. It has always made me feel better.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I believe every human is deserving of the same respect, rights, and safety as everyone else. I believe that no human should be “illegal.” And I believe that no one should die, be harmed, or be persecuted for simply existing. I don’t know how many people agree with me. It seems the world is in a dark place these days, and if you don’t look/sound/believe/act/exist the way you are “supposed to”, people will hate you for it. I don’t understand that. I never have.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I often feel better when I play music. But the place I feel the safest, and the most like myself, is at a place that I teach each summer called Ferrwood Music Camp. Being surrounded by friends and colleagues who love music as much as I do, and being able to share my love of music with the students and watch them develop into incredible musicians themselves is incredibly rewarding and inspiring. And more importantly, the staff and leadership has always intentionally nurtured an environment where everyone is welcome and safe to express themselves authentically, without fear of the bullying that so often comes in the real world. There are very few places where I feel so safe and so much like myself, and I am eternally grateful for everyone who has worked there and made it such a wonderful place.

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