No Such Thing as Oops: Ray Chew on How to Become a Music Director (Episode 115)

Luck = preparation + opportunity.

Ray Chew is one of the most in-demand music directors in television. He has led the music on Dancing with the Stars for 12 straight seasons, scored Fox's I Can See Your Voice, and served as music director for American Idol, Showtime at the Apollo and BET's biggest events. He has worked with Rihanna, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones and many more.

In Episode 115 of The Career Musician, Nomad asks Ray how a kid from Harlem became the guy networks trust with live TV. If you want to know what it takes to become a music director, this conversation covers it: education, preparation, saying yes and doing the work every single day.

Study, study, study

Ray's father played piano and vibes and sat him on his lap at four. He grew up in the Grant Houses near Columbia University, earned a scholarship to start his music studies, and from then on his mother made sure he studied all year round. His teachers were working professionals who brought him to their gigs and sat him on the side. His uncle, an organist, had him sitting in at clubs as a teenager.

By 16 he was on the road with a professional artist, at 19 he had his first long-term music director job, and soon he was a first-call session player in New York and in the Saturday Night Live Band. He knew what it was to be a professional before he got his first professional gigs.

"When you can bring talent, skills and education, you bring that all together, that gives you an opportunity to have a career. That doesn't guarantee your career. It just gives you an opportunity."

Ray Chew, 6:43

Music without walls

Ray's first classical teacher would scold him for playing a jazz chord. That taught him that some people see music with walls. He doesn't. If he can feel it, he will find a way to play it, country, classical or anything else, because he loves to play it. Enjoyment first, then application. That versatility is Diversify or Die in practice, and it is why Ray can move from a keyboard to a podium in the same night.

The answer is always yes

Ray told the story of a broadcast in Norway with Rihanna, with an 80-plus-piece orchestra. He had already orchestrated her ballad and was set to conduct it. Then, jet-lagged and unable to tell if it was day or night, he got a call: she needed several minutes to cross the arena between stages on live TV. Could he give them music to fill the gap? He composed a three-part suite overnight, played keys as her band leader for the first song, then ran across and conducted the orchestra while she made her way to the second stage.

Nomad's analogy: Ray designed the car, built the car and drove the race. That only works when you have the skills banked before the call comes. Ray noted that notation software helps, but it doesn't replace orchestration skills. Nomad's lesson: no matter how tired you are, the answer is yes, because that is how you keep getting the call back. Reliability beats virtuosity.

A day on live TV: no such thing as "oops"

On a Dancing with the Stars broadcast day, the band starts playing at 5:30 a.m. Not arriving. Playing. Ray's rule for his band: come as early as you want, never after. They rehearse around ten pieces with the audio team, then the dancers run every routine until about noon, then a full dress rehearsal, then Ray checks the balance in the music truck and takes notes from the executive producers, sometimes for a wholesale change right before air. Then they go live for two hours, looking fresh after 12 hours on set.

"There's no such thing as oops."

Ray Chew, 23:53

When the pandemic shut down production, Ray built his own mobile music production trailer with all his tools, so he could record, mix and plug straight into any show's program feed and comms safely. He used it on I Can See Your Voice and on Dancing with the Stars when the band could not be in the ballroom. Solving the problem is part of the job.

Prayer is a co-production

Through his Power 2 Inspire Foundation, Ray mentors young musicians who ask him how to get from where they are to where he is. His first step: create your own mission and target, from a dream and a desire. Break it into missions, then tasks, then something you can do every day. And get help. Nobody gets anywhere alone.

Ray is a man of faith, and he was clear that faith is only half of it. You can pray for a ham sandwich, but it is not dropping out of the sky. If you don't read music, learn. He called talent a gift and reading a skill you can acquire.

"It's an acquired skill that you can start now, and in one year you can be pretty good at it, and in two years you can be very adept."

Ray Chew, 35:44

He pointed out that young players put hours into video games. Put those hours into reading. That is Savvy from the ETHOS code: invest in the skill that opens the door.

Success, subdivided

Ray defines success as reaching a destination that was important enough for you to set. When he ruptured his Achilles, success was getting from point A to point B without pain. His advice: subdivide success like a musician. Have a successful hour, then a successful day, then a successful week. Hit eight of your ten tasks? That is 80 percent. Don't beat yourself up. Keep motivating yourself and find inspiration in others.

The takeaway

Get the education, and get around working professionals. Tear down the walls between styles. Bank your skills so you can say yes to the impossible call. Show up early, because live TV doesn't do do-overs. And break your dream into daily tasks you can actually complete. If you want a framework, grab the free plan of attack (POA) worksheet and the Get the Gig guide, and find Ray's foundation at powertoinspire.org.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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