Michael Keller has seen thousands of résumés. He’s contracted more than 100 Broadway shows, including The Lion King, Wicked, and Hamilton, and he told me something every musician should hear:
“I can’t tell you how many fantastic résumés I’ve seen, but the execution on the other side hasn’t been what it needs to be.”
Paper doesn’t get you hired. Being heard does.
In the video version of our conversation, you get to watch Michael tell these stories himself: wheeling his drums through Manhattan in the ‘70s, playing his first Broadway show at 21, and getting the call from Marvin Hamlisch that turned a drummer into one of the most trusted contractors on Broadway.
He also explains how he actually builds a band. He doesn’t just look for a great drummer. He looks for the drummer and bassist who lock in together. He admits that early on he hired great players who weren’t great people, and he paid for it. After that, he narrowed his list to two questions: Can you play, and can you get along with people?
His advice for getting in is simple and demanding. Sub first. Ask to sit in the pit, even when nobody needs you. Never say no. Find every chance to be heard.
Here’s the hard part. You can practice for years, build a strong résumé, and still never get the call. It’s not because you can’t play. It’s because the people doing the hiring don’t know you, haven’t heard you, or don’t trust you yet. Every month you wait for talent alone to open the door, someone else who built those relationships gets the chair.
That’s exactly what I’ll be teaching live in The Trust Economy, a masterclass on how working musicians really get hired: how to get heard, how to build trust with the people who make the calls, and how to become the name that comes up when a chair opens.
Thursday, October 29, at 5 PM Eastern. Can’t make it live? Your seat includes lifetime access to the replay.
👉 Save your seat for The Trust Economy
Watch the full video above, and if it hits home, forward it to a musician who’s still waiting on their résumé to do the work.
