Designing an Effective Musician Portfolio

Designing an Effective Musician Portfolio

Back in February 2014 I made a portfolio of my bass playing credentials to share on my social media platforms as a promotional tool for anyone who looks through my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. I also considered it important to have a portfolio ready in case any potential employer wants to see it, perhaps in a time sensitive case. A colleague recently got in touch with me about the manager of a function orchestral group he is in touch with, and asked me to send over a portfolio in the coming days. I decided this point is a good opportunity to update my portfolio.

Below is my original portfolio (Feb 2014)...

... and here is my updated portfolio (Nov 2015).

I imagine Musical Directors may look through a lot of potential application portfolios in a day, and I felt my previous portfolio to be too cluttered. I decided to simplify the information down into small chunks of text that describe myself and my credentials. I found it challenging locating relevant information on portfolio design in my context - I researched guides on musician portfolios, but found the information to be directed more towards those who are classically trained and attended music schools.

I found the greatest inspiration to be through other peoples portfolios, which is where I came across the QR code idea. I used an online service to create my QR code, which one can scan to take you to a showreel playlist of videos of my bass playing in different environments. I think this is a great idea, I imagine a person of interest would be more likely to view my work through this, as it is a little different from the norm. Most of my session bass work has been through word of mouth, but I believe it to be important to have an updated portfolio ready to send to persons of interest, as is commonplace in the industry.

The QR Code Link:

Chris Parker Bass Portfolio Showreel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5OMsnSfUUw&list=PL8joqBtMZjC6qHOwTOMO5FEHo6RxkgBvs