# How do you do an "About" page on your website?



## sIR dORT (Sep 13, 2019)

I need to write something, but I'm not that special. In HS, have played piano for 5-6 years, been composing for 2-3. Releasing my debut album soon. I'm decent enough at writing, but not about myself. So what have you guys done, and what would you recommend?


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## Fever Phoenix (Sep 15, 2019)

hey, don't make a big deal out of it.

write where you are based and what you do


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## reimerpdx (Sep 15, 2019)

sIR dORT said:


> I need to write something, but I'm not that special. In HS, have played piano for 5-6 years, been composing for 2-3. Releasing my debut album soon. I'm decent enough at writing, but not about myself. So what have you guys done, and what would you recommend?


Do you have favorite sites you frequent?
Use those as a template.
Here’s what my studio did: Https://www.reimerandlarson.com/about (ABOUT)


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 16, 2019)

Mine is as plain as it gets. Personally, I hate it when composers have a long-winded rant about they're entire musical history....and I doubt any prospective clients even care for the most part.


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## rrichard63 (Sep 16, 2019)

Wolfie2112 said:


> I doubt any prospective clients even care for the most part.


I think that depends. I suggest that the OP think about how his experiences (musicial and otherwise) have shaped his approach to composition and performance.

That said, I would keep my bio very brief, at least until I had a lot of specifics to put in it.


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## sIR dORT (Sep 16, 2019)

rrichard63 said:


> That said, I would keep my bio very brief, at least until I had a lot of specifics to put in it.


Kind of what I thought, I need to put something but I don't want to just fill it with hyperbole.


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## MauroPantin (Sep 16, 2019)

Potential clients don't care. Keep it short and keep it on point. Make a note about your upcoming album. Say where you are from, and add relevant experiences you may have had. Personal stuff is just boring.

Also, a trend I've seen lately is a lot of "Award-Winning Composer" going on, but no list of those anywhere else on the website. If you have won a prize and are not going to list it then don't say you are an "Award-Winning Composer".


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## sIR dORT (Sep 16, 2019)

MauroPantin said:


> If you have won a prize and are not going to list it then don't say you are an "Award-Winning Composer".


The only award I'm winning is most questions asked in a span of 2 weeks.


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## chillbot (Sep 16, 2019)

The other one on my pet peeve list is saying you "won" an award given to you by your PRO. It's so misleading to call these things "awards" anyway. But "award-given composer" doesn't have the best ring to it. I guess a client doesn't know the difference or care so might as well use them the best you can. But I would prefer to see "blah blah has *received* three BMI awards".


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## ceemusic (Sep 16, 2019)

_"have played piano for 5-6 years, been composing for 2-3. Releasing my debut album soon."_ 

Work those points in but explain a bit more in depth. Also add the genres you work in or are influenced by. Briefly explain with 1-2 sentences on your music philosophy to interest visitors & get them to listen to your work.

Also make your site easy to navigate with everything accessible using only 1-2 clicks.


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## Polkasound (Sep 16, 2019)

I like sparse biographies myself. Mine is just four small paragraphs:

Explains how I got started in music
Covers a few milestones/aspects of my 30-year career
Explains what I am currently doing in music
Covers a little of what I do outside of music
None of the paragraphs, however, go into any detail. If people want to know details like what bands I've played with or what awards I've won, they can email me for that info.

Consider writing your bio in first person rather than third person. In my personal opinion, when people write their own bios in third person, it comes across as a little pretentious, like they want the public to think they hired a marketing firm. Writing in first person conveys a greater sense of approachability.

The only part of my website I have to keep written in third-person is my music catalog page, because retailers and reviewers typically copy/paste my album descriptions.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 16, 2019)

MauroPantin said:


> Potential clients don't care. Keep it short and keep it on point. Make a note about your upcoming album. Say where you are from, and add relevant experiences you may have had. Personal stuff is just boring.
> 
> Also, a trend I've seen lately is a lot of "Award-Winning Composer" going on, but no list of those anywhere else on the website. If you have won a prize and are not going to list it then don't say you are an "Award-Winning Composer".



Couldn’t agree more. I’ve actually been told from clients that they instantly pass on composer websites if they contain too much “drivel”, and/or are difficult to navigate. And even if someone is award winning, it doesn’t mean they are any good. I actually know a guy that had someone submit a Juno nomination for him...so that he could officially say he was a Juno nominee on his site.


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## jononotbono (Sep 16, 2019)

chillbot said:


> But I would prefer to see "blah blah has *received* three BMI awards".



What about listing how many VI-C "likes" someone gets?


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## chillbot (Sep 16, 2019)

jononotbono said:


> What about listing how many VI-C "likes" someone gets?


The change in nomenclature to "reaction score" has ruined it for me.


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## sIR dORT (Sep 16, 2019)

First draft:

*Piano Performance:*
I've had the awesome opportunity to have a Boston baby-grand piano at home, and have done my best to take advantage of that. At around age eleven, I found that I enjoyed creating short pieces of music at the piano, which lead to piano lessons at Bravura Music School, beginning around age twelve and continuing until now. Even as I compose for a full orchestra, I find that my best music usually originates from the piano or is heavily inspired by it. Because of this, I am planing on releasing a solo piano album of original compositions in the near future, something that I have wanted to do for a long time.

*Composition:* 
My introduction to composing orchestral music came from GarageBand around age 14, and since that point, I have slowly accumulated various sample libraries and tools that have helped me take my compositions to the next level. Although I did take lessons on navigating my DAW (Ableton Live 9), I did't receive any formal training in composition until this year (2019). But through countless google searches, forum posts on VI-Control, and trial-and-error, I was able to develop the skills I needed to advance the quality of my compositions. All of this work is culminated in my debut album, which will released very soon.

Thoughts? Too long? Too personal? I'm not just asking, I really have no reference on if this is suitable or not. Thanks in advance.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 16, 2019)

Just my $.02, but to me it’s too long winded, too much personal information that may actually work against you. Unless, of course, this is purely a personal website. Otherwise, I’d basically just say you compose orchestral music, and have a page on your site that showcases your music samples.


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## Polkasound (Sep 16, 2019)

Two paragraphs condensed into two sentences:

I began creating music at the age of eleven, and was quickly ushered into formal training at Bravura Music School. Although I now use all of the conveniences of the digital age to compose for full orchestra, I'm most at home behind the piano, where I am currently working on my first solo album of all original piano compositions.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 16, 2019)

Polkasound said:


> Two paragraphs condensed into two sentences:
> 
> I began creating music at the age of eleven, and was quickly ushered into formal training at Bravura Music School. Although I now use all of the conveniences of the digital age to compose for full orchestra, I'm most at home behind the piano, where I am currently working on my first solo album of all original piano compositions.



This!!!


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## sIR dORT (Sep 17, 2019)

How about this:

Over the last five years, I've had the great opportunity to learn to play the piano through lessons at Bravura Music School, and even as I have started to learn in other areas of music outside of piano, I find that my best music usually originates from it or is heavily inspired by it. Since age fifteen, I have also been able to develop skills composing for the full orchestra using the many of the digital tools that are available today. Using these tools, I've been able to substantially advance the quality of my compositions, something that has culminated in my upcoming debut album.

I have a page on my website devoted to it, so I feel like I have to have something. If people don't want to read it, I also have a super brief synopsis of it on the home page.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 17, 2019)

Is this a "professional" site, with the intention of getting scoring work....or is it just a personal type endeavour? If it's the latter, it's just fine. Otherwise, I'd keep it more along the lines of what @Polkasound suggested.....and keep it even more simple, stick to what clients want to hear (they don't really care about ages or how long you've been playing). Keep in mind, the average visitor isn't gong to have the time to read your whole bio, and most won't. They just want to know you're a composer, what genres you specialize in, notable credits, musical samples, and how they can get hold of you.


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## sIR dORT (Sep 17, 2019)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Is this a "professional" site, with the intention of getting scoring work....or is it just a personal type endeavour?


More-so personal, so the 4 people who want to learn more about me when I release my album and submit to licensing companies will have a place to go. The only credits I have aren't really credits, and the goal isn't to get scoring work. If that goal changes down the road, my site will as well.


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## halfwalk (Sep 17, 2019)

Halfwalk thinks that writing halfwalk's biography in third person makes halfwalk seem more credible.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 17, 2019)

halfwalk said:


> Halfwalk thinks that writing halfwalk's biography in third person makes halfwalk seem more credible.



On that note, one of my pet peeves are bio's written as third person. Really corny IMO (I used to do that!).


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