#askingfediverse My 17yo son is a talented #drummer and would love to get into session work. Careers advice from his college has been to "network" However being #ActuallyAutistic and from a wholly #neurodivergent family we don't know where to start! Can anyone recommend online networking space eg. #Discord where he can try to connect? Any other advice most welcome! We are based near #Manchester
@Havoc_online I'm not sure this will be good advice nowadays, but 15 years ago I would use Craigslist (I'm in the US) to find musicians to play with. I didn't have the goal of becoming a session musician, but it definitely gave me some experience. The advantage of this approach is that it was very direct, unlike trying to small talk your way into it.
I also attended an audio production school for a while, and that gave me opportunities, although it was costly.
@Havoc_online perhaps join a few social media groups if he can? Or maybe just going along to any local musician jam(even if he doesn't play at them)? Enquiring if any nearby music venues want a drummer for accompaniment at an open mike session (might even get him some pocket money)? First rule of these things is to turn up and keep turning up, then you get accepted even if you don't say a lot. As a conversationalist myself, sorry I can't help more
I have a not dissimilar situation myself. My eldest is currently studying music production in Manchester and is autistic. They're really talented and despite being at university have had trouble "networking" or making connections.
I asked them and they didn't know of any Discord's (a platform they use a lot) but did suggest maybe the Musicians Union might be a good resource. As a student your son could join for £24 a year and there are lots of resources and opportunities to connect with people.
https://musiciansunion.org.uk/join
You could also try contacting Manchester Music as they seem all about connecting local musicians.
https://www.manchester-music.com/about
Lastly I know a lot of artists in the music and production space use Instagram. A page with some videos of him drumming, mentioning that he's looking to connect might be a good calling card.
I hope you find some of this useful and that your son finds opportunities somewhere.
@Havoc_online I’ve not worked in music for 20+ years, so things may have changed a lot re. social media, but back then it was all about getting known.
Play with lots of bands, be available to fill in, hang around studios and rehearsal rooms. And have a car! Gotta be mobile with your kit.
Once the producers and engineers know you, you stand a better chance of popping up in their memory in the middle of a session when someone suddenly decides they need a drummer for whatever reason.