Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
February 1, 2021
On January 10, musicians of the St. Louis Symphony, members of Local 2-197 (St. Louis, MO), ratified an agreement to modify their current CBA for the period of January 11 through August 29, 2021. Under the new agreement, musicians will be paid 85% of base scale wages and 80% of career track and overscale. Prior […]
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On March 24, 2020, the musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, members of Local 72-147 (Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX), ratified a one-year extension of the agreement that had been set to expire on August 31, 2020. The financial terms of that extension, which covered the 2020-21 season, were identical to those for the 2019-20 season. On […]
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I don’t need to remind a musician how important resonance is. As a latecomer to music, I first grasped the importance of resonance in my high school physics class when we watched the famous video of the collapse of the Tacoma-Narrows bridge. Hitting the bridge at just the right frequency, the massive undulations eventually caused […]
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Flutist Bill Giannone, of Local 802 (New York City), has selected 12 well-known classical melodies and arranged them for solo flute with piano accompaniment in his new collection, 12 Great Flute Encores. Selections include Bach’s famous “Air on the G String” and the “Badinerie” from the Orchestral Suite No. 2, Debussy’s “Reverie” and the “Girl […]
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Forbidden Valley was inspired by a dream about traveling down into a deep, dry valley, with living secrets, hidden waters and shy vegetation. The piece can be performed by a flute quintet of three flutes, alto flute, and bass flute, or by a low flute-quintet of bass flute, bass flute in F, contrabass flute, contrabass […]
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This revised and expanded edition of Pepe Romero’s Guitar Style and Technique (1982), which had been out of print for some time, features new sections on tremolo, flamenco, concert performance, additional finger gymnastics, and a Romero photo album. It contains all of the music from the earlier version and several new pieces, all newly engraved. […]
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Larry Mercey, of Local 279 (London, ON), has had an outstanding career in music, first as leader of the successful Canadian country music group The Mercey Brothers and then as a solo artist. With massive amounts of hit songs, top albums, music awards, and various other successes under his belt, after 60 years in the […]
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Dave Krehbiel’s fast-moving memoir, Through the Door: A Horn-Player’s Journey, relates the adventures of a young musician who uses his musical talents to cover up his scholastic shortcomings. In so doing, he finds himself, miraculously, in the career of his dreams—playing principal horn for Chicago, Detroit, and San Francisco symphony orchestras. With intelligent humor, Krehbiel, […]
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D’Addario’s signature reed case holds your reeds safe and secure, featuring a grooved surface that keeps reeds snugly in place while preventing warping. Crafted with an airtight gasket for unstable weather conditions, this case can hold eight reeds of any size clarinet or saxophone and a reed vitalizer Humidipak. www.daddario.com
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Digital Wind Instrument Roland’s Aerophone Pro is the new flagship model in the company’s Aerophone series of digital wind instruments. The stock fingering on Aerophone Pro is the same as an acoustic sax and includes a high-F# key. Presets provide everything from vintage analog synth tones to modern hybrid sounds. Includes headphones jack, Bluetooth MIDI, […]
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