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.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AFM

Stephen Laifer



Julie Landsman: Guiding Light for Women Brass Players

Horn player Julie Landsman of Locals 802 (New York City) and 47 (Los Angeles, CA) boasts a decades-long legacy of pioneering achievement in a male-dominated field.

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Leslie DeShazor: Variety Is the Spice of Music

The words “jazz” and “viola” aren’t two things you often hear in the same sentence. But busy working musicians need to find ways to keep things fresh, which can frequently lead them down some unconventional paths. Violist Leslie DeShazor of Local 5 (Detroit, MI) has enthusiastically embraced a wide variety of these paths, keeping her […]

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Charlie St. Cyr-Paul: Touring Off the Beaten Path

Judging from the logistics alone, it seems unlikely that someone could make a long-term successful career touring with an instrument that weighs over four tons. But that is exactly what carillonneur (i.e., one who plays the carillon) Charlie St. Cyr-Paul of Local 389 (Orlando, FL) has been doing—and to great acclaim—for years. It’s fitting that […]

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Alana Wiesing: Timpanist Hurdles Traditional Roles

Alana Wiesing is one of the few Black women timpanists to hold a principal position in a symphony orchestra. She hopes to change that and encourage others to break barriers—and the proverbial glass ceiling. A member of Local 33 (Tucson, AZ), Wiesing plays principal timpani in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and also serves as an […]

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David vs. Goliath: Musicians Take on HBO—and Win

When it comes to labor organizing, it takes hard work and collective action to win. But often it only takes one person to start that change in motion. In March, cellist Theo Zimmerman of Local 802 (New York City), one of a group of musicians from all over the Northeast, was contacted about several days […]

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Cooking Up Ideas to Help Colleagues

Musicians Cook!, the cookbook she compiled with the help of some 300 other musicians—many also members of Local 802—is a labor of love created to help New York City-area colleagues facing dire straits. But it’s just the latest philanthropic endeavor for Youngstein, who has always believed in the power of giving back.

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Michelle Seto: Chamber Orchestra Musician Comes Full Circle

When Michelle Seto of Local 406 (Montreal, PQ) joined Les Violons du Roy in 1992, the unique chamber orchestra had a very short season and minimal benefits for its musician members. Seto says that through hard work and solidarity, the group has achieved international acclaim and has elevated its status to being one of the […]

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Strength of Unions: Cellist Inspires and Educates the Next Generation

Giovanna Moraga Clayton didn’t set out to be on the Local 47 (Los Angeles) executive board. But here she is. “Honestly, I never necessarily wanted to do it,” says the freelance cellist, who has been working in Los Angeles film and television studios for the last 14 years. “But when someone asked me to consider it, I had […]

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Dominic Trumfio

Chicago Theater Musician Creates Art in Every Color of the Rainbow Musicians often don’t wind up where they started when embarking on a chosen career path. And sometimes the place they wind up is even more fulfilling than the one they imagined. As a high school flutist, Chicago native Dominic Trumfio of Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL) might not have […]

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Buffalo Tubist Keeps Traditions Alive Through the Arts

Throughout his professional years, Harry endeavored to maintain tribal traditions and cultural pride. He is a past president (for 10 years) of Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe, Cayuga for Here Lives the People. “Neto is an American Indian arts advocacy group in Buffalo representing the Six Nations group, the remains of the Iroquois Federation and the Tuscarora from North Carolina,” he says.

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