Office Hours · Apr 14
Cold outreach: first emails, the 80/20 rule, getting unstuck
What was covered
Outreach-focused session. Saad reviewed 5 students' draft cold emails live, edited them in real time, explained each cut. Recurring themes: openings shouldn't lead with the composer's own credentials, asks should be small enough to be answered in 30 seconds (yes/no), curiosity about the recipient's work creates response loops. Closed with the 80/20 rule — 'at some point, you gotta just send it out.'
Transcript
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[00:01:24] Saad:Welcome everyone. I see we have twelve people on. Before we dig in, let me say something I've been thinking about a lot this week...
[00:03:51] Saad:The single most common mistake I see, especially with people coming from grad programs, is jumping into Sibelius too early. The notation program creates this finality — once it's in there, it's mentally hard to revise the bones.
[00:08:14] Marcus:Yeah, that's exactly where I'm stuck on Tide Glass. The harmonic field feels right but the rhythm isn't landing.
[00:08:42] Saad:Pick one parameter per work session. You already named it on your piece — "rhythm against sustained harmonic field" — keep that as the only thing you're developing this week. Don't open Sibelius yet.
[continues for 78 minutes...]