We were lucky to catch up with Mace Hibbard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I think this is one of the most important aspects of being an artist. Very few artists/musicians are able to make a “full-time living” by doing just one thing. I think my story is fairly typical in relation to what I know of my friends that are musicians. I started playing gigs in high school. Obviously at that point, it was more fun than anything, and the money was just for fun. As I entered college, I didn’t have any gigs my first year as I was new to Austin, Texas and there were much more accomplished musicians in the area. I got the opportunity my second year to start teaching private lessons to middle school students in the area. That one school turned into another school, which turned into another school. By the time I graduated, I had around 50 middle school and high school students a week. I also was gigging more and more, but not necessarily the kind of gigs I “wanted” to do. I thought that I only wanted to play straight ahead jazz, but the gigs I was playing were Blues/Soul gigs and wedding gigs. It turns out this was the most important thing I could do, because it opened up much more of the music scene to me and made me a MUCH more well rounded musician. I was also composing and arranging for a lot of these bands, which just added to my skill set.

After moving to Atlanta in 2003, it was much the same story. Except now, I was teaching adjunct at a college in Alabama that i drove to 2 days a week. I started playing wedding gigs to immerse myself in the scene. After a couple of years, I was able to get the adjunct jazz saxophone teaching position at Georgia State University, where I taught for 15 years. I am now teaching at Georgia Tech and Oglethorpe University. Off and on, I have taught at 5 Universities since I have been in Atlanta.

In the performing area, my gigs and contacts kept growing and growing. By meeting musicians in various contexts I was able to start getting calls for Jazz gigs, Broadway show, the Atlanta Symphony and Opera, and many other opportunities. I also got some great touring gigs with the Derek Trucks Band and The Jerry Douglas Band, Joe Gransden among others. I am currently playing in Lyle Lovett’s Large Band.

The most important factor is that ALL of the other gigs that I did in college or when I was first in Atlanta prepared me for the “bigger” gigs that came along after. The entire time I was building a skill set that made me marketable. Whether playing saxophone, flute, clarinet or being the arranger, or leading my own band (The Mace Hibbard Quintet), it was the accumulation of years of work. The exact same can be said for my teaching career. I made connections, both personally and professionally, and I tried to always do my absolute best work.

Making a living as an artist is about having a varied set of skills so that you can have numerous avenues to earn income. Each gig is a piece of the pie.

Mace, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a musician/educator in the Atlanta. I currently lead The Mace HIbbard Quintet, co-lead the HIbbard/Wright Project, and am a member of Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. I also perform frequently with The Melvin Jones Quintet and Joe Gransden’s Big Band, and have also had the pleasure of performing with The Atlanta Symphony, the Atlanta Opera, Georgia Symphony Jazz Orchestra, Macon Pops and many of the Broadway shows that come through Atlanta. I am also proud to be a Vandoren Performing Artist.

As an educator, I currently teach at Georgia Tech University and Oglethorpe University. I am a Vandoren Artist and Clinician. I have been a guest artist/clinician at the University of Texas at Austin, Florida State University, The University of Alabama, Jacksonville State University, and many others.

I am most proud of the personal friendships that I have made through music. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that is the true gift of music.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I am most proud of the personal friendships that I have made through music. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that is the true gift of music. All of the other things (playing with famous artists, touring bands, etc) is nice, but I never enjoy music more than playing with friends.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This is a difficult question and much too hard to answer in a few, short sentences, but then most important lesson I have tried to learn is to not make my career/music about ego. Most of the hardships that I have had are the result of feeling that I “deserve” something or what people think of me. While you always have to be aware of your reputation, it is a fine line to not turn it into a very negative thing. The music should not have ego. I have not figured this out, and I never will, but it is constantly on my mind to make sure I am serving the music and my fellow musicians.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.macehibbard.com
• Instagram: @macehibbard1
• Facebook: @macehibbard
• Twitter: @macehibbard
• Youtube: @macehibbard

Image Credits
Keith Taylor

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