Drew Alexander Forde — That Viola Kid

You know it seems to me, that as a rule, people don’t pay a lot of attention to viola players. If I asked you today, there’s a fair chance you could name a couple of violinists and a cellist or two, but viola players rarely get noticed. Which is why, when I saw that an instagram account called That Viola Kid had 120,000 followers, I sat back and took notice. The thing is, not only is this guy a boss on instagram, the kid can play.
As a lapsed viola player myself, I was really curious to see what was going on with this account and the guy behind it. With a slew of engaging content on instagram and a thriving youtube channel as well, I reached out to That Viola Kid to see if we could talk. Neither being a classically trained musician or a big deal in social media is unusual on its own, but from the outside it seems an unlikely combination.

Join me as I dive deep into classical music, social media, story narratives and hip hop, with the best violist you know, That Viola Kid, aka Drew Alexander Forde.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Drew’s mum began cultivating a love for classical music in him from a very early age
• How he chose his instrument: “I was always looking for a way to express myself melodically, which is ironic, because I play the viola.”
• Training yourself to be patient and have long term goals if you wanted to have any longevity in the social media space
• “My goal is not to be the greatest violist on Planet Earth. I want to be the best violist you know.”
• Why chamber music is the entry point to invigorate a new audience for classical music
• GroupMuse - host your own chamber music house party
• When trying to discover a way to be noticed, Drew asked “How would I get somebody to come to my concert?” To answer his own question, he challenged himself to become the online “big brother” of a lot of younger kids who play music.
• How Drew’s audience has grown up alongside him. “There’s a kinship and an attachment that we’ve created.”
• Creating a network where people feel like they’re seen and heard.
• Social media is Reality TV 2.0 - where people can take a voyeuristic look into what their life might have looked like.
• Wisecrack - a youtube channel that covers the philosophy of modern media
• How we’ve changed the way we think about classical music
• Rethinking the way classical music is presented and consider the possibilities of educational, interactive performances
• Leonard Bernstein and the Young People’s Concerts single-handedly engendered and created an incredible new audience for classical music
• The art doesn’t have to change, but maybe the way we present it does.
• Duality
• How To Make Money as a Musician
• “The best part of creating your own music (especially with lyrics) is that it allows people to have an intimate conversation with you, and you with them.”
• Shape of You
• The ways artists can invest in social media
  • Creating a story narrative
  • Engage your audience by asking them questions
  • Create content that you would want to see
    • Help somebody
    • Help them learn a new skill
    • Help them feel better
    • Answer questions & problems
  • Help people understand what you do
  • Don’t worry about going viral. Focus on spreading the largest foundation you can.
  • The more content you have out there, the more likely you are there to stay
  • Do it consistently, because you never know who may discover content and when
  • You’ve got to be in the long game
• How to develop a story narrative
• “Imagine yourself as a tv show that has (hopefully) 80 seasons.”
• The similarities between a story narrative and music’s sonata form.
• The importance of building community and #playhomieplay
• Focussing on the depth of engagement with your followers can help you become platform-proof

Follow: Drew Alexander Forde instagram youtube patreon website