I’m a little bit of a small-town gal, even though I grew up in a city. Atlanta, like Nashville, runs a bit like a small town with a cosmopolitan flair. Honestly, I’d say the same about Boston too. Being at a major, extremely fast-growing company has been overwhelming at times. There are many chains of command, and many paths to getting things accomplished. Sometimes it’s a bit like a maze.

My luck has been such that I can communicate directly with most anyone here, but it is certainly not that way for everyone. And, this is strange to me. I’m going through some growing pains understanding what it means to be at an international music company. Not everyone has a say in everything, and some people are subordinate to others. I am surprised at how surprising that has been to me! I’m gonna attribute it to the fact that I grew up in a place where there are a ton of mom-n-pop style music businesses, and leave it at that.

Mainly these past weeks I’ve been fitting myself into the team, and understanding where I should and shouldn’t be as an intern. And that gets extremely confusing! Knowing how to say yes, and how to say no, and to whom, and how often, can be difficult to understand. And even more tough is applying that knowledge. So, I’m working on it, and trying my best to stick my ground, even when the slope gets slippery.

Sometimes I think that if I were a major executive it’d be easier because I could just always know my place. Short of that, I need to be pointed in the right direction. How come the route to the top doesn’t come with GPS?

Read Sara’s other posts

“Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?!”

“Who Is My Boss?“

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Sara Rachele, former vocalist and keyboardist for The Love Willows (Decca), has been studying at Berklee since mid 2009. A songwriting and music business major, Sara is the Creative Intern at music publisher BMG/Chrysalis. She is currently living in the East Village with her dog Hank Williams.

Justine
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