By Brett Walfish

Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Each one has revolutionized the way in which we connect with the world around us.  Facebook keeps us connected with our friends old and new. Twitter lets us stay informed to the latest news. LinkedIn is a platform that helps people in many fields find their dream jobs. However, none of these platforms are specialized enough to serve our needs as musicians.

This is why I created MusicaMatch. MusicaMatch is a network designed around the growing needs of musicians.  It allows you to create a profile that highlights your unique musical background. Your mentors, your summer festivals, your achievements, your inspirations. Imagine being able to use this information and more to find musicians to collaborate with for a gig, a concert, or simply get together, make music, and have a good time.

Using the information in profiles, you can search for other users using filtered searches. These searches can help you find other musicians using parameters to specify age, degree, school attended, location, and more. Once you have found a person of interest (or they have found you), MusicaMatch allows you to communicate with each other via in-app messenger.

When we are in school, we have a support system comprised of our teachers, our friends—who are often also musicians, and the resources of our institutions. However, when we graduate or move to a new city, we can be alone and without a musical network. For even the most proactive among us, in some cities, “breaking in” to the new community and building a reputation can take two years or more! MusicaMatch will streamline that process for you.

At MusicaMatch, we aim to help you build your network at your own pace and on your own terms, without uncertainty. In order for this to succeed, we need you to join our network when we launch this fall. We will facilitate your networking needs so that you can focus on making music. The success of MusicaMatch, and our ability to help you grow your network, lies entirely in your hands as musicians.

The initial release, coming this fall, is an iPhone app. The interface has been designed to look and feel comfortable, be user friendly and familiar. This allows us to focus on connecting with one another.

At MusicaMatch, our goal is to help you connect online, so that you can make awesome music offline.

For more information and to join our mailing list, please visit www.musicamatch.com and follow us on Facebook.

—

Brett Walfish is currently working toward a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University. He earned his Master’s Degree and Graduate Diploma in Viola Performance from New England Conservatory in 2012 and 2013 and his Bachelor’s of Music in Viola Performance from Indiana University. Brett is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Rushmore Music Festival.