Thoughts on music and career development
So, you achieved mastery and you need a job. What are you doing? Sending resumes? Calling people? Waiting for the phone to ring to get that invitation to perform with the local orchestra or at Carnegie Hall? This strategy will not lead to fulfilling your dreams. You must create your own opportunities. Today, a musician must be an entrepreneur; our art is dying and there are not enough opportunities for all. We can still play music for the love of it, but is we want to make a living through music, we must create our own opportunities. You wonder, why is our art dying? Because several generations of musicians preceding us (and many musicians today) have not realized the social responsibility of making music for people and serving as an advocate for music as an art, for the need of the arts in the society as a major component of our lives, and for the major role that artistic expression serve in reflecting individual and collective emotions, thoughts and ideas. You are a knight with an invisible armor – go battle.
3 Comments:
35 years ago I elected not to go to music school because I am not the entrepreneurial type. I realized back then that the only way to make a living playing the trumpet was to be a force for myself constantly striving to find that new, more important orchestra job....or teach. It was not in my character to be forceful or to teach, so I am now an accountant. Subbing in the Wilmington Orch. recently was new to me instead of being "old hat". Regrets? Many and none. We must accept our choices and live life accordingly. I advocate music today by making sure my children play instruments, by supporting music in the schools and by playing in a local concert band serving the community. Is our art dying? It is certainly changing. As time permits I cannot wait to try my hand at composing using my computer.
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It is hard to pursue an intellectual or artistic activity as a profession or as a passion/hobby, especially in an environment where the material success is most appreciated and the $ governs much of the world around us. I personally found it difficult not to judge my success by financial parameters, and went through a personal identity crisis when the material and spiritual values pulled me in opposite directions. The artistic identity and self-evaluation questions are perennial dilemmas for an artist, so we must accept them and break through any doubts we have. Music is not for personal success or financial gain, but the true meaning is revealed through the impact it has upon people.
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