INCREASINGLY over the last two decades I've discouraged more and more people from considering a career in music. As a music teacher that's kind of like a butcher encouraging his customers to go vegan. I have tried to talk several young people out of majoring in music, telling them they should only do it if a. they intended to major in Music Ed. in which case they have a chance at paid employment with benefits or, b. they absolutely couldn't stand not doing something else that would keep them from falling into musician destitution. Trying to make a living as a private music teacher has become much harder than it used to be, few parents are willing to make their kids take lessons and practice (few used to insist on that, which is OK, I always figured it was their choice).
Unless lightning strikes and you're one of the few who hit it big, being a musician is a very bad job - not the job itself, the pay and the conditions and the total lack of benefits. It is, for most of us, a guarantee of a bare-bones existence, with little to no security, constant struggles to get paid even what was agreed to, precarious health and dental care and, as you get older it only gets worse. I know very few musicians who aren't faculty members who have all of their teeth.
I used to tell people I was a musician because it was cheaper and more effective than going to see a shrink, which is how it often functioned in my life. Though I think a lot of the anxiety I suffered for was due to not having a reliable income and things like dental insurance. I think I'd probably have been better off if I'd taken a permanent day-job that might have provided those things and kept the music as a private life - it would have taken another life to do it.
All of this is by way of explaining what's been going on with me, a couple of health scares, one which, at least for now, is not the fatal condition I was led to expect late this spring, the other minor but pressing. That along with having to take care of family responsibilities (an ailing, failing sibling who needs help) and having to rely on food I grow or gather (never seen so many blueberries as we have this year, at least something's good) not only for myself but for said sibling. I'm certainly hoping to get back to something like the schedule I used to keep here. I might try experimenting with posting three pieces a week, maybe more finished writing. But even that is uncertain.
Sorry for not writing, writing could have turned into a bad habit like music did, only sometimes people pay people to write. Though the scribbling for pay business has certainly taken a hit with the demise of newspapers. I'm habitually impractical, I guess. I should have gone into non-profit management. See what I mean?
Don't feel sorry for me, I made his soup myself. I'm just giving you an explanation and maybe a warning.
My daughter who is pursuing music got almost identical advice. It's very difficult to make a living and if you continue you may well end up in education. So this fall she will be attending a conservatory to pursue a degree in music education. During an audition (her primary instrument is saxophone) the professor asked about her plans and she said music ed. He congratulated her and told her he thought a music performance degree might be the most useless degree possible! The other advice she got was to be extremely conscious of education debt. Too many musicians she knew had gone to expensive schools with names you would instantly recognize. Their later earnings could never cover the costs. Even when they got a later masters of education, they were still burdened with their undergraduate loans.
ReplyDeleteThe final advice, more from current music teachers was to carefully look at the strength of the music ed programs. Nationally known music conservatories would claim to have music ed programs, but they were cobbled together with the education department at the university with no specialization. One school offered her a lot of money, but when she found out they graduated a single music ed student the previous year, she crossed it off the list (but the financial aid offer was helpful when she narrowed her choices down to a two schools and asked each for more money using the higher offer as leverage). The better music ed programs where honest that often your first job would be elementary school music and they would prepare you well for that, even if your aspirations were for middle or high school. You would need that first job to eventually move up to those other positions.
Getting real answers from schools was a challenge, we realized you had to ask very specific and direct questions. (such as how many graduates the last 3 years, how many education faculty actually in the music school, adjunct versus full time faculty). It all worked out well, a very strong academic record and scores along with her musicianship got her admission to a very strong program at a well recognized music conservatory at a private college, at a cost that was no more than sending her to our state university system (the amount is so close it was clear that was their target). The school has 100% placement of their music ed students. Between us, and one of her grandparents, with summer jobs and working between semesters she could actually graduate owing nothing. I can't tell you how grateful we were for all the music people we knew being honest about what it takes to pursue music, the mistakes they had made and how to avoid them. You can love music, but "follow your bliss", or "if your good you will always find a way to pursue your art", or "go to the school with the famous name, don't worry about the cost" are all really terrible advice when it comes time to pay off loans, finance a car, afford a decent place to live and have children.
I think I'll print out your answer and hand it to all of my students or any other music student who expresses a desire to major in music. It is excellent advice.
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