Archived under: Inspiration & The Big Picture, Teaching, The Business | Teachers
Considering the “Backup” Career while Studying Music
A second career.
For over a dozen years now, I have been a freelance web developer. It has had its up and downs, but in the dry periods when there are no music gigs it has been a tremendous boost.
When in college, a common perception among some serious students was an “all or nothing” philosophy; that if you are less than 100% devoted to your Art, you are lessening your chances of success and are a “lesser” musician.
This is hardly the case of course and in fact, having a backup career seems like a very smart plan, especially in this current economy.
Then, there is always the unexpected that can happen:
When a Rottweiler attacked Oakland French hornist Erin Vang, her shredded lips and face prevented her from playing the horn for four years. Fortunately, a college double major in music and math paved the way to computers, and Vang worked until recently as a facilitative leader at SAS, a statistical software company.
The full story is here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/11/entertainment/ca-moonlight11
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