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The pleasures in performing music are relatively well known – they seem practically innate from birth. Over time these joys can mature into a life-long relationship, and perhaps even into a professional career.
A regular job in a symphony or opera orchestra, or chamber group is a job that is like no other. The experience at its best includes:
- the joy of performing great music
- the pleasures of making music with others
- sharing that experience with audiences
Why look at the underbelly?
Regular readers may notice that when writing about the music profession, I often examine its darker side.
The reasons for doing so are an earnest attempt:
- self-analysis of my own music career and experiences, past and present,
- to expose younger musicians to potential pitfalls that they might encounter along the way, and how to avoid or cope with them,
- and to affect a positive change by drawing these darker issues into the light.
Compare and contrast
So if performing music is all about doing what you love, why do some professionals seem kind of bitter and jaded?
To a student especially this attitude may be very confounding. It seems so antithetical and counter-productive towards all the great things that great music is about.
Speaking in very broad and general terms here is one angle to consider – perhaps this odd dichotomy, in part at least, is a generational gap:
Younger people,
with the remainder of their lives well ahead of them, look forward to new things and new adventures in their lives. With an abundance of energy and a clean slate to drawn upon, they are ready to tackle the world. The young are eager to forge ahead with their lives.
Older people,
at the middle or end of their lives also look forward to new adventures, but at a certain point the majority of their life experience lies behind them. Older adults may look backwards more often and will want to share those experiences with others, as both encouragement and as cautionary tales to the young.
Younger people
may expend their energies in a wide spectrum, casting a wide path. They will explore as many avenues as possible to take advantage of all that life has to offer. They may take greater risks in pursuit of greater rewards.
Older people
having already explored a wide path and having discovered what works for them, might be less inclined to take big risks. Having acquired some experience, they may prefer to take more measured and calculated risks.
Younger people
in school get to experience a great deal of freedom and autonomy in musical tastes and repertoire, though large and small ensembles, and recitals.
Older people
who perform in orchestras or freelance may have less freedom and opportunity, but are able to support themselves with the earned income.
Perspective
Generally speaking, the quality of a musical life may have much to do with attitude, age and experience. There are positive things to be learned from each generation of course – the open-minded sense of wonder from the young, and the benefits of wisdom from the aged, as examples.
These are just a few broad points to get started. I invite comments below to continue this discussion.
Further reading:
- How does such great music engender such bitter people?
Max Levinson - Some thoughts of an orchestral musician concerning auditions and the musical life
Marylou Speaker Churchill - Perfect pitch – the orchestral musician
Karen O’Conner - The puzzle of our lives
Doug Yeo - Sex, drugs and symphony orchestras
Norman Lebrecht - Orchestra life
Robert Levine
