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As a young professional I eagerly accepted playing jobs anywhere they could be found – no matter how far they were or how little they paid. I was still wet behind the ears and needed the experience. I showed up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to play anywhere or anytime for anything.
When living and working in Chicago years ago, I played in the Chicago Civic Orchestra, worked at a record store, and played some gigs. This included a few orchestras in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.
At lot of road time was burned in those days and eventually the realization sunk in that for all the work I was doing, I was seeing very little of it in the bank. I was busy all the time but had nothing to show for it.
Plenty of experience was being gained, but a large chunk of my income was getting lost on the road through car and hotel expenses. Once I realized this and started to do the math, those jobs in other states started to look less and less appealing.
Eventually I decided to shift my focus towards a better living. I began insisting on local work.
Working smarter, not harder
An article by Chicago freelancer Jason Heath sums it up very well. His advice:
Work close to home!
Unless you’re being compensated accordingly, try your utmost to build something up in your community. If opportunities don’t exist, create them for yourself (see my article Musical Entrepreneurship for my suggestions and a more elaborate discussion of this topic).
Consultant Drew McManus has a very handy Gig After Gas Calculator that still gets plenty of use for crunching numbers. For myself, if the profit ends up being a significant loss, the job gets rejected.
A time for everything
Of course sometimes there may be little choice in the matter. Just like when I myself was young, the need for experience – or just the desire to play – may outweigh the desire for great sums of money.
For a young music professional this can be a great way to learn about the world, but in time practicality might need to step in and take over.
As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This saying can have many meanings but for the traveling freelancer, it takes on a particularly ironic twist.
Traveling with the opera
These days there is one exception to the traveling rule and that is with the Arizona Opera.
Because Arizona Opera presents shows in both Phoenix and Tucson, there are many long evening hours driving back and forth for dress rehearsals. The musicians in the orchestra commute from throughout Arizona – Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.
Late night trips on Arizona’s I-10 or I-17 interstate freeways are many times necessary. The musicians in the Arizona Opera Orchestra are people and professionals who work and have families. Most need to work multiple jobs in order to make a living.
Continuing with the AZOOMA article from last Wednesday, “What Are Opera Rehearsals For?” the discussion turns to the dress rehearsal. For myself, the dress rehearsals for the Arizona Opera mean lots of late night driving back and forth from Phoenix to Tucson.
It is a two hour drive but fortunately in our case, our travel expenses are covered. At least for the time being.
