Being a Musician or being a Dreamer?

[Arlee]

There is a difference between following your dreams and being lazy. I have a very talented and good friend who is an amazing fiddle/violin player. However, he refuses to go to music school and hates taking gigs with people because he feels like he is talented enough to be just be discovered and be famous. Which.. as a life plan really isn't very likely.

From what I have seen from you Fluteguy you seem to have a clear understanding of what you want to do and what you need to do to achieve those things. People often confuse dreaming big dreams with not doing anything. To make it as a musician you have to work hard, it's just the nature of life really. It amazes me when people look at other people and say "wow how have they accomplished those incredible things?". It's obvious that they had big ideas and cam up with plans to get there and worked hard.

Basically people who sellout their dreams become bitter people who look at other people who are following their dreams and say they are lazy or that they are "lucky". Those are not the people you should be listening to.

[Guyd]

..

[Bo]

I have always had dreams, and most of them have come true in spite of people saying I am a "dreamer". Without dreams, I don't think I would even have the strength to get out of bed in the morning - why bother?

People who don't have dreams are often jealous of people who do, but you shouldn't listen to them, particularly to people you have met for the first time.

I think dreams are the basis of the building of our happiness and our future because with them we have something to fight for and to stay alive. Artists in general are too sensitive to just live without a vision...

[fluteguy18]

Correct me if I'm wrong FG, but you are saying "I want to do it , I can do it (no doubt) and I will do it!
You should better say " I want to do it, I can do it, and I'll do my best" .....God will finally decide.

No, there's definitely doubt. If there wasn't then this thread wouldn't have started! And I've always had the attitude (okay, be warned... I'm religious), that I will end up where God wants and needs me. If it is not in his plan for me to do that, then I won't do it. So I am in complete agreement with your second statement. Want/Can/Try.

Thanks everyone for the heads up about the Burkhart Job. I'll look into it. I'm fairly sure however that if I am accepted to a program in my top 2-3 schools on my list that I'll hold off on that career path to get my Master's. I'm not worried that I'll fail if I take the chance of achieving my dreams. I'm worried that I'll regret it if I don't try. If I don't try, I'll never know. But if I try and fail, I can still be happy.

Flute is important in my life. But not critical. There is so much more to happiness than an expensive piece of plumbing.

[Phineas]

Flute is important in my life. But not critical. There is so much more to happiness than an expensive piece of plumbing.

Yeah, but it is not about the flute. It is about what you want out of life!

See, money does not solve every problem like some people will lead yo to believe. I have found in my middle age that people who are content are always going to be content. Miserable people who make money are still miserable. This fact should encourage you to keep pursuing your dreams. You are not cave man. You do have a little more control over your life and how you want to live it.

Lastly, if you do not think you have a chance, here are a few reminders!

1. Most multimillionaires are drop outs who statistically were not suppose to do well. They have College grads working for them!
2. If people can make money selling a TV brick, and a Pet Rock, you can sell anything including your art.
3. Ask these people who shoot down your dreams if they are living their dream.
4. Get to know more people who are living their dream. Watch and learn.(This excludes gamblers and lottery winners...lol)
5. Never hang around people who will sabotage your vision!

I know you know all of this. Sometimes we know need a reminder. I am not doing music full time right now. However, I do love my job for the most part. I had to sacrifice and work hard to get where I am today. Even though I do not have much wealth, I have a very blessed and prosperous life. That is how life should be my flute brotha!

Phineas

[Arlee]

5. Never hang around people who will sabotage your vision!

That's a hard lesson to learn sometimes especially if those people are people you feel a certain amount of duty to, but it is really important! Thans for mentioning that

[cflutist]

Phineas,

You have so much wisdom and sage advice. Thanks for posting that.

[wkzh]

I agree with SK and Guyd too.

Music is like sports when it comes to career, compared to other jobs, really, because you have to perform without fail on the spot, with an element of time involved, which makes it much more difficult. Someone like me would love to perform great things (dreaming) but know that it is unrealistic for someone like me, so I don't pursue it. Knowing that, I'm an active theorist, a philomousike, in that sense, but not truly a performing musician. I may take ensemble direction as a career, though, but that's plausible only because it requires a totally different set of skills. If I were you, I'd have taken up that flutemaking offer. For you, that'd be different.

And being good at something is not the same as having a successful career at doing it. I have come to believe that the greatest musicians may not even be well-known, although that is unlikely. Why can't you be a great musician and not perform on stage? I find that perfectly plausible. The converse is also true, some famous musicians aren't really that great, IMHO. A musician as a profession, you must understand, is to make people feel engaged (not amused, mind you) with you and your music. If you actually enjoy doing that, are willing to do it for a living and have the capability to, pursue it! How far you get... is another matter altogether. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it, right?

Think of Einstein. Great guy, great thinking. But he didn't work as a physicist or anything at first; he worked at a patent office, and that was where he had the opportunity to study the new ideas of other people and to amass his own. He wasn't extremely famous until his theories were justified by a total eclipse of the sun, an event that the whole world would be looking at. There are always stepping stones, and it's these stepping stones that obscure your eventual career result.

But if you are planning on supporting a family AND be a performer for a start and purely so... I think that's not such a good idea. Steady income first, dreams later. Minimally, you must have some fall-back plan, e.g. teaching. I'm sure you've prepared that already, though. Otherwise be prepared to postpone family matters, although there's nothing wrong with being poor. As Phineas said, being content is imperative. Even most of those "up there" teach to supplement their income, unless their celebrities like Pahud who gained fame over the years, or prodigies like Mozart and Sarah Chang. My previous flute teacher has to take a job selling electronics just to make a living. Recognition and publicity is vital for success for a performer or recording artist. Competition is intense: in the days of Moyse, Rampal, Taffanel and even Galway, there weren't that many great flautists, but the standards are rising with every generation. Even getting students may be an issue without recognition. The economic terms for this is "demand" and "imperfect competition."

However... since you are religious (ummm... what religion? I suppose from your website you're a Christian?) you may consider thinking of it in another way. Will the music you play reflect your faith? will it edify others? Just a thought to think about. Perhaps the best way to work around that is to teach, with performance and recording of secondary importance. Studio musician? that's a tough one.

Pardon me if I seem a little haphazard or nonsensical! Brain. Not. Working. At. This. Time. Of. The. Night.

[Phineas]

I agree with SK and Guyd too.

Music is like sports when it comes to career, compared to other jobs, really, because you have to perform without fail on the spot, with an element of time involved, which makes it much more difficult. Someone like me would love to perform great things (dreaming) but know that it is unrealistic for someone like me, so I don't pursue it. Knowing that, I'm an active theorist, a philomousike, in that sense, but not truly a performing musician. I may take ensemble direction as a career, though, but that's plausible only because it requires a totally different set of skills. If I were you, I'd have taken up that flutemaking offer. For you, that'd be different.

And being good at something is not the same as having a successful career at doing it. I have come to believe that the greatest musicians may not even be well-known, although that is unlikely. Why can't you be a great musician and not perform on stage? I find that perfectly plausible. The converse is also true, some famous musicians aren't really that great, IMHO. A musician as a profession, you must understand, is to make people feel engaged (not amused, mind you) with you and your music. If you actually enjoy doing that, are willing to do it for a living and have the capability to, pursue it! How far you get... is another matter altogether. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it, right?

Think of Einstein. Great guy, great thinking. But he didn't work as a physicist or anything at first; he worked at a patent office, and that was where he had the opportunity to study the new ideas of other people and to amass his own. He wasn't extremely famous until his theories were justified by a total eclipse of the sun, an event that the whole world would be looking at. There are always stepping stones, and it's these stepping stones that obscure your eventual career result.

But if you are planning on supporting a family AND be a performer for a start and purely so... I think that's not such a good idea. Steady income first, dreams later. Minimally, you must have some fall-back plan, e.g. teaching. I'm sure you've prepared that already, though. Otherwise be prepared to postpone family matters, although there's nothing wrong with being poor. As Phineas said, being content is imperative. Even most of those "up there" teach to supplement their income, unless their celebrities like Pahud who gained fame over the years, or prodigies like Mozart and Sarah Chang. My previous flute teacher has to take a job selling electronics just to make a living. Recognition and publicity is vital for success for a performer or recording artist. Competition is intense: in the days of Moyse, Rampal, Taffanel and even Galway, there weren't that many great flautists, but the standards are rising with every generation. Even getting students may be an issue without recognition. The economic terms for this is "demand" and "imperfect competition."

However... since you are religious (ummm... what religion? I suppose from your website you're a Christian?) you may consider thinking of it in another way. Will the music you play reflect your faith? will it edify others? Just a thought to think about. Perhaps the best way to work around that is to teach, with performance and recording of secondary importance. Studio musician? that's a tough one.

Pardon me if I seem a little haphazard or nonsensical! Brain. Not. Working. At. This. Time. Of. The. Night.

I respectfully disagree. Most players that i know that try to make a living at it and fail usually have the same pitfallls. This is true for many businesses.

1. They think they should be the star/unrealistic expectations. How are you going to be a star if no one knows you? In a lot of cases, musicians make more a year than most star performers. Blame the media for the misconception. Ask some of these Pop artists!
2. Not enough of a people person. Some people use being an artist as an excuse to be strange. Artists often think just because they are good, people have to put up with them. Or worse, do not dress or play appropriately for the gig. Fact is, no matter how good you are, public relations is the key to your success.
3. People think that just because they are working for themselves, they do not have to worry about time. Street players show up when they feel like it. Give them a studio gig, they still show up when they feel like it. Not a good way to give an impression of a good work ethic, or customer service.
4. They think that everyone that hires them has a bottomless pit of money.
5. They spend money as fast as they get it. Artists in general have a poor sense of how running a business is suppose to work.
6. They lack the sense of self investment. Sitting around waiting for the big break, instead of doing the best with the resources they already have.
7. Self marketing and promotion. At times, I wind up making more money part time than my full time counter parts. Why, because I get out and meet people, and they like me.
8. Self sabotage! There are a lot of good players out there that just want to play for bragging rights. They have no desire to make money, or be big. They just want to look cool in front of their friends. Worse, these people will start getting gigs, and will flat out stop showing up. Because it is too much work.
9. The day job crowd. I guess I fall into this category to a point. I have a day job that pays more than i would make as a session musician. I still like to play, but just do not have the time to pursue music. That is not to say I could not make it if I change my focus. There is a certain comfort in having a job. However, it is still not an excuse. You can STILL make a living playing music.

You know, every time I look at the discovery channel I see people making a living doing obscure things like tagging sharks, busting myths, driving trucks on ice, digging up crap in the desert, building commercial space craft, chasing tornadoes, etc.... etc.... How do people get jobs and funding for those projects? The same skills that it takes to be successful in anything. Skill, politics, hard work and a little luck.

If a person can make money figuring out what happens when poop hits a fan, person can make a living doing almost anything!

Phineas

[Classitar]

Even the most famous musicians make a large part of their income teaching.
If you don't want to teach you are severely limiting your professional possibilities.

[Bo]

Even the most famous musicians make a large part of their income teaching.
If you don't want to teach you are severely limiting your professional possibilities.

Yes, the same has been said on a piano board...

[Arlee]

Even the most famous musicians make a large part of their income teaching.
If you don't want to teach you are severely limiting your professional possibilities.

This is true... but some people really should not be teachers. There are people out there who are wildly talented, but can't really express it in a way to other people that they could learn from them. Even worse are the talented but, some would say, abusive teachers. Some people are just aware that teaching is not something they should be doing. This obviously doesn't just go for teaching music though

[wkzh]

I respectfully disagree. Most players that i know that try to make a living at it and fail usually have the same pitfallls. This is true for many businesses.

Somehow I agree with you... meaning that my entire reply was incoherent, or you're not referring to my reply per se. Let's see...
1. I think there's a cultural discrepancy here? As far as I know, Asian culture is way different from American.
2. I actually wanted to add this to my reply, but didn't because it seemed obvious and I included it in "capabilities." Heh, cheapo me. And point of note: people here don't dress appropriately for ANYTHING.
3. I don't quite know anything about street player work ethics, actually. Singapore? buskers are rare, most are really just scratching a living by singing to keyboard accompaniments with tambourines and stuff. There are very few true skilled musicians, I would say. The occasional few actually just busk for fun and don't require it as a source of income. (There was this guy who demonstrated the public's skewed view of instrumentalists. He played the erhu, a mournful yet very beautiful sounding instrument. He asserted that if he sat down outside the station and started playing, he'd get some cash. Experiment success. Great player. But he did it just for fun. So Guyd, he had no "job" as a musician, but neither is he a busker!)
4. If someone actually hires you...
5. It depends. Cultural differences again.
6. I suppose this isn't the same as "pursuing" a career in music, right?
7. Stated.
8. Now... this IS irresponsible.
9. True. But I'm just saying that it's hard to start making a living playing music.

Come to think of it, the culture and market's very important. A lot of musicians (and any other field, really) from China come to Singapore because there are just so few opportunities in China, some limited geographically. Whether they get a job here when they come... that's a different matter.

And an example of a great musician who ultimately couldn't support himself with his music? Mozart. I'm sure society's different today though, so don't worry about having to dance just to keep warm! But ultimately $$ isn't the driving force of being a musician, it's just that musicians have to find ways of supplementing $$ while chasing their dreams.

Btw...

If a person can make money figuring out what happens when poop hits a fan, person can make a living doing almost anything!

Those people are called "physicists." They get funding either by being really awesome people, being attached to an institute (just like being a music teacher), or by being tools to boost a company's revenue by upping the quality of their ads with "scientific evidence." Face it, many scientists are scratching a living too.

This is true... but some people really should not be teachers. There are people out there who are wildly talented, but can't really express it in a way to other people that they could learn from them. Even worse are the talented but, some would say, abusive teachers. Some people are just aware that teaching is not something they should be doing. This obviously doesn't just go for teaching music though

Agreed. There are sooooo many horrible teachers that ruin their student's chances of doing well. But usually for things like math or the sciences though. I mean in a more general sense.