Struggling to make it, a violinist is pondering dumping the music thing. I read about this first here. Along with this post and this there’s some interesting reading.
Thoughts?
I know that if I had to drop this career ‘o mine I couldn’t possibly go into Law. Not smart enough. Not bold enough. Definitely not willing to do the work. I’ve tried to figure out what I could do. My only other jobs were Winchell’s Donuts cashier, Books Inc. cashier and later bookkeeper, and music librarian. What if I lost a finger? What if I suffered focal dystonia (as has happened to other musicians)? Just what would I do? I honestly don’t know!
Notice I’m not contemplating what would happen if all the groups I am involved in crashed and burned. I don’t even want to go there.
This guy has deluded himself. He has already succeeded in
my opinion. He is living and making a living practising his art
in a nice clean, safe, highly desireable resort town with good weather,
which has all the amenities of a metropolitan area–but without all the
crime, filth, stress, and status seeking. A place where lots of
people would love to live–and pay big bucks and make some small
sacrifices in order to be able to live in such a great
environment.
He hasn’t gotten to the top of the ladder and won fame and fortune, but
so what? The music profession is like all others in that it is a
pyramid with few positions at the top and many more below.
Wait until he finishes the rigors of law school and finds out
what a small percentage of positions available are in high paying,
prestigious corporate law firms. Even if he is lucky enough and
talented enough to be selected for one of these top level jobs, that
are equivalent to getting in a major symphony orchestra or being
launched in a major concert soloist career, does he realize
how many hours a week a new associate in a law firm has to work at
mind-numbing tasks in a high pressure, “do or die” environment.
After 6-7 years of long hours, toil, and stress, how manyof those
asssociates even are selected for a partnership? Most
of the jobs in the legal profession pay moderate (but liveable)
salaries…just like the one he has now.
There are many ways to make your way in this world as a musician or
artist without falling into the trap of expecting that there is only
one path to success and fulfillment. You can even be a lawyer, if
you truly find the call to be one, and you can still find a niche
as a musician as well. I have known several lawyers who were
outstanding musicians. One even had played in one of the big five
symphony orchestra but changed direction because, after all his
training, time and effort practising his horn, he found that the life
of a full-time symphony musician really didn’t make him happy or meet
all of his personal needs and interests. He played in our local
orchestra made up of a mix of full-time musicians, college and
public school music teachers, and advanced students. Every fall
he sounded a little rustly from not practising much over the summer,
but by the first concert he was playing beautifully and
musically. By the last concert of the season he sounded as good,
as accurate and as musical as any professional player. His life
was balanced nicely for his personal preferences. He was not
bitter about changing careers. He never “gave up” music. He just
found another way to reach his goals. He didn’t “give up his
dream”; he just found a life that worked for him and had time for
family, job, and music. He chose to live in a smaller city (with
not a great climate and plenty of social and economic problems)
where he worked in a good law practice, providing good service to
his clients, being active in the civic life of his community, and
still having the satisfaction of making music.