I pick up my oboe and English horn tomorrow, after having left them in the shop for a rather good amount of time. I knew I had no work all summer (rats) and this would be a perfect time to be away from them.
The cost?
$1,100 total.
Yes, really.
Needless to say, they needed a lot of work. They are old. Things go wrong. Plus I’d been rather negligent and hadn’t taken them in when I should have. (Once a year is the smart thing to do. Or at least once a year!)
This is part of the musician’s life. We purchase our own instruments. We maintain them. And many oboist (not me) replace them frequently. (Do I need to add the reed expense bit here? Hm.)
All I can think about at the moment is, “How many students will it take to pay for this expense?!”
I’m glad I really love to teach (most of the time: recently there have been a few students who have pretty much refused to practice and that makes it less enjoyable). In case any readers think I make enough to survive with my performing groups please know my main source of income is actually teaching, NOT performing! I would, in fact, make a better income if I gave up performing all together and filled rehearsal and performance time with students. Crazy, isn’t it?
