"Someone hit the big score, they figured it out. They were gonna do it anyway even if it doesn't pay...." sings Gillian Welch in one of my favourite songs. Its the noble ideal...making Music for the very love and inspiration of it, regardless of it's margin for profit or even audience.
It takes me back to age 14 sitting in my Career's Officers room and watching her sift through my Jig Cal results.
"Hmmm it says here Musician" as she shuffles papers
"Do you think you are good enough to play in an orchestra?..."
My mind does somersaults in an attempt to answer the near impossible question...I am fourteen.. I have yet to develop my musicality to it's fullest... I already play in an orchestra but I'm not sure it's the sort of calibre she is talking about...
"er... I'm not sure..." I reply.
"Well I wouldn't pursue it then, only top Musicians make a living from Music"
And there it was. The potential end of my musical career according to JigCal's Career Advisor.
Everyday I thank God for my headstrong and defiant nature that chose to ignore her advice and subsequently gained work in Music Teaching, Theatre Direction, Piano Accompaniment, Music Therapy, Choral and Film Composing and Performing my own songs. None of these things have made me famous (as yet!) None of these things have made me rich, but compared to the prospect of working in a factory in Northampton (which I thought at the time to be a viable but MUCH less preferred option) I can honestly say I have found a life full of pleasure and meaning from it, both for myself and others.
Still I am asked regularly by strangers "Oh you're a musician?, are you famous then?' to which I shake a weary head of despair and mumble about having been successful in other ways, none of which seem to interest nor impress them. On occasions when I am bored I have been known to answer in the positive for entertainment value, until I let them down gently from their tunnel vision. But I'm not blaming these strangers, not in the slightest.
As part of my Musical Curriculum in their very first lesson I would ask my Year 9's what they thought Music was. They would usually answer "Entertainment."
Not Philosophy, Mathematics, Healing, Social Bonding, Absolute Music, Expression of Historical and Human Consciousness, some of the many responses they could have made. Without learning it how could they know ?
So I don't mind that lay people assume that Music is for entertainment nowadays. It's not historically incorrect to assume so, not since Liszt broke pianos with such passion that ladies began to throw their undergarments at him and Beethoven commanded his own fee for playing. What IS incorrect, is to assume that Musicians need to be celebrities in order to justify their vocation, or that entertainment is it's ONLY function. There are ways to make a living in the arts. They require skill and a certain level of expertise but not all require fame to be viable.
Of course it helps to be known on the Music scene. How else do people approach you in the first place ? But there are thriving local scenes where musicians promote each other for free and build musical networks of talent and friendship. Don't be duped by companies offering fame in return for cash, it's neither likely nor desirable that they turn your Music into a product. Your Musical reputation and reliability speak for themselves and carry weight with other musicians who will recommend you to venues or invite you to support them. Real networking creates community and communities are more valuable to the world than celebrities.
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