Spring Break is no longer a pleasantry I'm allowed to part take in - it's not on my calendar as a "holiday" anymore. Oh how nice it must be to enjoy the moments of an undergraduate degree again.
But you won't see me begging for those years back. No, I definitely learned some really important life lessons in my undergrad and have really blossomed into a thought-provoking, well-mannered individual.
But to the subject at hand. My meeting this morning was about developing a clarinet pedagogy course - which sort of segued into a developing as a musician and performing in general. Questions like, why aren't students and professionals alike preparing themselves for the next stage in their life? Particularly to students, why aren't you actively making choices that will benefit you and your career? Being raised in a fortunate family doesn't mean you can't work at this career - not the career of a musician. No amount of money will make YOU a better performer - you have to work.
But - this then sort of spiraled into a conversation about what our jobs hold for us in the future.
Job descriptions are changing and it's time that we adjust and re-orientate our goals as such. A performing musician - one whose sole source of income - is a slowly dying market. Quite frankly, I won't be surprised if in the next ten years it is all but extinct.
Not that this is a bad thing. No - definitely not. What is evolving lay the foundation for the future of musicians across the world.
The evolution of the super-musician.
Our jobs are no longer to merely play, performer and entertain the public. We are now entrepreneurs, writers, teachers, scholars, administrative executives, AND sick-nasty performers.
It's not the result of a dying art - it's the result of an evolving art. We are too stuck in our archaic ways of the past and unable to forgo ideals of the 50's - music is a new genres. IEP's need to change, music programs need to adjust their curriculum and we need to keep pace with the technological and sociological developments of society.
We are the sole proprietor of our dreams.
And you know - I'm rather looking forward to the future.
Thank you so much for this post. Composers need to be doing the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree! We create our future as musicians (performers and composers alike) and I too, am looking forward to what the future holds. I very much enjoyed your post. =)
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