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Saturday, April 07, 2007 "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" (CS Lewis). Seeing trained musicians give up on music makes me a little sad. I was talking to a former graduate conducting student (undergrad in piano) tonight who's now a day trader. He barely plays anymore. Part of the problem is that once you've been working at such a high level of musicianship, working with a bad community orchestra or mediocre church choir is more frustrating than fulfilling. It can become an all-or-nothing scenario. Less extreme are some friends from the University of Michigan, which has one of the top music programs in the country--all of these guys still play, but they're no longer trying to make a career out of it (then again, when you're pursuing music as a career, often very little of your time actually involves playing and creating music). I know a vocal major who's now a stockbroker, a guy with a master's degree in conducting who's been working in computers and may go into law. How many of these choices are driven primarily by a change in interest and desire and how many are driven by frustration or a realization of practicalities, it's hard to say. It's so difficult to do well--and we'll define "well" here by being able to make a living, nothing particularly extravagant--in the music world, often regardless of talent, that many people end up giving up in some way. This summer I talked to a pianist who graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and also got a jazz degree in the US; after years of performing and trying to promote himself, he ended up so cynical about being a professional pianist that he now makes music he acknowledges as crap because it allows him to be his own boss. He doesn't play for fun anymore. He just plays some keyboard in his booth at art fairs in order to attract old ladies who like his soothing, synthesized versions of famous movie songs and will buy CDs. It's a decent living by his own rules, though he's lost his love for playing, his love for music. I'm sure we can all find examples in our own experiences of the people who were amazing artists, actors, writers, musicians in high school but seemed to drop their passion entirely once they left. When I was in my junior year, I saw this and went a little overboard in some ways, deciding that instead of letting years of musical training go to waste, I would concentrate in flute performance when I got to college. (I didn't end up as a music major, though I did spend a lot of late nights practicing in the music building.) Perhaps it's no real loss--people's interests and callings change, and those experiences remain part of who they are. But I can't help but feel like something precious goes missing in the transition. Labels: hopes and dreams, musicians ^ Top | 8:50 AM | | | 
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