your career goals.

[etudefan]

My professor recently stumped me with a question.  He asked me what my career goals are.

Obviously, I told him, I would like to have a successful career as a teacher and performer.   I mean, really what else is there?

but, he did not seem to like my answer.  I think it was the fact that it was too general.  Would anyone mind sharing what their career goal is?   I am 18, freshmen at the juilliard school.  thanks.

[BoliverAllmon]

Here are my goals:

To be the minister of music in a larger church that has several choirs and an orchestra to work with.

To be a good enough performer and conductor to one day be invited to play in Carnegie Hall, Vienna, Germany and other various european cities.

To write a piece of music every week as a special for church, like Bach.

This is the basic idea that I have. I will think about this some more though. Good Topic!!!

Boliver Allmon

[ThEmUsIcMaNBJ]

I would personally love to be a professor of music theory or music history at a respectable college, and possibly teach piano on the side.    That's my goal and I would love it to happen but who knows I'm only 16!  I'll figure something out as I go along.

[chopiszte]

Due to problems in the past with piano/practicing, I am very far behind.  I am 14 years old going into ninth grade, and the most difficult piece I know is one of the more simple Chopin Etudes, the Revolutionary, and currently examining 10/4 while I polish 10/12.

I don't think I will ever be able to become a pianist or a teacher of the piano (my highest hopes), but I do pride myself on my knowledge of music History, and teaching various things to people comes somewhat naturally to me, so I suppose that if my interests remain unchanged for the next 4 years I will try to become a teacher of music history.

[NetherMagic]

wow you guys here seem very focused into music

well I'm not saying i'm not focused   but I'm planning to get into medschool and get into a career that is about medicine/treatment, like a physician, heart specialist, etc.

Though I'm planning to get my ARCT teacher degree as a backup career =]

[amee]

I want to be a doctor ~ maybe a surgeon of some sort.  

[BuyBuy]

Can anyone explain me what is that ARCT certificate, once for all, and how to get it ?

Thanks.

[BoliverAllmon]

It is an associates from royal conservatory or something. It is only in Canada. From what the site looks like and what my teacher tells me, it looks about the same as the guild here in america. I may be way off though. YOu can do a simple search for it though.
BoliverAllmon

[amp]

BoliverA....have you taken organ lessons...you may want to look in to that. Big church jobs, use a lot of organ music.

chopiszte...at 14 playing chopin etudes is excellent, that is right in line with a lot of respectable pianists out there. Give yourself a break, there are plenty of people on the board who have not even touched those pieces.

I'm working towards being a chorus teacher in a college or highschool, studying piano as my main instrument.

Etudefan....maybe your professor wants, "world touring musician (which if you are at Julliard is quite possible)", teacher at a private studio, teacher at the college level...teachign at a private college or conservatory. You can be a teacher at many different levels and places.

[BoliverAllmon]

I have looked into organ lessons, but I don't currently take them.

BoliverAllmon

[ayahav]

I want to be a big concert pianist - something along the lines of Daniel Barenboim, or Radu Lupu. Perhaps the more correct description is like Rachmaninoff who also composed music (which I greatly enjoy doing).

One of my biggest ambitions is to perform the Rachs 2 and 3 with a big orchestra (which perhaps one day I will get the chance to do).

I am also going to record a CD over the coming year (no theme - just whatever I like playing). I guess that would be a ' career step '.

[la_carrenio2003]

I like the way BoliverAllmon puts it. I can see I'm older than you, guys: I've been a Conservatoire's teacher for 4 years -I finished the MM yet- and I have good students -2 of them, 15 and 16 years old will play with orchestra in September for their first time, Mozart's 21st concerto and Beethoven's 1st- but now I want to turn my career more to the performing side. I'm a very good accompanying pianist, specially with singers: in this matter I wanted to find a great famous singer to play with, I want to win a Bach competition -I already tried 2 of them- and become a great known performer of Bach's music, I already worked on his music A LOT but I want to learn and record the whole stuff,like Joao Carlos Martins,Andras Schiff,Rosalyn Tureck, Angela Hewitt,Glenn Gould did. I had the luck of working in a church and composing music every week for 4 years,in this matter I only wish next things: have good musicians,singers who can READ music and the priests let me chosing ALL the music,because they always want to include some bad-taste-pop songs that I HATE. And why not say it: I want to play in Carnegie Hall some day-it doesn't mean I don't know how difficult it is to achieve- and play recitals all around the world. I already did it in Venezuela, Ecuador,Luxembourg,Germany but I mean ALL the time every year. I'm working on this.Wish me luck.

[frederic]

Obviously I would aim to be a pianist.
Then there is being a conductor.
Then a Radio Broadcaster.
Composer.
Piano Teacher.
Then, those performers out there watch out, if my career ends up to be a reviewer/critic. Nasty job though. I would be ruining your careers!

[Chad]

Im in college going for a bachelor degree in biology.  Piano is just a hobby  

[eddie92099]

To do a solo recital at The Proms such as only Kissin has done,
Ed

[ahmedito]

I want to be a piano legend!
300 years from now, people will be listening to my recordings and saying WOW, that guy is incredible.
I'll be the most sought after teacher in my old age, and Ill educate a whole new generation of pianists...

All joking aside. I'm just happy to be doing what I love. Im with a good teacher at the Conservatory of las Rosas in Mexico (The first conservatory in America!!!) which is pretty good by latin american standards. I've won one international competition, not a HUGE one though, but that's all right. I get concert bookings twice or three times a year here in Mexico, Im 2 years from graduating and doing my masters degree. Im 21 years old. Even so, I play in church, for a ballet, have some private students and Im very happy this way, so if I dont ever become Superpianist, Im still VERY happy.

[kevink]

Perhaps this reply is better served in the "Careers" thread... But I am curious; I would like to have a teaching position which affords me the opportunity to play recitals, at a university, college, junior college, conservatory, whatever... Does one have to have had a successful concert career in order to teach at the higher education level?  I would of course love to concertize, but there are many more talented pianists than there are concert dates...

[Noah]

I wanna be able to live from piano. That is, get enough money for me and my (future) family to eat, have a nice house, and travel...
Of course I also want to be respected as a great pianist and give concerts all around the world.
My piano-rolemodels are Martha Argerich, Christian Zacharias, or Brendel.  

[Hmoll]

Perhaps this reply is better served in the "Careers" thread... But I am curious; I would like to have a teaching position which affords me the opportunity to play recitals, at a university, college, junior college, conservatory, whatever... Does one have to have had a successful concert career in order to teach at the higher education level?  I would of course love to concertize, but there are many more talented pianists than there are concert dates...

Teaching studio piano in a college, university or conservatory in the US is pretty competitive - not sure about other countries. It usually requires a DMA and extensive performance experience. There are more pianists than available positions.

[sram]

...
All joking aside. I'm just happy to be doing what I love. Im with a good teacher at the Conservatory of las Rosas in Mexico (The first conservatory in America!!!) which is pretty good by latin american standards. I've won one international competition, not a HUGE one though, but that's all right. I get concert bookings twice or three times a year here in Mexico, Im 2 years from graduating and doing my masters degree. Im 21 years old. Even so, I play in church, for a ballet, have some private students and Im very happy this way, so if I dont ever become Superpianist, Im still VERY happy.

nicely put ahmedito

i wish you all younger ones lots of success.
I used to worry about my career in my 20's, wondering " is that what i'm gonna end up doing all my life?"
...now in my 40's, i can answer the question :"YES!...so just carry on"
i feel much better .
I have a busy teaching studio ( private) and perform in about 6-10 recitals a year, some private, some public.
Income is decent but not extravagant, mostly because i can't be bothered to do more ( 25 students is all i want).

[Black_Key]

I'm going to major in Architecture when I go to college and possibly minor in Music. I'd like to become an architect or a furniture designer. I still love music, but I don't really have the skills to have a career in that field.

[mrngorickets]

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

If you want to get more materials that related to this topic, you can visit: What are your career goals

Best regards.

[mike_lang]

Hi all,

Thanks for your thoughtful replies, which I am enjoying reading!  

This is a question to which I am continually giving thought, having wandered down several roads, finding forks, backtracking, and so forth.  I'm only 25, and still have a D.M.A. to do after next year, so I still have time to think, I think ;-)

My goal is much like the original poster's: to perform and to teach.  

As for performance, I accompany singers in art song and arias, play chamber music, play at church (in the fall, I'll begin learning the organ a bit), play solo repertoire, orchestral piano (I'll be one of the orchestra fellows at a festival in Aspen this summer), and whatever else comes my way.  I can see carving myself a niche in contemporary music and chamber music (various combinations, including long-term duos - maybe even two pianos), as well as occasional orchestral playing.

As for teaching, I've had the opportunity to study with (and play for) several very good teachers and superb musicians, and have always admired and been fascinated by what they do (and all four of my principal teachers had very different ways!).  Ultimately, I would like to run a Collaborative Piano department . . . or perhaps, I should say penultimately.  Ultimately, I would like to run a piano department (even if small) that is structured like a collaborative piano department.  Would love to teach chamber music in China at some point . . .

I don't think there is anything wrong with performing and teaching as career goals, but we should always be asking the six interrogatives (who, what, etc.) in relation to these.  

What do I want to perform?  The classics?  New music?  Old music, such as Dupont, Medtner, C.P.E. Bach, Feinberg, etc. . . but have not yet been overly "interpreted?"  Do I want to play 150 solo appearances (recital, concerto) per year?  Is there a market for that?  Does the Horowitz/Rubinstein paradigm of concert pianist still exist today?  

Do I want to play with others?  (Highly advised, if you want to pay your rent . . .)  If so, do I like opera/theatre?  Do I prefer art song?  Would I rather work with some string players, or perhaps woodwinds?  

Whom do I wish to teach?  Local neighborhood children?  University students?  Conservatory students?  Exceptional precollege students?  What do I want the balance to be between these activities?

Why do I want to perform?  Why do I want to teach?

Hope this helps, and that we can all inspire each other to continue seeking,

Mike

[countrymath]

Be a pianist
Be a keyboardist
Be a composer
Be an arranger
Be a productor

Any of these would be fine.

Always on popular music.

[keyboardclass]

Get out of the 'Theory of Technique is Dead' thread!

[thalberg]

He did not like your answer?  That's ridiculous.  What do pianists do?  Teach, perform, accompany.  There is nothing else.  Music history or theory perhaps......but this was your piano professor, correct?  Not a professor for a class.  And what was he doing at the time?  Teaching you. 

I had a friend who used to hate that question.  As a piano performance major, whenever he was asked "what are your goals?" he would answer "I want to be a car salesman."  His girlfriend, also a pianist, would answer, "I'm going to open a bakery."  Sarcastic couple.

[nanabush]

I wonder where EtudeFan is now!!  He was apparently 18 in 2003... so that would make him ~26?