Being Depressed...

[abbbaga]

I'm currently in high school and i am seriously thinking of doing music in college. I've been researching many universities and conservatories and worrying about college. I've been playing since 5, but i never really got motivated until 9th grade.

However, I am beginning to be less motivated, after looking online at several competitions and summer camp websites. There are just so many pianists out there! Sometimes there's a little biography of a pianist close to my age and they already  have tons of awards, recognitions, stuff like that. I haven't won any competitions out of the area or played with a symphony or anything. there are so many people out there that have won state contests and had their debuts and stuff...

here's a question i can really identify with

"With millions of musicians out in the world, how sure is a person with a degree in music going to get a job, whether teacher privately, at a university, in a public school, as a concert pianist, etc?

Is it safe to go out there and try to 'reach for your dreams'. or should a person look at the more "realistic" approach of the music/business realm?

recently i was looking in a music forum and i came across a topic. one member posted several ideas, advice, and tips on "marketing" oneself to get a job! No one is going to ask you to play. you are literally going to need to "advertise" yourself! I was blown away! I had the same feelings as own of the other members who wrote this:

"Wow! I had no idea how business-oriented (being a musician) was... I suppose I had always adhered to the naive assumption that if you're good, then it will all fall into place. Thank you VERY much for making this apparent; being 16, I should have some time to get my act together."

now along with this is the fact of colleges/conservatories. graduating from curtis, julliard, eastmann, etc does not necesarily insure a wonderful music career, (a concert musician, professor at a university), although the name may look good on a resume. The sad thing is, if we were to look at a list of the most important factors of being accepted into a prestigious music conservatory, it would probably look like this...

1)talent/ability
2)CONNECTIONS (knowing a professor well, an alumnus, board member, etc.)

for some schools connections may be even more important than the prospective student's abilities!

Taking all these factors into account (schools, job securities, marketing oneself, music's business side), is it safe to try to plunge into a career of music?

i know that every musician who wants to be professional has a dream and an assurance of a future in music, but should we stop to consider the facts, statistics, and history and question ourselves?"


The whole thing about other pianists around my age and a music career is really bothering me and i am having second thoughts about having a career in music. I'm doubting myself and my abilities and my hopes to win "big" competitions and teach at a university are starting to fade away.

has anyone felt like this?

[pianobabe_56]

I feel like this every day! I'm 16 years old, and I have big dreams for music, but I know that I most likely don't have the talent or what it takes. Nonetheless, I'm still going to give it my all.

I've decided that going after your dreams is ALWAYS a risk, and you just have to decide for yourself if that risk is worth it.

I've come to terms with the fact that I may never reach professional level, that I may have to seek another career in the future. I've left that option open, but I've promised to take every opportunity that comes my way, and go for it. If I have to backtrack a bit later on in life, I think it'll be worth it.

But it basically comes down to your decision. Think over it for a while (it took me a few months). If you don't make it in music in the future, at least you gave it all you had. When you grow older, memories is all you're really going to have anyway.

My vote: GO FOR IT. Good luck.

[Bob]

Nothing like pushing yourself and working for a dream.  Good motivation.

However...

There's nothing wrong with being realistic too.  A dream is just a dream until you actually create it in reality.  Dreams don't create money.  Providing a service (hard work) creates money.  It's great to dream, great for motivation, but at some point you will be facing reality too.

If you are a hot pianist, then your realistic goals will be very different from a pianist who just started practicing.  If you want a nice comfy lifestyle than your goals will be very different from someone who can live in near poverty.

You have to work and fight for whatever you want.  If you want security, then you will do things to attain that.  That can go for happiness, having nice things, being a good musician, etc.  You goals and values and what you can live with.  All that.

In the end, it's all up to you.  It's your life.  There is A LOT of competition in music.  And some people are out there doing it just for fun.  There are lots of kinds of music jobs out there.  Most performing musicians I know of teach to make a living.  On the performance side, the job is very businesslike and you are creating your own performances.  A potential person who would hire you needs to be aware of you and choose you over someone else.  So connections are very important.  Everyone you meet is very important.  One of those people will return in your future and play an important role.

You need to seriously talk it over with your teacher and need to find people at the colleges who can talk honestly with you.  And if you want a future involving performance, you need to practice your butt off.  You will never practice enough. 

You need a goal, a direction  and you are basically planning your future or at least trying to steer your life in one direction.  That's not easy to do and it will take time to readjust plans and goals as you move along.

Hope all that makes sense.  Good luck on whatever you choose and however things end up.



Hmmmm..... "at least you gave it all you had..."  What does that mean?  Do I do that?  I bet it's possible to give MORE than you have.

[ako]

I am going to tell you 2 stories.

When I was in high school, I was accepted into UC Berkeley as a  Chemical Engineering major. My piano teacher at that time asked if I would consider being a music major. My skills were good but I never won any state level competitions. Even though I was interested in music, I stuck with my Chem E degree because 1. my parents were against music majors and 2. I read somewhere that Chem. E. grads had the highest starting salary of any majors. So it was a combination of practicality and family pressure.

Well, Chem. E. was killing me and I finally graduated and it's now been 10 years since graduation.  The thing is I did not do anything related to my degree major. I spent most of my career on project managment for Internet companies. In my spare time, I spend almost every single minute of it on music: singing, choral works, piano. Music has become my biggest hobby.  In my spare time, I teach kids from church piano. I sometimes tell my mom that I wished I was a music major. At least I feel that I can teach piano privately with more "credential" under my belt. But I don't regret becoming an engineering major. I got a good education and I am very happy with the role music play in my life. I get to enjoy it without worrying about where my food is coming from.

My cousin who is 5 years older was a piano performance major at university. He worked different odd jobs after he graduated and finally settled on a career as a hardware engineer. He's very involved in his kids' music education, helping out their teacher as a volunteer accompanist. I think he's also very happy about the role music plays in his life even though he did not become the concert pianist nor the piano teacher he once thought he might become.

I guess my point of telling you the stories is to tell you that no matter what path you choose, you'll make it work for you. Go for your dreams and be a music major if that's what you really want. You'll  enjoy the journey and believe me, you will end up OK either as a teacher/performer/music store owner, etc. or be something else, like my cousin. If you're worried about making a living with a music major, find something that you think you can make a living with and have the time to make music.  It might seem frustrating and depressing right now, but with a good head on your shoulders and good sense, you'll be alright. Whatever you end up doing, just always remember to have a plan and a goal. Good luck.

[quantum]

Music is alot more than winning competitions, recognitions and credits.  Don't try to get into music going after what everyone else seems to have.  Do it because you love it and you feel it is a very important part of your life.  You can become extreemly successful without winning a single competition. 

I chose music because 1) I loved it and 2) I DID NOT want to become rich and climb some corporate ladder.  I didn't want to have just a job where I have to drag my feet to work every day.   I wanted to do something that I look foreward to doing every day and the money you receive being a much smaller reward than the experience. 

[jeremyjchilds]

Music is alot more than winning competitions, recognitions and credits.  Don't try to get into music going after what everyone else seems to have.  Do it because you love it and you feel it is a very important part of your life.  You can become extreemly successful without winning a single competition. 

I chose music because 1) I loved it and 2) I DID NOT want to become rich and climb some corporate ladder.  I didn't want to have just a job where I have to drag my feet to work every day.   I wanted to do something that I look foreward to doing every day and the money you receive being a much smaller reward than the experience. 

I'm going to have to pull the "soul" statement on you too...

You need to be doing this for the right reasons. If you are just in it for the competition or comparison to others, then remember that you are spending all your time pushing little white and black keys...if you want competition, get into the business world where you can at least make a lot of money.

News Flash...You are probably not going to be a concert pianist (as you also suspected) You are right in believing that there are people a lot better than you at your age...so what!!

So if this realization takes all of the fun out of playing, then don't foce it...get into something more popular.

But if this realixation frees you to love the music above all, then you have opened yourself to a world of riches...

[thalberg]

Okay, it's about time you heard from someone exactly like you, but 10 years older.

I studied piano since age 9--but didn't consider it as a career until age 17.  I had never won any state competitions or done anything impressive.

I wanted to teach college piano, so I decided to try the music major route at an unimpressive liberal arts college--this astonished my family because I was an A+ student in all my academic subjects but I was no genius in music.

Throughout my time at a very average liberal arts college, I worked hard (3-4 hours a day) and had a good teacher.  Still, no competitions and no connections.  And, I OFTEN doubted myself and thought I should be doing math or pre-med.

As a senior, I applied to four grad schools--University of Minnesota, Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University, and Eastman. 

Well, you are absolutely right about connections--my advisor just happened to know the dean of Eastman, and I *think* that's what got me in.  But with NO CONNECTIONS, I also got into the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Minnesota.  At this point, my teacher told me she was in shock at how much I'd improved--she said that when I was a freshman, she didn't know if I'd ever get into any graduate school at all.  She said if someone had told her I'd be playing at the level I was at as a senior, she'd never have believed it.

I chose the Cleveland Institute because I liked it the best.  I did my masters and doctorate--still doubting if I should even be in the music profession at all.  I watched people younger than me win huge competitions and play Carnegie Hall multiple times.  Meanwhile, I did nothing but try to learn to be a better pianist.  Near the end of my doctorate, my grad school teacher told me I had improved tremendously and that I was a whole different pianist than when I came.  That's the  closest I  got to winning anything.

My last year of my doctorate rolled around, and I applied for ten jobs.  I got nine rejections with no interviews--my only credentials were my degrees.  But ONE college interviewed me.  And they hired me!!!  I'm now working full time at the college level and my first day is this upcoming Wednesday.  I bought my first house and a Steinway B. 

The college is not Juilliard or anything famous, but my colleagues are really nice and really smart, and I get to do what I love full time.  But the road was hard, full of doubt, full of insecurity, and full of watching people better than me do lots of important stuff. 

I would never push anyone into music,  because I know how discouraging it can be at times--a lot of people do indeed give up.  But I am like you, and I made it this far.  I do admit I'm a lucky one--I've seen others try my route and not get jobs or not get into grad school.  But hopefully my story will give you some perspective.

I'd also like to add that I'm a Christian and I asked for a lot of help from God, and I believe He's the one who brought me this far!

[amanfang]

Wow, Thalberg, that sounds a bit like me.  I started when I was 8, and didn't think seriously about music until I was about 16 or 17.  I went to a liberal arts school as a piano major.  Around my sophomore year, I decided I wasn't going to be the worst performance major in my class, so I started practicing 3 hours a day (which is a lot for piano majors at a liberal arts school), and a little more on the weekends.  So when I graduated, I was actually competitive with my peers.  Now I am starting graduate school in piano pedagogy.  My dream is to go to UNC Chapel Hill and pursue a PhD in music history.  I will say that I am usually a very determined person and will put whatever work is necessary if it is something important to me. 
Now, a couple other examples - a friend who graduated with me in performance is starting nursing school this fall.  Another friend who got an undergrad degree in piano and a master's in voice is now working in a bank.  Another friend got his two degrees in performance and now he sells insurance.  Yet all of these say they don't regret their music degrees.  Many people end up not going into the field that they major in college.  Don't feel that whatever major you choose "locks" you into a career.  I personally think there is a lot to be said for the discipline and many other life skills that come with intense musical study. 

[gkatele]

Okay, it's about time you heard from someone exactly like you, but 10 years older.

The college is not Juilliard or anything famous, but my colleagues are really nice and really smart, and I get to do what I love full time. 

Truly an inspiration. Thanks for sharing. I was in a similar situation, but I chose the practical path, and put music aside for a long time, and the piano for even longer. Next to my first marriage, it was the biggest mistake of my life.

Now I'm 55 and I look at the wonderful wealth of music that I'll never have the time to learn, or have the time to develop the skills to learn. It takes me months to learn a fugue, and I look at some of Beethoven and say, "I'll never be able to do that!

 

Go with your dream.


George

[leahcim]

You won't find any other career / business much different.

What are your objectives / what are your fears?

If the worse comes to the worse there is usually unskilled work that'll get you a living to meet whatever responsibilities you have and your basic needs. With the smallest amount of noggin you should easily make a comfortable living as an employee or running a small business that generates an income.

If you have some skill, even better.

There are plenty of jobs in the music industry "World famous concert pianist" is only one. If you don't think you'll be happy with less, rest assured there will be a few of them who are unhappy who probably consider themselves failures that fell short of what they wanted to achieve. Happiness / success / failure etc is just a matter of perspective.

If you can play the piano and you can earn money, then you can buy and play the piano, record it and stick it on a website etc - you might get as wide an audience as the pianists that play at my local theatre.

If money is your worry do a study of the richest 10000 people in the country you live - how much money do you want? Mebbe being in the top 100000 will do? How many can you find in that chart who have no qualifications at all? How many who started a business after 30/40 or 50 - Lots probably, so what will studying music do to harm your chances?

Mebbe it's not money - Fame perhaps? See Simon Cowell.

OTOH, whatever you do, some unforseen circumstance will come along, your business can fail, your alternative career might be outsourced, you might get your finger trapped somewhere. So whatever decision you make it'll be wrong or right depending on what happens, with hindsight.

But what will you not have if you study music and don't become a concert pianist? What will you have if you study something else?

[jz_rach2]

-_-;;; i feel exactly the same. there's soo many pianists out there and it's almost impossible to fulfill my dream of becoming a concert pianist. younger people are popping up and they're SO TALENTED it's not even funny comparing myself to them. i'm currently 16 and my dream is still to become a pro. piano player. i've been dreaming about this since i was, i dunno, since i was born. however, i have decided that i'd study piano in univ. no matter how little money i will get with music-related jobs. ahh maybe that is not true. but i believe, if piano is what i want, then i ought to be able to do it well. 
best wishes to you and whatever you choose, follow your heart. also, at U of Toronto i heard there is a thing called "double-majoring" meaning students can select two majors, i.e. music and science, or music and others. this i'm not very sure about but i've decided to study genetics and piano performance if it works out with the university. if not, i guess i'll really go with piano performance since i know i'll be the most happy there.
good luck