What are you doing with your performance degree?

[thalberg]

Who here has piano performance degrees?  Bachelors, masters---any performance degree.

What is your career?  How do you support yourself?

This is an interesting question for me, because one of the rich folks who runs the Cleveland International Piano Competition said they did a study on all the contestants since the competition's beginning several decades ago.  Fully HALF of them never touched the piano again in their life--did something totally different for a career. 

[pianistimo]

i have a performance degree (bachelor's) and took 2 years more part-time towards a master's.  mostly more piano lessons and a few other classes.  it saves me money that otherwise might be spent on psychological counseling for depression if i don't play the piano or learn about it.

my husband is the main breadwinner - and makes 1000x more money than i'd ever hope or dream to - although i've been doing some dreaming about going into real-estate.  with the market so low - i'd mostly be training right now and waiting and hoping the market goes up.

the other day my five year old and myself went to visit a factory outlet that spits out clubhouse/playsets - and the lady who sold them drove a mercedes and had that 'look of success.'  i might switch my mind from selling houses to playsets.  although another of my main passions is designing things.  anything.  wood, fabric, metal, clay.  i probably should have also majored in art.

get a double major.  do both things.  never stop playing - but never stop being creative in how you make money. 

btw the school tax here for piano teachers (self employed) is $400.  this is above and beyond federal and state tax.  and, of course, local tax which would be charged on any music purchases.  good to figure all this out before you decide where to live!

[pianistimo]

ps  within a church setting, musicians can do a lot.  if you find the right one - you can play organ and piano and get paid for it.  this is a weekend job.  my husband and i normally did not charge for our services.  thus, for about 20-25 years did a lot of gigs (including gas money) for free because it kept us in practice.  we'd travel to a place - perform - and then, go somewhere's else the next week.   it was great fun - but not necessarily making money.

larger metropolitan areas might have more churches within a square mile and thus save driving from place to place.  at least you don't have to worry about parking on sat or sunday. 

choir accompanying is fun, too.  i actually made the most money per hour doing this for a master chorale.  i found it very rewarding - even as a 'back up' to the main accompanist - and accompanying parts. 

i think it is entirely possible to have a career in music - but you have to think very creatively.  to mix teaching with performing and possibly another moneymaking thing.  someone mentioned teaching 'classes' of piano instead of one student at a time.  not sure how one does this without buying a load of small digital pianos (which would cost at the beginning - but later pay for themselves). 

[Derek]

btw the school tax here for piano teachers (self employed) is $400.  this is above and beyond federal and state tax.  and, of course, local tax which would be charged on any music purchases.  good to figure all this out before you decide where to live!

Why the hell are self employed music teachers taxed that much?
I thought we lived in a free country. Learn something new every day...

[pianistimo]

now i know why the schools are better here.  people are literally paying for it out of their pocket.  it seems rather illegal, though, because other states do not force this tax.  to me - it should be donation rather than forced.  i would gladly support the schools - but this seems excessive when you add up all three or four taxes.  basically, it's running home based or self-employed people out of business.  as you say, making it state controlled.

[pianowelsh]

Teaching, performing, researching...lots more studying - it never truely ends!

[ramseytheii]

Who here has piano performance degrees?  Bachelors, masters---any performance degree.

What is your career?  How do you support yourself?

This is an interesting question for me, because one of the rich folks who runs the Cleveland International Piano Competition said they did a study on all the contestants since the competition's beginning several decades ago.  Fully HALF of them never touched the piano again in their life--did something totally different for a career. 

Hi thalberg, I wanted to ask you the same question.  Didn't somewhere else you mention you wish you had the time and energy back from your doctorate?  Has it proved helpful to you?  What about the actual studies, were they helpful, apart frm the degree?
If you get your Berg paper published, wouldn't that be an aid towards being hired by a university?

Many thanks,
Walter Ramsey

[thalberg]

Hi thalberg, I wanted to ask you the same question.  Didn't somewhere else you mention you wish you had the time and energy back from your doctorate?  Has it proved helpful to you?  What about the actual studies, were they helpful, apart frm the degree?
If you get your Berg paper published, wouldn't that be an aid towards being hired by a university?

Many thanks,
Walter Ramsey

Yes, I did say that.  My doctorate proved helpful in that it met the requirements of the jobs I was applying for--they mostly said "doctorate required."  However, in my program, there was no emphasis on becoming familiar with the solo piano repertoire for teaching purposes, absolutely no sightreading, minimal accompanying, and no chamber or concerto requirement.  Just 3 solo recitals. My doctorate simply did not help me develop as a pianist.  That is why I want my time and energy back.  The academics kept me far busier than I wanted to be, which is why I cut corners where piano was concerned--everyone did.  Two colleages and I basically went our whole first semester without much practice, just to keep up with a research course that was required.

The other studies of music history and theory were indeed helpful, and I do hope that publishing my Berg paper strengthens my resume, if indeed a publisher accepts it.

At the moment, I am seeking a career change.  I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'm attempting it.

[ramseytheii]

Yes, I did say that.  My doctorate proved helpful in that it met the requirements of the jobs I was applying for--they mostly said "doctorate required."  However, in my program, there was no emphasis on becoming familiar with the solo piano repertoire for teaching purposes, absolutely no sightreading, minimal accompanying, and no chamber or concerto requirement.  Just 3 solo recitals. My doctorate simply did not help me develop as a pianist.  That is why I want my time and energy back.  The academics kept me far busier than I wanted to be, which is why I cut corners where piano was concerned--everyone did.  Two colleages and I basically went our whole first semester without much practice, just to keep up with a research course that was required.

The other studies of music history and theory were indeed helpful, and I do hope that publishing my Berg paper strengthens my resume, if indeed a publisher accepts it.

At the moment, I am seeking a career change.  I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'm attempting it.

Interesting, thanks for the reply.  Did you take this degree at Cleveland?  I wonder if whatever school you went to, if they didn't help you to be come a more well-rounded pianist, did they provide any sort of career path, advice, any workshop on publicity/resume building?  Did the school, in other words, help for your life after school besides giving you a degree.

Many thanks,
Walter Ramsey

[thalberg]

Interesting, thanks for the reply.  Did you take this degree at Cleveland?  I wonder if whatever school you went to, if they didn't help you to be come a more well-rounded pianist, did they provide any sort of career path, advice, any workshop on publicity/resume building?  Did the school, in other words, help for your life after school besides giving you a degree.

Many thanks,
Walter Ramsey

Yes, I took the degree at Cleveland.  They provided no career path advice, no mentoring or anything.  I did have one academic advisor who was quite nice...but he was outside the piano realm.  My friends who went to Rice in Texas were amazed at how much mentoring they offered compared to Cleveland.  As a matter of fact, Cleveland was unbelievably deficient in that area.  They didn't even provide student teaching.  If you don't have classroom teaching on your resume, it is much harder to get hired.  I knew this, and so I went to a department head and begged to teach classroom for free.  I was allowed to do so.


Each school is indeed different.  However, I do not endorse the Cleveland Institute doctorate at this point.....if anyone asked me, I'd certainly urge them to go elsewhere.  Preferably someplace with light academic requirements to allow for practicing.  And lots of scholarship money (I received very little).

[amelialw]

I don't have mine yet, but i'll get my ARCT Peformer's Degree by next year and I plan to do a B.A in performance too!

Plan to make my living by performing and teaching,maybe some work as an accompanist as well, same as my teacher!

[cmg]

.

[thalberg]

Great post, cmg.  I like you.  We should talk more.   

Thanks for sharing so much about your life--it was very interesting.  I know what you mean about being tired of clipping coupons.  I spent a fortune on my education and took my first job only to have a salary that made most people respond first with shock then with pity.  (not that I tell everyone, but just a few people.)

Anyway...I'm also tired of clipping coupons (or at least feeling like I should) so I'm currently changing careers.  I want to go back to school for either computer programming or law.  Also I'd take a sales job if a good one presented itself.

However, the Berg dissertation is just too good not to share, so I'm sending a prospectus off to my first publisher tomorrow--it's all written and ready to go .  We'll see how it turns out.

It was a great project simply because it's a piece people actually play, and also a piece people have trouble understanding.  So the book is quite necessary.  There's not a lot of good stuff written about it.  Nothing all that great as a matter of fact.

[cmg]

Just PM me, blintz.  We can discuss career options.

The one thing to keep in mind is this:  you'll be fine.  You'll figure this out and you won't sell out the love of your life to do it.  I know.  Been there, done that.  It's a capitalist society we live in and money is the "oxygen" we breathe.  It's neither good nor bad.  It simply is what is it. 

You'll figure out a way to keep music in your life no matter what.  I mean, without music, life isn't worth living, right?  Concentrate on getting that dissertation out there.  That could open all kinds of doors for you.  One step at a time.  One day at a time.  Hope.  Hang on to it.