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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000096.txt from 2003/08

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [DR-L] Re: Student needs advice from professionals
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 16:16:27 -0400

> You also might try the approach many of us non-professionals did.
Major
> in something else you enjoy doing. Get a job in that area and play on
the
> side.

I plan to write in a little more detail about this question, but have to
break in to say that I could never do that. Music cannot be something
"on the side" for me. Music is the defining quality in my life. I have
to be fully immersed in it at all times. It is almost as important to
me as eating, sleeping and breathing.

> If you take this route, you won't have to live the life of a starving
> musician.

I've been in music for over a half-century, and I've never known a
musician who starved, except for some particularly impractical ones who
didn't take care of certain fundamental necessities. I'm about to start
my 45th year of teaching, and have been performing in addition to my
teaching duties for every one of those 45 years. I've never been
unemployed even one day in my life. I'm not rich, but I have the basic
necessities to lead a satisfying life, including the most important one
- music itself. I enjoy every day that I live, and plan to continue for
quite a few more years following the plan I made for myself when I was
seven years old.

As someone else has mentioned, there is no route that is correct for
everyone, but my advice would be to decide what it is in music that you
want to do, and do it. If you don't try, you'll never know whether you
could have succeeded in it. Still, I am a strong believer in having
your alternative plans in place.

Most importantly, come to the realization that getting a degree in music
education and teaching, whether in primary or secondary levels or the
college level, does not preclude the possibility of being a performer as
well.

Dr. Edwin Lacy
University of Evansville