Klarinet Archive - Posting 000600.txt from 1998/02

From: garylsmith@-----.com (Gary L Smith)
Subj: Re: "Professional" vs. "amateur"
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 21:44:49 -0500

On Sun, 15 Feb 1998 18:41:26 -0600 Nancy Marzec <nmarzec@-----.com>
writes:
>I have a question that either has a clear-cut answer or is open for
>discussion. I checked Sneezy, but couldn't find anything.
>
>
>How do you decide if you are a "professional" or an "amateur"?

Your own musings that I snipped serve to illustrate the difficulties
involved in categorizing. I had a music professor tell me once that the
term dilettante isn't a derogatory term in Europe as it is here, and that
it is used to describe what we might call in the states a "serious
amateur." I wish people understood it in that sense, for if they did I
would happily use it.

I agonized over this for a long time, and finally decided that the labels
are not very useful, and serve mainly to point out how work-oriented our
society is. In its most literal sense of the word, my dictionary says
that a professional is one who performs an activity as a career *or* for
pay. Therefore I, strictly speaking, am a professional, but do not
identify myself as such when discussing music with people because most
would think that I'm saying that it's my career. Nor do I identify myself
as an amateur because that wouldn't accurately reflect the committment I
put into music (or the money I take out of it :-) ) Having said that, I
have a friend who plays saxophone 10 times better than I do, has a
gorgeous tone that bespeaks diligent practice, and plays only in the
community band and about twice a year in the local orchestra. Is he an
professional or amateur?

I finally decided to ditch the labels, for the most part. If I'm in a
situation where someone asks about my musical activities, and seems to
really want the details, I say that I teach a few clarinet and sax
students, and that I play in a dance band, along with other free-lance
engagements, some of which pay, most of which don't. It takes about 10
seconds to say, and most people get it.

That's the sort of answer I give people who ask "Do you play
professionally?" Beyond a certain point, Louie Armstrong's alleged
statement, "Man, if you have to ask, you'll never know," applies. Many
non-musicians have no concept of how many of the people who play for them
at parties, weddings, services, etc. are "part-timers", and how few are
making their living at it. When most people who ply a trade do *not* make
their living at it entirely, what constitutes being a professional?

But on the other hand, I have a number of friends who put food on the
table by playing, teaching, or some combination thereof. I don't think
I've ever heard one say "I'm a *professional* musician." They just say,
"I'm a musician." That's an easy term, and maybe we should just be brave
enough to use it. I'm a musician, Larry Combs is a musician, my students
who started out in August or September are musicians... Yeah, I like
it...