Klarinet Archive - Posting 000604.txt from 1998/02

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: "Professional" vs. "amateur"
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 22:21:31 -0500

On Sun, 15 Feb 1998, Gary L Smith wrote:
> 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?

If a person is a carpenter and is a member of the local union and works at
carpentry as his main avocation - he is a professional carpenter....same
goes in the plumbing field, construction, etc. etc. etc......

If some friend is better at it but only does it as a hobby, is he more
professional? I think most people see the logic behind this analogy.
Therefore, the Saxophone example above means nothing in terms of
professional STATUS.

> 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.

Labels may not be important to you...and your interpretation of them may
be quite sound....but, in reality, it makes no difference...labels make a
difference!

> 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...

Larry Combs is a professional musician (obviously)....but you can call him
anything you like! If humility is part of a label.....let's rewrite the
word professional!

Roger Garrett
IWU