Klarinet Archive - Posting 000277.txt from 1998/08

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Music major priority
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 18:00:38 -0400

Too true--I was not really addressing auditions for major symphonies, which
obviously do take all kinds of credentials into account. If you are looking
at *that* job market, though, the harsh realties of life become a great deal
harsher. Full-time orchestral jobs are ridiculously rare and hard to get.
Anyone looking to do that for a living--if they're not already at the top of
the class at a major conservatory--is in need of some heavy-duty career
counseling.

Now, I'm not trying to open the can of worms over whether the typically
sought-after credentials are a valid way to weed out auditionees.
Personally, I think that in an ideal world everyone should be heard;
otherwise, you might end up missing the next Ricardo Morales. I recognize,
however, that resources are limited (and the world is certainly not
ideal)--so I'll leave that battle for those who care.

My point is a little different. If you can't win the audition to get into
the wind ensemble at Fill-in-the-blank State, there is no way that you are
ever going to win a professional audition against folks who won their
auditions at Eastman, Julliard, Curtis et al where the standards are (much)
higher. The political science major who beat you for your seat is not the
biggest speedbump in your career path. The harsh truth is that you'd better
find something else to do. Better for you if this realization comes earlier
and not later. Heck, that polly sci guy is really doing you a favor.

kjf

-----Original Message-----
From: Neil Leupold [mailto:nleupold@-----.edu]
Subject: RE: [kl] Music major priority

On Fri, 7 Aug 1998, Kevin Fay (LCA) wrote:

> By and large, people who hire
> musicians don't care squat about your major
> --they only want to know if you can play.

Is this entirely true? Not to bring up that whole
debacle with John Cohler again, but whether we like
it or not, many orchestras will not even allow a per-
son into the orchestra hall -- much less on stage to
audition -- if their resume does not reflect completion
of an undergraduate clarinet performance curriculum from
a reputable school. Sure, there are exceptions like Chi-
cago, where a hobo on the street can walk in with a clar-
inet and take his best shot -- but "exception" is the key.
"By and large", people who hire musicians are interested
in whether or not you can play, but it's not the *only*
thing they take into account before inviting you to an
audition.

Neil

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