Klarinet Archive - Posting 000181.txt from 2001/03

From: Rhea Jacobs <rhea-j@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Careers
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 15:14:00 -0500

Hi, Chuckie!

Everybody else has already given you the same advice that I'd give.

When my clarinet teacher broached the subject of professional study to me
(I was in my junior year of high school), I told him: "Let's assume that
there are 15 major symphony orchestras in the country, and let's assume they
all hire women. (In those days, few did.) If each one has three clarinet
positions, that means that at any given moment, there are 45 jobs, and I'm
not that good." This was a correct judgment on my part -- I don't think my
teacher realized just how much time I put in on the clarinet to get the
results I got. Besides, there was a tenth-grade oboe player who was a real
musician, and I could easily appreciate the great gap between her musical
intelligence and my own.

My real regret, though, was that in college I was forced to give up the
clarinet for lack of a PLACE to practice. The college was in all other
respects ideal for me, but space was at a minimum, and only music majors
could get a practice room key. Practicing in the dorms was not an option --
it was impossible to do so without disturbing others.

So -- I went on into a field where I thought, probably correctly, that I
could make a first-rate career, only to discover that I HATED the academic
life. Luckily, I found that I had an aptitude for computer programming and
earned a decent living at that for 25 years. Somehow, I didn't have the guts
to take up the clarinet again, but I kept it with me. Over the years, I sang
in various community choruses and began to realize that some of the peak
experiences in my life have been making music with other people. So that last
spring, when retirement became possible, I made plans and started life as a
music student in September. It's hard: I'm taking piano lessons for the first
time, which is a really hard slog for a 55-year-old, and it's hard getting
the clarinet chops back. My teacher keeps telling me not to try to push
beyond the limits of my lip too soon, and I finally learned the lesson when I
tried practicing two hours a day at a point where my lip would only
accommodate one hour! Still, I'm thrilled to be back at least moving to the
point where I can make music again.

What's my point? If all things are equal in choosing your college, try to
find one where you won't have to give up your instrument. I think you'll be
happier if you can continue playing, and you'd be surprised the number of
opportunities there are in most places for competent amateurs.

Good luck,
Rhea Jacobs
rhea-j@-----.net

>

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