 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul Lester
Date: 2000-06-18 14:48
I find the replies to the topics “Performance Major” and “Clarinet performance” quite interesting.
It appears that there are those among us who would willingly dedicate four to six years of their life along with the necessary funds – their own or their parents – all to acquire a hobby which they may pursue much later in life.
Simply a remarkable concept!
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Author: Ken
Date: 2000-06-18 15:11
There just as many Botany and Biology majors that can't get a job after they graduate as well...mox-nix
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-18 17:23
college is a time of learning. if we look at differant areas of interest we may find the path we wish to follow. One of my boys knew from grade school when he wanted to go and went there. Very few of us in our teens have any idea where we would be in ten years. follow your dreams and hopefully you can earn a living doing it.
Happy Fathers days to all. And to the woman who allowed us to become fathers.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-06-18 18:44
If I recall correctly Stanford's med school accepted more music majors than other majors into med school, when I was majoring in music!
My degree is in music, and before children I was able to support myself, playing and teaching. I have found that it is a well respected degree and has helped me gain other employment.
Relatively few (non-engineers, non-business) work in their degreed area anyhow? How many English majors become novelists? How many history majors make history? How many math majors become working mathematicians, without teaching?
I get the impression that some people are so materialistic that only the most high paying jobs will do. There was an interesting article in Scientific Am. a while back, money is not correlated to happiness (unless your starving). Personality is. I guess I'm an idealist, study what you love.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-06-18 21:20
Sometimes an avocation can influence employment, too. I'm not going to mention exactly where or when this happened (to protect the guilty!) but I know an amateur violinist who mentioned this skill amongst his hobbies, on a job application. The interviewer began asking him questions about his skill level (high). "Can you sight-read Brahms?" He replied that he didn't have to sight-read the Brahms sonatas because he had studied them with Mischa Mischakoff. "I play the piano, and I've been looking for a sonata partner...." said the interviewer. Not *entirely* sure that the violin playing made the difference, but the man got the job(s)!
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-06-19 02:31
I wonder what will take so much time to learn 'music'.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-06-19 04:28
My step father had three PHDs (one medical) and still made his living with music. Teaching and making music was the one thing he got the most enjoyment out of. The other profesions made more money, but he didn't get any real satisfaction or enjoyment, so back to music and teaching.
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Author: Karlheinz
Date: 2000-06-19 13:53
Wouldn't it be a poor life if we only dedicate time and funds to things, that we can make a living of? Life is more than business.
I am even thankful for the two years of trying to learn playing violin in my childhood (without much success). It enables me to understand better my daughter actually learning the clarinet. And I spend money and time for her regardless what she's going to make of it in the future.
Karlheinz
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-19 14:45
I have to echo the feelings of the postings above with a very interesting observation.
In my "high tech" area, there are tons and tons of liberal arts majors doing computer programming and network management jobs that haul in the big bucks. They went for a general degree and learned how to learn, then they specialized in what could make a living for them. Then, there are the engineers who are dying for a life beyond work and the drudgery of the daily grind. Sure, they went for a technical degree and they made it, but somewhere along the line, life lost its magic. These folks are the passionate ones for music, sports, anything but work.
I find it very interesting and inspiring that, in the end, we all strive to seek balance between what we need to do to make a living (typically boring, but it pays the rent) and what we do to live (typically exciting, but terribly expensive).
So, stealing the current phrase, do you play the clarinet to live or do you live to play the clarinet? I bet that the absolute vast majority of us are in the latter group because we believe it's fun - it puts the life back into living.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-06-19 16:56
Paul Lester wrote:
-------------------------------
I find the replies to the topics Performance Major and Clarinet performance quite interesting.
It appears that there are those among us who would willingly dedicate four to six years of their life along with the necessary funds their own or their parents all to acquire a hobby which they may pursue much later in life.
Simply a remarkable concept!
Paul -
Here we go again. A music major may actually be the *best* preparation for a career.
First, you learn to *do* something difficult and complex - playing an instrument.
Second, music theory and music history are impossible to study without actually mastering the material. There's no such thing as "music theory appreciation."
Third, you must disipline yourself to practice every day over a period of years.
None of these achievements is easy, and none is exactly common in college undergraduate courses.
IBM among other demanding employers, recruits more music majors than anything except computer science majors.
Finally, music is the most glorious of arts. It pays you back for the rest of your life, even if you don't continue to play, and a lot more if you do continue.
Music is a great major. Music is seldom a great career, but it's a great preparation for any career.
My wife is a PhD musicologist who's now a bank vice president. I'm a lifelong clarinetist, now a lawyer. Neither of us would trade the music background for anything, though neither of us could make a living in music. For myself, and I'm pretty sure for my wife, I think neither of us would have done as well without the intense concentration on music in college.
Go for it.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-06-20 16:44
Yes, Ken, Paul and others, all of the comments touch my life and works as an engineer and [employed] patent-technical consultant, with great love for this art [in spite of mediocre ability therein]. Don
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