Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2014-01-18 08:16
I don't think your ultimate capability in ANYTHING -- be it oboe playing or business administration or computer programming -- has much to do with the age when you start. I believe it has something to do with aptitude, and a great, great deal to do with intelligent perseverance.
Note well that I say INTELLIGENT perseverance. Because in 10 years' time, you can get 1 year of experience ten times over, or actually TEN years of experience.
It depends on how much you are willing to pursue excellence, and understand what excellence is, and to put yourself in the position to experience growth -- with a teacher, with an ensemble, or even on your own.
I have been playing the oboe for 10 years now. I started when I was 59 years old. I don't think I have 10 years' experience. I think I probably have about 5 years' experience, stretched over a period of ten years. The last couple of years have been growth years, but there were several in there that were just marking time, when I did not understand how to deal with the problems I was encountering, and seek help to resolve them.
That said, let me tell you what I have actually done in my ten years as an oboist. I started in a very average community band, and a little quintet that I put together from that. Moving to a larger city, I began participating in a band for "senior citizens," and then a larger, very excellent community band. From that, I auditioned into a select community wind ensemble, and through that became involved in two other pretty good quintets. Two years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to play principal oboe in a community orchestra, and parlayed that into a slot in a select orchestra (where I am still struggling to measure up). The highlights of my career include playing the Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez English Horn solo amazingly well, and being highly praised by a legitimate reviewer for my work as principal oboe in a performance of Mahler's first symphony. These experiences were beyond my wildest dreams of what I could ever do.
I sometimes get paid -- barely enough to pay for gas and reeds, but checks are nice. And it is very nice to get called back by an organization to play -- and get paid -- again.
Get a teacher. If you stop progressing with that teacher, get another teacher. Go with the flow. Take every opportunity to play, whether or not you think you are up to it. Work through your issues. Don't expect miracles. It's a game of inches. But the inches add up to feet, and yards, and miles.
Susan
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