Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2008-11-04 00:26
A high school student who loves music decides to become a music major. There is nothing that this student wants more. He/she is undecided about which route to follow--performance, music ed., etc., but during the first couple years of college, it doesn't really matter. The student takes lessons, performs in excellent performance groups, and lives and breathes music twelve hours a day. When the student reaches his/her junior and senior years, decisions have to be made. Those who go the education route take plenty of education courses and student teach. Those who go the performance route realize that a masters degree is almost a necessity.
Absent from this discussion are the large numbers of students who change their majors because they realize that music really isn't for them.
In some ways, I was just like you, although I got my degree in music ed.
In high school I was one of the top clarinet players in my state, and when I went to a prestigious state university, I was one of the top freshman clarinetists in the university band. I briefly considered a career in clarinet performance, but I set this dream aside when I realized that I just didn't quite have what it took.
Music educators soon discover a very different reality outside of college in the public schools. I won't go into all the details because that is a topic for another discussion. I think I was like many other teachers--I still played fairly well on the clarinet after leaving college, but my skills definitely slipped. I just didn't have the time.
I think many performance majors discover the same thing you discovered. As a student in the protective cocoon of a university music school, you feel fantastic. Once you're forced to leave the cocoon, it's a harsh world. There just aren't that many performance jobs out there, and most of the jobs that do exist just don't pay very well.
I wonder how many people out there are truly happy in their chosen occupation. I know a lot of people who get up and go to work every day; they don't love their jobs, but they know that they have to pay the bills.
Ask yourself this question: If you had a career as a clarinet performer, how do you know that you'd really be happy?
Perhaps you can form a small chamber group and perform just for the fun of it. I know people who have done this, and they really enjoy it.
Here's something else to think about: You have a wonderful skill--playing the clarinet--and it's a skill you'll have for the rest of your life. I'd like to share three brief stories that may put all of this into perspective.
1. I recently had the opportunity to hear an adult clarinet choir. The members were of all different ages, but I could tell from watching them that they enjoyed what they were doing. One of the members was an elderly woman who was playing a contra-alto clarinet. I don't know how old she was, but if I had to guess, I'd bet that she was over 80. Watching her play made me feel so good! She seemed to be so dedicated to what she was doing, but at the same time, I could tell that she was really enjoying herself. To me, this inspiring woman represents everything that is good and pure about the world of music.
2. I know an elderly man who plays the trumpet. It was never his career, but he always enjoyed playing and he always played in bands.
He and his wife were happily married for many years, but his wife died several years ago. Her death hit him hard. He's been through some rough times recently, but he keeps on playing his trumpet. He recently said to me, "It keeps me alive."
3. I know of another man who played the clarinet as a young man. World War II and another career interrupted his clarinet dreams, and he didn't play much for a long time. When he was in his 70s and retired, he picked it up again and played in some small groups, including a jazz group. He loved what he was doing, and I'm convinced that this activity helped to keep him active and alive. I was sorry to hear about his death a few years ago, but at least his last years were filled with playing the clarinet, something he did for enjoyment.
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