They Pay You For Something That’s Fun?

In her recent article at The Partial Observer, Holly Mulcahy examines why she feels it is time to stop feeling guilty for being a musician. The piece reminded me of the wonderful Take A Friend To Orchestra contribution from Jim Palermo which starts off with the line “A few years ago it dawned on me that I was becoming apologetic about working in the arts.” Jim went on to say that he has vowed to stop apologizing for loving and understanding classical music and Holly’s piece adopts a similar tone but from the perspective of a performer…

Some of my favorite parts in the article are when Holly draws from personal experience and relates specific instances of interacting with listeners to define what she describes as a misunderstanding about the amount of time involved to prepare music for performance and maintain critical musical skills. Furthermore, it is interesting to read about how often professional orchestral musicians encounter a sense of indignation from some listeners over being paid to do something they enjoy.

All in all, it is a great read and provides a wonderful frame of reference to some of the current events in the orchestra business unfolding across the country.

Comments

[Tim Judd]

Thank you, Holly Mulcahy for addressing a subject all too familiar to most musicians. I was surprised when a member of my orchestra's volunteer chorus came up to me at a Holiday Pops rehearsal and said, "I used to play a little violin back in high school. How do I get in the Symphony?" Her eyes began to glaze over as I went into a brief description of the audition process, the intense competition, the excerpts that needed to be learned and the number of years I studied. Finally she said, "You can't make a living doing this, can you?!"

What was most disturbing was not only that she did not realize that we get paid, but that after listening to the sound of a professional orchestra she thought it was made up of people who played their instruments "a little".

I think many audience members project their often recreational experiences playing in student ensembles onto us. They think because we have "talent" we can just pick up the instruments and play. Because they did it for fun, why shouldn't we?

Holly Mulcahy does a great job suggesting that what the audience sees on stage is indeed the "tip of the iceberg."

-Tim Judd

[margaret koscielny]

I've run into the same attitude as a visual artist. Someone sitting next to me at a luncheon in the '70's asked me what I did, and I replied, "I am an artist." There was a pause, and the question was asked, again, with the same reply. She then asked, "But, what do you do for a living?" At that point, Michael Straight, the head of the NEA who was the luncheon speaker for the Arts Council Awards from the State where I live, announced that I was the first winner of a Grant for Sculpture. I turned to the lady, and said, "That's what I do for a living!"