I was walking to my office this morning and began thinking about music as a career. I walked past a rehearsal hall and saw one of the faculty conductors in rehearsal. The Hodgson Quartet had a coaching and I rehearsed with one of the choirs for a recital on Wednesday. During all of this, I was pondering the meaning of what I do as a musician.
What is the purpose of music in this world? I didn't hear anything about the future of symphony orchestras - or cello recitalists, for that matter!! - during any of the presidential/vice-presidential debates. Conservatories and university schools of music are pumping out graduates for jobs that do not exist. When I applied to undergraduate music schools, music education was a solid career choice; a way to have a career in music without the stresses that many performers deal with. Public schools are cutting funding for music left and right, in favor of athletics. Why did I become a musician?!
Why didn't I follow the path that some of my friends have taken and pursue a more profitable career while loving music from the sidelines. Think of the possibilities: a 9-5 with my own cubicle/corner of the laboratory, a salary that is equal to my education level (ha!), and the ability to come home and play the cello - again, ::cough:: - FOR FUN!
So why am I a musician? (and let's be for serious, after ten years in higher education, I absolutely AM a musician.) Let's ponder some quotes from some of the peoples about the musics:
"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music" - Albert Einstein
"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness." - Maya Angelou
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music" - Aldous Huxley
And last - but certainly not least - is the following quote from a famed philosopher:
"People haven't always been there for me but music always has." - Taylor Swift
Perhaps the venerable Ms. Swift has it: music is the place that I go to get away from it all. When I'm stressed, I sit in my practice room (not playing my cello). Music is the only thing in this world that I really understand, and this is strange considering how few people in this country seek to understand this type of music that I play. Music has a higher meaning for me, though it doesn't seem to have the same importance to society. If I might be so bold to ask: why do some of these hedge fund managers make billions while I, the humble cellist, make peanuts.
I didn't become a performer to become absurdly wealthy. I did become a musician to attempt to express that which is inexpressible. Perhaps the possibility of a sustainable life in music is all that I ask. Such a possibility would certainly make it easier to ponder my craft and search for its meaning in everything.
In the meantime, be on the lookout for my new WEBSITE. It's almost done! I'll post a blog when the site is up, but we're just not there yet! Before that, check out FACEBOOK (and 'Like' me!) for all the happenings and the hilarious musings of this hilarious cellist.
Until then!
