I was told as a teenager not to go into music. I was succesfully talked out of it. Now I'm a bitter 24 year old with a lot of regrets, lmao. Last year I decided to suck it up, take care of my demons, and give it one more shot. I auditioned at my local conservatory and I got accepted! Starting in 2 weeks. I have insecurities about my age but I will give it my best shot. I will practice hard and show them that there's also good sides about being a few years older than my peers. That way at least I can't regret that I didn't try.
Good luck & have a ball! I went in @ age 20 after 2 years out of school, and one of my closest friends at uni was a jazz pianist who was 24 (I think) also. In an institute of young kids rattled with anxiety, being a bit older, more mature and resolved was a blessing. I hope it serves you well also! All the best Anna! Also, what course are you taking?
I am a music major, and I graduated in 2013. Let me give some advice: If you want to go into the music field, go into it. Just do it. However, what I don't recommend is getting into debt getting a performance degree in music. You will find yourself not going into it full time or becoming a full time music teacher, so I would recommend getting a music education degree. I think that is the warning the older musicians need to be giving.
Elon Musk once said the same thing to young entrepreneurs. One "very passionate" person understood his statement as just what you said. If you listen to Elon Musk, he always says, he'll never quit.
I'm a music composition major and honestly I would give the same advice that visiting professional gave to anyone else. I knew what I was getting into and I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I relish in the struggle but I also understand that most people do not hold the same passion for music as I do. The advice I would give is to do what puts food on your table and keep playing music for fun. Going into other fields doesn't exclude you from doing music. In fact you don't need a performance degree to play in community ensembles or even professional ensembles, it all depends on the the work you put into your instrument and how well you do in the audition. Only the top of the top ever get positions that can support them fully and most people will never get there because not only does it require dedication and skill, but also luck. Musicians and music educators are underappreciated and undervalued and unless you have the immense drive to continue in the face of adversity you will get burnt. The unfortunate reality is that you need to be able to pay the bills and if you're okay with working extra jobs, eating cheap meals, and living in a shitty apartment (I'm pretty much talking about myself at this point) then by all means pursue you passion. But if you really can't see yourself sacrificing everything to attain your music dream then PLEASE do something else that will support you AND support your hobbies!
I feel like the advice should have been the opposite; if you only pursue music because you aren't good at anything else, you probably don't have the drive it takes. However, if you pursue music because you are passionate about it and talented, even if you have other talents, you could make it.
I don’t think that was bad advice. I think that all folks considering a career in classical music need to fully understand what the prospects are. Oh there are folks who do ‘make it’, but the probability of any one person even getting a regular job in a standard performing organization is rather slim. I was trained as an organist in one of the major conservatories in New York. While in grad school I had a one-year replacement at a junior college. I quickly discovered what type of student I’d probably end up with and decided that I really didn’t like my prospects, so changed fields. There is nothing preventing anyone from feeding their passions. Even though I changed my career, I still continued doing church music. My only regret while in conservatory was that I limited myself in too narrow of a scope. I regret that I didn’t take advantage of the jazz program or take voice/acting lessons. Maybe I could have become a studio musician or a better choral director. You were fortunate in that you found a niche where you could flourish.
I received similar advice, and was told I wasn't nearly "good enough," so I went into engineering and quit music for several years.. :/ Now I play folk music for fun, but I'm super interested in audio engineering and learning how to compose music. I kind of wish I hadn't quit and that I kept going down the music path... Oh well! I can still do it in my free time. :)
As long as you're still alive, it's never too late to change your career if you so desire. If you want to pursue audio engineering or composing, go for it.
The worst advice I had been given and still stumbles me to this day is that “if you didn’t start music when you were young, it’s too late for you”. Now, I am 20 and would love to start learning music, but I still struggle with that idea. I hope I can get over it sometime, I would love to learn music.
Oh you definitely can, 20 is still really young. At my music school there is a 76 year old who started playing piano as his first instrument a few years ago and hes already quite good and can play intermediate pieces with a bit of effort. So as long as you have fun with it and like to express yourself with music, theres always a way to learn it ;)
I received very similar advice from my chemistry teacher not too long ago. Except he did it in front of the entire class during a lecture that had nothing pertaining to being a musician at all. He said that I wouldn't make it as a professional anything and should just give up now. He's literally the worst teacher that I have ever had, and he is now the driving force for me to get a principal position in a full time orchestra like Berlin, Houston, or New York. I can't wait to send him front row tickets when my orchestra plays the rite of spring with that opening bassoon solo. He disgusts me.
There are some overlooked artistic advantages in choosing the stability of an easier, higher-paying career outside of music while still maintaining one’s musical pursuits. I choose to do this because it allows me to pursue only the musical projects I want. I’ve played volunteer and paid situations in both the rock and classical realms, and some of the least artistic musicians I’ve ever seen were “pros” trying to piece together a desperate career in music, playing one degrading velvet-suited gig after another with a myriad of sucky bands just to keep their utilities from being shut off when the bill is due. They play all the time and make a living out of music but can’t risk trying anything new or god forbid they should lose their gig to a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, they’ll be divorced. How much of a professional’s musical activity is spent doing what they originally went into music to do, and how much is just treading water upstream? If you’re artistically satisfied with what you do, then great. If not, there are a lot more lucrative ways to be miserable. I have the luxury of turning down humiliating gigs and playing only repertoire I love with ensembles I enjoy because I earn a living in another career, which frees me up to do only what I want musically. I no longer have to take a gig that makes me question my integrity- not everyone has that choice. Musicians, especially classical musicians, are extremely intelligent and resourceful. If you can play a concerto, you can probably do the vast majority of jobs other people dedicate their entire lives to mastering with little more than a quickie slam bam crash course. I taught music for a couple years, but that’s not really what I got into music for- I wanted to play, not pass the torch to a classroom of future teachers who will also pass the torch. For a much higher salary and less toil, I saw exceptional teachers leave education in droves to become mediocre at the field I'm in now. For all my years in college, I reckon I deserve an expensive house, car, nice material objects, exotic vacations, and so does every other musician who has worked as hard as me. I’m not about to watch all the good things in life go to someone else who didn't work as hard. I spend a lot less time working a utilitarian career than if I were playing crappy gig after crappy gig to make ends meet- so I effectively have more time to play what I want. I must agree I also tend to dissuade most young people from going into music. Not because it is a hard road or that I’m bitter, but because most people who aspire to be musicians don’t go into it with the genuine intent of furthering music as an art. I regard most as wannabes, whose end goals are more often to solicit superficial attention for themselves. Music should be the end goal, not a means to it. If someone is the real deal and exhibits real talent and discipline- I will support them all the way, but I don’t regard it as ethical to promote those who are just going to water down our stagnant art further and take opportunities away from the deserved. Not everyone is entitled to be a superstar.
I really don’t think the goal is to “make it as a musician” as much as it to learn the art form that you’re drawn to and give it to people who want to hear it. Reality is you have to pay bills so you have to work and carry your weight regardless of the what the work is. And then when the working day is over you create something for other people and maybe you’ll wake up in the morning one day realizing you’re a full time working musician who could be doing something else but is doing what he likes most.
I love your tone in this video. The topic at hand is definitely a touchy one, which brings out emotion in both sides. The whole video, you stayed mostly objective and fair, but at the end, especially that last bit, (“If you feel so inclined . . . to advise others to give up, maybe you’re the one who should be giving up.“), you show how fed up you are with those people who will discourage young musicians. It’s unfathomable to me that someone would blatantly advise to give up and do something else.
I've also met a lot of these "bitter senior musicians". E.g. I was 19 and playing piano just 2 years I got accepted to conservatory which was a huge thing for me since I learned all by myself in such short period of time. I was practicing in concert hall of some music school, during my practice some teacher came to the hall, sat down and listened. When I was done she was like "who is your teacher? I haven't seen you in school's concert" I said I don't have one, I just came to practice and we started to talk. She seemed to like my playing, after a while she asked if I wanted to take lessons at that elementary music school, I said I don't need any, I'm going to conservatory next year. Then she turned really bitter... She was like "why would you do that? that's so stupid, do something else, you're going to practice 8 hours a day and still you won't be good enough to make a living by playing piano, even if you graduate the school, you are going to end up like me teaching talentless little children, make no money etc.." I was so schocked... It made me really discouraged, I felt like I didn't achieve anything, I even didn't want to start the school anymore... After a lot of thinking I came to conclusion that she was clearly unhappy how her life turned out and was transfering her experience to others. after 5 years I can say I am really happy I started, but she really turned my overall mood from "I'm so excited to start learning" to "didn't I do a mistake? I don't want to end up, unhappy, bitter like her" These discouraging senior teachers are the reason many talented people stop making music and rather do what seems more racional but gives them no joy. I hope I never become "bitter senior", I try my best to motivate my students.
My worst advice? In 7th grade. A 8th grader told me. "Dont become a musican. It dosnt pay well" My grandpa said it aswell. Yet my band teacher is always helping me. So. Im going to major in band. I can already play 3 and am learning piano. My band teacher is kinder than family. I really love music. It can rid me of stress, you can make some true freinds. Music is gonna be major while science will be my minor. Adults shouldnt try to sway our minds. It can hurt us. I mean, them saying that hurt me. I stopped playing at home. But.. I have other freinds that are supportive...
Beginning to take music seriously in your teens (instead of being born with talent and supportive parents), racking up debt in music school, then paying it off slowly with a less-than-glamorous teaching job instead of in a high-paying orchestra doesn’t sound that heartbreaking to me. It just sounds par for the course.
My Grade 6 music teacher told me I was too small and I would never be able to play Bassoon, that is was too hard of an instrument. to play. I seen a picture of it in the classroom and was instantly fascinated with it after listening to some Vivaldi concertos. Boy was she wrong, I am now a graduate with my Masters of music performance and enjoy every minute of playing this beautiful instrument.
Thank You Emily! You make some very important points in your rebuttal to the advice given by that visitor to your high school. I don't consider your comments a rant because your points are too well developed and presented. I remember telling my high school students "no one owes you a job, a future, or happiness. Whoever or whatever you become is totally your singular responsibility. Finding ourselves is a lifelong endeavor and we're bound to make mistakes along the way. Constantly ask yourself 'What activity will make me happy?' This appears to be an extremely difficult decision and responsibility. However as young adults in progress this "discovery and becoming is one of the most liberating things we can do, an adventure like no other. Don't worry, you won't be alone. On the path to your becoming someone will magically appear to help. No rant from you because you are finding your way and you are by no means done. Thank You!
I’m fifteen and I play viola! Last year, I was chosen to participate in a program where students performed pieces with accomplished musicians. It was quite fun and I was so honored to get picked. We broke into groups during the first rehearsal & a professor from Juilliard helped us prepare. As soon as we started playing she started talking about how lucky we were and how we were never going to get an opportunity like this again. I asked her why, because we were in high school and surely there will be more things like this in the future, and she flat out told us we weren’t good enough to get anywhere in life with music. It was obvious she was bitter because there were SO many talented teen musicians there who will definitely go on to have promising careers in music. So I totally agree with what you said about the older generation of musicians. Often, instead of inspiring young musicians they’re bitter and try to pin us down. But I’m practicing and I really hope I can go somewhere with it!
If anything there is too much "encouragement" from predatory educational institution promising careers that dont exist for truly outrageous fees. Kids are graduating from music schools 100k in debt. It would take a lot of youtube views to clear that.
This is true but absolutely not specific to music. I know people who've gone to university for 6 years only to find out they absolutely hate the field they end up in, or cannot find a job that's at all related to what they studied for.
Thank you for making this video. My school just had a well known composer come and talk to the band last week and she gave the exact same advice. Hearing what you have to say, coming from someone making a living off music, is encouraging for me! Being told that music is such a difficult career choice that should only be considered as a last resort was a little discouraging. As you described, there seemed to be a bitterness coming from this person. She had had a fabulous career in music, but she wanted to discourage anyone who had options other than music.
as a violinist who has heard similar advice I believe that when you were a child you may have misinterpreted what this teacher said. I have received similar advice from music teachers and from what I understand about the advice it’s not that you shouldn’t play music unless there is absolutely nothing else you could do but rather the advice is not to pursue music alone because it may not come through and then you could be living in poverty. This is why while I love playing violin and am possionate and ambitious about it I’ve chosen a career in something more reliable. So I can support myself in continuing my music education.
On one hand I see musician friends hate on relatives that say that music is a 'hobby study' and then without blinking say that it's basically impossible to make money without teaching and that it's basically an expensive hobby.
I totally agree, better advice that still follows that string of logic should be "If you want to go into music, realize it's a very challenging field and that you'll have to work very hard to be successful". You can do anything you want in the world, but some things just require more work than others in order to find success.
This advice is word for word what the director of bands as the University of South Florida said to my high school All-County Band when we were discussing college.
Was it really the worst advice? You did survive it after all. I am one of the older musicians who says the same thing and I received the same advice as a high school student. I also did not let it stop me. I do try to express the serious challenges of being a musician and surviving in the world as an adult musician, without being too much of a downer, but it is essentially the same advice. I even remember the anger I felt hearing the same words. But I think overall, the advice helped me stay focused and working hard. After 40 years as a musician, after 28 major symphony auditions with 15 finals as a youngster only to work my life as a freelancer, I really have no regrets. But I find that too many students are not warned of the difficulties more than the opposite. Too many teachers encourage students for selfish reasons to show how they can get students into conservatories, competitions, etc., without shepherding them through the perils of music life--hence the later bitterness. Both my husband and I are freelancers, teaching as adjuncts in colleges and we have a great life--but we are also very good with money and have never taken exotic trips or any other luxuries. Our kids, now adults, are excellent musicians, but after seeing our work load and life, both ran screaming from any thought of music as a profession. One's working toward being an engineer and the other a doctor. My best advice today: Know the pitfalls, never go into debt for your musical education, work really, really, REALLY hard and stay flexible as to how you earn your money to pay the bills.
I totally agree. I got very similar advice in grad school from a well known baritone. He said that if you wanted to pursue opera you had to prepare for having unsuccessful marriages, being gone for long stretches of time ect. and I had just gotten married. I also was told at NEC that there was no career in performing in concerts and that opera or opera choruses were the only way. We never had anyone come in to talk to us that had chosen a different route and I felt very isolated as I didn't really feel that opera was the path for me. I suppose that is a singers version of an orchestra. I decided that I really enjoyed programming and arranging music for my small ensemble but I have virtually no one to talk to about it. I haven't met any singers doing the same thing but it is so great to see so many instrumentalists really pioneering this field and using social media to get the word out. Thank you so much for your videos!
One thing that’s true is that if you think music is for you and it’s not then any decent+ music program in university will chew up your soul and spit it out until you yourself dropout or switch degrees so there’s no need to EVER discourage going into music since music the degree itself will make it VERY obvious whether you belong or not and although some people are very talented and can probably make it through a program but they will see the difference between them and the other music majors. This I speak from experience as many of my friends have dropped out and they were technically better than me yet I still stay because every time I feel terrible and depressed and just try not to do it I end up doing it anyways because I can’t not do it. Though I will say it is certainly at a lower quality than when I am not depressed but, that’s just me.
I think it’s disgusting how many comments there are on this video that are so condescending like “you’ll get it when your older” or “the truth can sometimes taste bitter”, at the end of the day, there is no right answer! You have an opinion, Emily has an opinion. I think it’s beautiful that she is so supportive of young musicians chasing what they really want but even besides from that, she is a human being who deserves your respect.
The best advice I've ever been given has been in the form of encouragement. I got a degree in illustration despite strong objections from my Mother and being color blind. The discouragement of other has always help feed my motivation. Learning the cello on the other hand, I need encouragement. It's hard enough I don't have time for people's negativity.
Thank you Emily. Not being a musician but a fan of classical music since my adolescence, I appreciate your videos that deal with aspects that are not always visible for the public and that affect the music making process, both on the technical and human dimensions. This type of materials enrich my experience as a listener.
His advice may go against what you believe and was not particularly useful in your circumstances. There's no single advice that fits all. There may be other students in the orchestra that took on his advice and turned out better for them. I think his intention was to give the students a reality check, not to discourage. A career in music generally hasn't got well defined career paths, unlike professions like accounting, law, hospitality etc. Each musician has to find their own way. To do that while at the same time having to get a roof under one's head and food on the table is quite a challenge, especially if someone has zero support after graduation. Rather than say choose to do something else, I'd say choose 2 or more paths. If one doesn't work out, one has another path to fall back on. Or use one path to support the path until the other path is well established and can take off on its own. As I always say, choose the option that will give you more options later in life. To all the musicians and musicians to be out there, all the best!
I have experienced this kind of situation too. I was not allowed to take music as my major when I graduated from senior high, my parents pulled me into taking commonly chosen majors people take when it comes to going to college. but finally after college I ended up focussing on my music carier and study the piano again, until I became a full time freelance piano teacher. and further I started learning cello 4 years ago as a minor alongside taking a diploma in piano teaching, which hopefully I could finish in period of around 2 years. well that's such a journey but I think it is worth taking the challenges n risks to get what I really enjoy doing 😊
I guess I'm one of those people, though I'm not quite so old. I work as a freelance musician and I strongly discourage most people from entering the field mostly because they have very unrealistic ideas about what a profession in music entails. They think it's just playing music they personally find enjoyable and getting paid for it while never doing anything they don't find fun. That's just not the reality of it. Many are not very well off and don't have any financial backup. A lot of the more positive musicians I see making the argument you make in this video tend to have a lot of financial backup. They have well off parents who will support them if they got into to a bind. They have someone paying for their college. They have someone to pay for a nice instrument. They have someone to help keep them afloat until their career can stabilize. But if a student doesn't have that, they risk going into a ridiculous amount of debt for a dead end career which they didn't fully understand the limitations of. A huge part of the problem with music is supply versus demand and more people going into it to try to change things about it won't necessarily fix that. I'd also so that as a string player you likely get the rosier side of the classical world. There are just more spots for strings in general in the classical world and string players aren't expected to be as versatile stylistically as other instruments. There are far less openings for wind players in the classical space and wind players will be expected to be more stylistically versatile. There was a time when you could have jazzers and classical specialists, but to make it these days, you're pretty much always expected to be able to do everything. Things get even worse for pianists. Too many people want to be classical concert pianists and that's honestly just not a real job. Someone literally has a better chance of getting drafted as a starting quarterback in the NFL that being a world touring classical concert pianist. Pianists tend to focus their efforts all in the wrong places... mostly memorizing hard rep, not spending enough time focusing on solid reading skills, the ability to follow a conductor, soloist, etc. For those with a classical background in piano, the real jobs are going to be in accompaniment, yet most schools prepare them as if they are going to be giving solo recitals. Th reality is, nobody is going to pay them to play Rach with 3 months of prep time. Pianists are expected to play a huge stack of music with maybe 1-2 weeks of turnaround if not expected to read it on sight in a rehearsal. While sightreading like this is a baseline expectation for wind/string players, for some reason it's just not in academic piano culture. Most young students just don't have any idea what professional music entails and aren't willing to put in the actual work in the areas that is needed. So many will promise to practice 8 hours a day, but are only willing to work on polishing their strengths and playing music that "speaks to them" while leaving tons of blind spots in their ability to perform. This doesn't make them very employable. And most think they will only perform, but in reality the vast majority will have to teach privately or otherwise. And university positions aren't growing on trees either, so it's most likely going to be teaching MS/HS as maintaining a private studio of students is also ridiculously risky.
These are all very good comments, thanks for sharing. I don't at all mean to portray it as an easy life. The main message I want to get across is the traditional path is where things get really difficult, so thinking outside the box is essential. Unfortunately these types of skills aren't taught nearly enough in conservatory. I make a nice monthly amount from my TH-cam channel, through Patreon and through ad revenue, and I've also made money from sales and recitals for my self-produced solo albums. Chamber groups can make money by putting on their own concerts and getting involved with things like Groupmuse. There are so many ways to make our living outside of the normal orchestral jobs, and I worry that the classical music field isn't forward-thinking enough to explore these options.
It's interesting because so many of your videos resonate VERY deeply with me and my experiences. I find myself nodding along to so many of your points vigorously and I'm so glad to be hearing these opinions about the state of music education both from you and a small number of others on TH-cam. Non-students who've actually had to take the musical skills they were taught and see how they work in reality. I shudder at the grandiose advice from current music major who haven't yet actually tried to make it. Despite, being so sympatico with most of your thoughts on the brokenness of music education and the hustle required for making it as a musician, we obviously diverged quite a bit. You went down a pretty specific and narrow route and I went the other way, very broad to cast a much wider net. I guess I care less personally about artistic control or personal passion and find it personally very fulfilling just to grow even when it means working on things I don't love. Sometimes I find love for them along the way, but I always find growth and that growth is where I find "passion" (though I'd never use those words). Ultimately, I'm just very mercenary about it. If I can't do the thing you want to hire me for, you'd better believe I'll try to be able to do it before the next time. I've also just found it easier to find a lot of work as a jack of all trades and as my workload grows and I become more in demand, I get to be more picky about the jobs I take and for what rate. I feel like taking the passion project approach that you have is extremely scary and sometimes I wonder if you've got a bit of survivorship bias because of that. At the same time, you worked your ass off and came in as an underdog and you feel like you earned it, and you absolutely did. That's another area where we're on the same page in that if you really work, you can overcome being late to the party (I didn't touch piano until 18, didn't get serious about it until 26, now it's my primary income and instrument). I think going through that makes you feel like you deserve all that you've achieved in an almost jaded way. But I don't think the vast majority have the grit. People love to star-gaze, but obviously you have the stubbornness and drivenness to stick to it in a way that is probably fairly unique to you. Over the years in trying to help others, I've realized the same about myself. I'm uniquely willing to grind in a way that other people aren't. They find it hard to work on things that are boring. They have trouble concentrating or whatever other excuse. And it makes me think that there's something just unique in people like you and me that makes us able to stick to it. I FEEL like others could do it if they would just buckle down, but I start to wonder if most people are that capable. So many of the fantastic conservatory musicians are there essentially on inertia. They started young, maybe had a bit of talent, and worked meagerly to coast (relatively) into the school and even if they do well, it usually doesn't bring them necessary career success (as you even noted in a previous video). They just fall out of music. But it's really rare that people are like you and actually willing to work hard. Many just happen to be good at music and not much else. They aren't driven by it, they just care more about it than anything else academic. I really don't think these people are capable of achieving what you have because they don't have a fraction of the grit and dedication that you do. I think you're more unique in that way than you probably realize and that's a huge part of why I don't think people should tread lightly down the path of music. In reality, warning people away probably just scares of the ones who didn't need to go into music in the first place. The ones that are stubborn enough and passionate enough to make it anyway are the ones that will charge forward heedless of such a warning, so I'm not even sure that warning discourages anyone who is really serious. Hell, it sounds like you were damn near spurred on by this warning. You, like me, probably felt like you could prove that guy wrong, and you did. But most people honestly don't care enough to prove anyone wrong. They just think music as a profession is easy or the only think they are good at. It's not easy and just being good isn't good enough. Either way, keep up the great content. I think hearing from actual working musicians (no matter their views) can only help make the realities of working in music a bit less opaque to people who are considering it.
Ha! Don't get me started on my music teacher at school! I find it sad that, after talking to many other musicians over the years, not one of them has a positive story to tell about music tuition at school. Nobody was encouraged, or made to feel good about their abilities or interest. I'm in the UK and work with contemporary music, so I'm not sure how much our situations have been similar, but I agree 100% with what you're saying here.
I just discovered your channel and you are truly an inspiration Emily!! Thank you for blessing us with your wonderful videos, beautiful playing, and divine artistry❤️
This happened to me....And unfortunately I ingrained it into my mind. I warn others not to do this however. If you really want to pursue something, please try. I’ve grown to love the cello and have always had a passion for music of all kinds since I was in middle school. I always liked the idea of pursuing music and not just performing itself but especially teaching or composing but felt like it would be impossible...I regret not trying years ago.
I have done the same. I discouraged people from majoring in something I did not think was practical, but in the end I was miserable following my own advice and changed my major to something I loved.
I'm a sophomore in high school and I've loved music since I was realy young. When it came time to choose courses, my parents weren't so keen on me pursuing a college/uni with music because they said it's not really a great job with lots of money. So I did not choose music for my elective in Gr. 9 and 10. Most of the time now, I wonder what it would have been like if I chose music and if I would be happier with my choices than I am now.
I have always loved music, classical, and other genres. Vocal music was my only outlet for expressing that and it gave me joy. Then in 8th grade choir the teacher, who never pointed out other choir members' flaws, did so with me. It was humiliating and crushing. I think he thought I would take it in stride being a bit of a class clown, but I wish I had expressed to him how I felt about the criticism.
He should have probably said to also continue to develop and work towards your other passions at the same time so that you have options incase your first choice in music doesn't pan out. Like perhaps a double major, or a minor in something that could be parlayed into a career if need be. But yeah, definitely not telling anyone to not pursue what they want. I majored in Theatre, but I am not working in it now. That doesn't mean I shouldn't have developed those skills and talents. No matter what happens career wise in the end, we can always find ways to incorporate our passions into our everyday lives. I will soon be picking up the violin after not playing for 14 years. And even though I will never be a concert violinist, I will still be able to rekindle the joy and passion that my instrument once brought me. Unfortunately when I was young I had very little support for my passion. Not much from family, and my teacher (who I adored) didn't care much about me. Those things, coupled with the fact that I was very behind and progress was too slow for me to get where I needed to be in time, ruined the passion I had for the violin. I ended up quitting at 17 and never looked back. Watching amazing professional violinists has always been a little bit painful for me because of how much I once wanted it and the realization that it would never be. But my therapist has encouraged and inspired me to begin again. She started leaning cello as an adult and I am greatly inspired by her passion and dedication to the arts. I have also considered learning cello. But affording a decent one, or even renting, is difficult at this time.
So bottom line, if you are not passionate about what you're doing, it doesn't matter if it is the most profitable field in the market, it is more than likely that you won't get paid much anyway. So please, PLEASE, choose something you love, money or any definition or success you may have will eventually come.
Hi Emily! I found this completely relatable, I was always told by teachers not to try because it is extremely difficult and that they were better than me when they were younger and did not get in to a conservatoire! But now I have been offered a scholarship in London, I feel like I have proved all of those people wrong 👍👍 I would say to anyone go for it if it is your passion, and never limit yourself!
Every senior art/music/animation professional gives that same speech to weed out people who don't have passion. I think the general idea is that if you care enough to make music or anything else your fulltime occupation, you will ignore the warning and pursue your dreams regardless. It's ironic how opposition usually forces us to make tough life decisions.
Hi Emily! Thanks for all your vids, they are very encouraging to me. I am 34 years old and held a cello for the first time last December, and have been taking weekly lessons since. Music will never be my career, I will never know those challenges and struggles and I am glad for that. I wanted to play the cello because it touched my heart. Baroque music is beautiful and meaningful and I admire you for sticking to it even though some may criticize you. I think it shows that you care more about the beauty and the history of time rather than trying to show off your own technical ability. So please keep making videos for people like me, who love music for how it makes us feel and not for what position it’s played in ;)
I started learning the cello in 2021, at 33 years old. one of my teachers told me if I couldn't improve by the end of the year it meant music wasn't for me. well I didn't give up but I needed another teacher telling me that my progress was ok for the amount of time I've been playing for. some teachers just want to push you down
Emily, which is paying your bills? Your career as a musician? Or your teaching? How many orchestras are there in the world vs the number of music students that graduate every year? Good advice is still good advice, even if it tastes bitter.
I don't see my career as a musician or my teaching as separate entities... teaching is one of the many pieces of my music career, along with this TH-cam channel. Also there are other ways to play music outside of orchestras (thank god).
Edward Yeo you're comparing two vastly different fields, one is a field of science in which things are set and understood. The other is an art which is subject to change from person to person and while the basics can be taught and understood there is only so far teaching can go. You can teach anyone to be a great psychologist, you can't teach anyone to be a great musician, otherwise Yo-yo Ma wouldn't be as impressive as he is because there'd be a lot more just like him. I've respect for music teachers, but there's a big difference between teaching music and making music.
Dante Howlstice Sure but teaching music is still part of a music career. The older musicians are discouraging against teaching music just as much as playing music for a career...
I think it has to do with the older generation. Was meditating about my mentors and teachers just last week and honestly, they were pretty dry. I’ve learned from those experiences. I spend much of my time helping others achieve greatness; from technologies to the arts. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I’m an oboe player and when I started playing (I was 7) my teacher and my mum all told me to switch to clarinet or flute because they’re ‘easier’. I’m glad I didn’t now- I’m 14 and music is a huge part of my life. I love oboe and I don’t know how I’d live without it :)
Thanks Emily ..i agree ..i had the same problem with older teachers ....interesting thanks ..but i was so doing it ..or photography ..but chose Classical Guitar as a 1st ..have played all major venues over here UK and radio ..but now i like to do my thing ..music i like ..pref on TH-cam ..cool
Hey emily...Im from India....I am a grade 8 piano student and im still learning .....Music to me is like my soul and I would like to pursue my career in music as a classical musician.....Do u think I can make my dreams come true, having minimal support and financial constraints in my family ??? Ur advice pls...
I I've been in the music business for over 30 years and I can tell you offhand that the music business is not what it was when I first started out. Because I'm established I can make a living. But many of my colleagues are struggling financially. It seems like you're a teacher and a performer so yeah you're making a living but not everybody wants to teach. I love what I do and now I'm working on ships except for its during the pandemic so I'm waiting for my next gig. But for starting out in the music business there is a lot of hype saying you will make a lot of money getting signed or getting gigs which is just not the reality right now. I'm in a big city and many of the venues that used to be open for live performance are being sold and replaced with condos. That's just fact. I'm not speaking from bitterness because I do gig but I have to do other things to make a living. I think people should do music as a side Hustle. Most people go into music because they want to perform but they will soon discover they need to find other ways to supplement their income like teaching or or working in a retail store. And if you live in a smaller town where there aren't a lot of live venues then you'll have to move to a bigger city which means there are a lot more musicians competing for the few venues that there. I agree with thinking outside the box and that's exactly what you'll need to do if you want to pursue music as a career.
Your video was good thank you. I’ve heard that statement before and I’ve always thought about it. I’m a sucky jazz guitarist but working to get better oh well
I was told the same thing. By parents and teachers. The reasons they gave were that you would not get income security in such a field. What I have learned is that if you love music and really passionate about it, you will find a way through. After all you are not doing it for the money, you are doing it because you love music. Sometimes you have to do other jobs, but you are doing it for the music, so you can put up with that as well, as long as you find time to practice and continue to learn your craft. What would be far worse is being denied what you really love. Today I think the reasons for not doing music are even weaker than they were decades ago. You will find that in most professions now it is highly competitive, particularly at entrant level and there and a lot of the job security that once existed in many fields now does not. Your life will not be easier doing something else. So just do what you love.
Whatever the old musician advice is correct according to me. Its not easy to make a living with only music. We have to keep paying our bills at the end of the month . Making a living in music dosen't guarantee we get regular salary every month. Passion of music is great , but also have to keep in mind about our families who need to be supported financially every month. Need to have a job which guarantees we get money every month to support financial needs of family.
I have a better advice for those who want to become musicians: If you want music to become your career, be at the best 20% of all musicians. Those 80% of the other musicians struggle to live from music. So, if you're not at the best 20% or not planning to be like that, better find another career, because almost every career is easier. Do a honest reality check, if you really have a talent to be the best 20%. I thought I had - was wrong. I wrote this from a perspective of Polish musician, maybe in the US or western Europe it is different.
I'm 28 and I'm trying to find out what to do with my life. Which is why I am here. Can someone explain what to major in music is like. Music is very broad. Do you choose an instrument and are taught how to sing? how it works?
A major in music can be many things. Music technology, playing an instrument in a sophisticated genre (classical or jazz usually), pop music, music theater & composition. Singing is classified as an instrument by the way, split into classical or jazz voice also. So the majors in essence are broken down into Composition, Performance or Music Technology. Both composition and performance in my Australian university had you receive one-on-one tuition once a week as well as your tutorial & lectures and standard university workload. Does this answer your question? And also, what are your other options for what you might do with your life? I'd love to hear about it, as I can only imagine how tough a process that might be! All the best! Your friend, Connor.
Music fiend isn’t for everybody. If your really passionate, dedicated, committed and willing to put time and work, and prepared for the life obstacles, observe where your field is going to go in next 3,5,10 years... then I don’t think you can possible fail. A lot of people doesn’t plan a few steps ahead and stay in their Comfort Zone. You have to get out there, take chances, communicate towards as much people as possible & try to plan for what’s coming next because music is always changing. & Also You have to build yourself mentally and physically for the long and bumpy road that you’re about to take... then you will meet your ends. I want people to understand that music is a tough road if you’re planing to make a living out of it. You have to know and use a lot of skills such as communication, connections, online music market, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, etc. it’s exhausting! But... it’ll all be worth in the end because there isn’t anything happier than doing what you love and getting paid! 💯
One of my favorites teachers so far told me "Remeber that being able to make music for as smallest as the moment is wipes away any amount of pain" best piece of advice I ever got
I got this advice too. For a while I agreed but going into a life in music knows this is a high competition field and for a long time we may not be "well off" but this is my life passion and I'll be damned if I don't pursue this.
YAAASS QUEEN!!! In my sophomore year, I had a previous teacher literally pull me aside personally and tell me that I would never make it as an orchestral cellist. That I would be going against people who have been playing for years more than I have and had more experience than me. I absolutely LOVED this video and am literally so happy that someone else experienced what I went through and made it as an amazing musician. You inspire me to go and pursue my passion, and I can't thank you enough for this. ♡♡
He;s right. If you do not have the passion for music do not do it simply because you don't know what else to do. This goes for all of the arts - it is a requirement of the trade. Trying to pursue music simply because you want to be a rock star or because parents want you to or because you are lost will lead to a disaster of a life. Better get a trade skill and forget music if it feels like a chore - you will come out much better and satisfied and in either case it would have been hard work - music perhaps even harder because you have to keep your skills up.
I started studying violin seriously one year and a half ago and I am a visual artist - I can do both simmultaneously. I believe anyone can. Many great musicians were involved with painting, photography or both. I ended up playing Vivadi after one year since I first touched a violin. I too could have initially been discouraged by the first violinist with whom I talked to about my willingness to start studying violin. This was also the first violinist I had ever seen performing live and his performance was part of the reason for which I wanted to start studying. His words did not discourage me simply because I love music too much to be hurt by discouraging remarks.
The only time I was discouraged in music was my dad who was a clarinet player and public school teacher who, when discovering I wanted to play clarinet in 5th grade, told me to play the cello instead because there are more jobs!! Especially positions in an orchestra. There are at least twice as many Cello positions in orchestras as clarinet and chamber music is much more vast in terms of repertoire for strings. Plus he thought the cello was much more beautiful. So I switched and never regretted that decision. I still play and teach regularly the piano and cello as a part time career and never get to the point where I’m ready to say I’m done. Plus I study philosophy and enjoy immensely examining how philosophers in the west have viewed music. It is truly remarkable the amount of wisdom and teachings we have available that hardly anyone devotes any time to study. I’m talking about Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Boethius, etc who sought to discover how music and the cosmos relate. What fascinating fields of study that hardly anyone, including musicians, devote any time to looking at and wondering about. Thanks for the video :)
I love your passion for obscure baroque cello music! Who cares it's not 'fashionable' or popular? You stand out from the crowd and are being a true authentic individual. Please don't conform to the herd mentality Emily, be UNIQUE.
Natali D Amen I don't understand why anyone would.not like baroque music especially when played on baroque instruments. Bach and Handel are my favorite composers in the baroque period.
People that stop pursuing music after advice like that doesnt have the drive and passion necessary for being a musician. Its the people that still continue after being discouraged that might have what it takes, so I understand why he said what he said. Still not very nice, but still.
I find the "I'll discourage you to test how passionate you are" routine quite distasteful. What kind of professionals are those people anyway? What qualifies them to serve as some kind of "filter"? Let the musical challenges be the ones that test the passion of those students. I was told the same when I was 19 and began classical guitar studies at my hometown's Conservatory and worked my way through admission exams - that was enough of a challenge for me. Want to see if they have what it takes? Give them something to work on and see how they do.
It's also completely untrue. Artists are told the same thing. Yes, it's difficult and success is not always proportionate to the work you put into it but you can be honest about those challenges without saying it's not worth doing. Also, when people are jaded about their career path it usually has more to do with their ego. If you don't enjoy doing something just for the sake of doing it you probably shouldn't build a career out of it.
Yeah I can relate and yes I have many things going against me as a musician, being dyslexic so sight reading was and is challenge for me. No rhythm in my bones is another drawback. And the list goes on. So I chose electronics and I work for a payphone company which doesn t sell many payphones these days. And I had some electronics experience but now I am not repairing anything and it's hard to leave a company I been with for almost 25 years. The question what if I went into music would I run sound for a big church or radio station. Would I have found that idea school to teach music education or privately teaching early students piano and some theory. Don't listen to people on either side of the issue. Do your hearts dream and run with it.
Craig Willis no I never wanted to. I prefer violin or bass violin. If I were to study a string instrument. I like to listen to classical guitar but never had the chance to learn. I don't like pop music or anything the pop society has to offer. I thought about learning baroque alto recorder. Maybe I could play by ear or maybe one line would be easier than 4 part harmony. I know there are music software out there to help with keyboard instruments but if I want to play I would want to play without aides, Music is from the heart and not from a machine.
Majoring in music has been a lot of my students ticket into college. Average grades, poor families, but wonderful players so they get a college opportunity that they may not of had without pursuing music.
Hi, Emily. I loved this vid. There's a lot of older folks in many fields who are bitter. I have to agree about music. Lots of very talented people end up teaching music for a living but they're bitter about it.
Emily - Becoming a professional cellist or performing musician is one of the most challenging callings one can receive in life . It is similar to becoming a priest or nun. Classical musicians who actually make a living performing have usually made huge sacrifices. These may or may not include : living on a shoestring budget, giving up entertainment, sometimes relationships. To be a really outstanding musician you will need to spend thousands of hours alone in a practice room, for many, many years, where you will be practicing scales, arpeggios , and cello etudes every day: this regimen will prepare you for learning the standard cello solo repertoire, and rehearsing chamber music and orchestral music with other upcoming classical musicians. Also, you will have to find a way to pay for all your expenses; unless you have wealthy relatives who already do this for you, you may find that you must spend at least part of your time in a , perhaps tedious , perhaps not , but nevertheless, likely non music related job. You are a young person . It is important to make time to have for friends and family . Perhaps you were raised in a religious home . Keeping up with the faith you were raised into can help keep you strong, no matter what conflicts or difficulties come your way in life.
Every spring, all the juniors at my school meet with their parents and guidance counselors to discuss careers and college/higher education. When I told my guidance counselor that I wanted to study music education, he said maybe I should double-major in a different type of education where there are more jobs, giving the example of special education. I honestly got really annoyed because music is what I want to do with my life and I wouldn’t want to put myself at risk of teaching something like history or science in a traditional classroom because that’s not what I want to do. While some would say it’s foolish to not consider the advice of an adult at your school, I bluntly told him that I wasn’t interested in doing it and I haven’t thought much about it since.
I remember in mibble school they used to put me in the verry back of the orchestra just because I didn't know how to play the cello very well. It was the hardest years of my life 😭
In reality being a musician is very difficult. It does not have a lot of range in the labor force. Employment is very limited. Most musician work in gigs and orchestra. Some are part of a union. It all depends on what instrument you play and how musically proficient you are. All I know is if you are pianists you are very marketable because a lot of churches are in need of pianist to play on Sunday or Saturday mass. There are also choir that needs accompanists to play for them in rehearsals and perfprmances too. Therefore I think pianist have more advantage in the musical gig because of the instrument itself is versatile. However you must be a good sight reader in order to be a pianists at church and high school choir because you need to accompany the choir and soloist right away. In addition any musician should be proficient in sight reading because any gig wants you to be able to play music right away and when you do you will have a job. Unfortunately its hard to find gigs for musician anymore. A lot of them are part of a union or multiple of them in order to survive or teach students.
The funny thing is I said the same thing for some people that are younger. If this was in Europe where education is free, then I would disagree with the advice. If you're anywhere in the United States, where music education prior to college is getting funds cut, some children are entering college thinking the degree will be easy. They start hating music after failing basic theory, music history, ear training and other courses. This sort of college American training, some children in Russia or Europe received from a young age. American students entering college at 18 without any of that training are going to compete with some musicians graduating at age eighteen. They'll truly need more drive than normal and some sacrifices. Unfortunately, my pursuit in music has caused relations between my parents and I to deteriorate, as my parents both wanted something more practical. Usually, the students that keep doing music, have nothing left or some dark story untold. In college alone, I have spoken to at least six or more children that have gone through abuse, problems of bullying or some story that drives them to seek music as the only option in their life. These children didn't party in high school, didn't use social media often and some don't even watch tv. Some other person that has a second option, will never be able to compete really. The point of the advice, at least from my experience, is so that people can still love music as a hobby if they find a second option, otherwise they can end up hating it. Your last bit on the sentence telling older people to give up and find something that'll make them happy is rather hypocritical, those people entered with the same mindset to find happiness too, otherwise they wouldn't be where they are now. You'd have less of this problem if education was free, but that's more into politics.
tchykovsky "do as I say and not as I do" is more hypocritical than saying being in music sucks. I mean if they had the bravery to do something else then why not? It takes bravery to work in any field.
Music is look like sport. There are so many similar place. Age need young training. Music and sport are same. Bone movement. Fingers and legs physical movement very similar.
I think the advice that you were given by that guy is excellent. Going into a field where the chances of getting a good paying gig are slim, it makes sense to weigh your options. There's no reason why a student can't continue to study music while pursuing another career.
From the perspective of a 41 year old man having worked in an aviation career for 21 years, and having a music background, it sounds more like he used the wrong choice of words to express the fact that making money as a musician is extremely difficult and the stress of making a living in music can only be justified and satisfying not by being talented, but by being passionate about it. I have made very good money working in aviation, but am extremely bored with the absence of a creative atmosphere. I am actually in the process of contemplating a career change into music. But again, I have experienced working in a career field in which I have talent but do not feel any passion, for long enough it will never feel as fulfilling to me as music.
Music is neither good at math nor good at writing. It's essential technique about physical movement similar to sport athletes. Musician and athletes are common similar place to belong physical movement. one of them is the joint of fingers dexterity/flexible movement for musician. One of them is the joint of legs flexible movement.
I'm 32, and my decision to study in music in college with the goal of gaining an orchestra chair - and to follow that goal for years afterwards - was absolutely idiotic. I now play in an amateur orchestra largely of players who started a serious program of conservatory training and quickly changed professional aspirations either during or afterwards. They have socially and materially rich lives, and they play extremely well. I am the black sheep of the group - I may be one of the better players because I have more professional music experience, but my financial and social life is a disaster, and it is difficult to change careers many years after school. It is not a healthy equation. Don't depend on music. Passion and enthusiasm is not enough. The people who can have a career in classical music are marked for it prior to adolescence, they will have resumes of festival participation, masterclasses, etc. If you're not on that mountain, you can only climb it with a time machine, and an awful lot of "what if."
Good video! I was in a juvenile orchestra (when I was 14) some years ago, playing piano during 3 years and I was very innovative and used to get out of the routine, which sometimes gave me some troubles with some of my teachers even the director, but at the end of the day the audience could've just think "oh I liked this and that when the pianist did this"... And of course I moved to a completely different country and has been really hard, 3 years from now, and 1 year ago I returned to my passion, the music, which I'm trying to perfect, and few months I started learning bass, thanks to the music theory I've done that by myself. But sometimes it's hard because I have people specially my parents trying to turn that off my mind, finding myself frustrated and sometimes off mood. :(
Emily, I appreciate your passion but you sound a tiny bit foolish and naive. That guy is not telling young people to "give up" on music. He is telling high school students how to increase their chances for success in life. It is much easier to consistently earn a living wage in other industries. Musicians are more likely to keep earning income while working a day job than from performing alone, at least without a music degree. Many professional musicians (about two thirds) must work part-time in another job to earn a living wage especially if they are supporting a family. I know you are successful and doing well but how many of your fellow student musicians from college are equally successful in pursing their music profession? How many have been forced to get a day job in another field after their music degree? How many are still in debt and cannot afford to pay off their student loans yet? Are your student loans paid off yet? I am a musician. In my youth I pursued a career in music but I needed healthcare, a steady income and substantial savings before getting married and having kids. These factors steered me towards another line of work. Years later, I am financially stable and can responsibly pursue a career in music. This is one reason why the average age of professional musicians is over 40. About three quarters of pro-musicians are considered self-employed (no healthcare benefits). Many of the two thirds mentioned earlier may be working entry level jobs at age 50 to qualify for healthcare benefits. My questions for aspiring musicians are: Do you want to have children and raise a family? Do you plan to give birth in your living room or in a hospital? How do you plan to pay for that hospital bill? How much savings do you need to support your(self) or family if you cannot work for 6 months? How long will it take the average musician to save up 6 months worth of expenses?
Totally agree with you! I’m a professional pianist,with 2 bachelor and 2 master degrees...but still looking for another career opportunities other than Music .Working as a freelancer is incredibly unstable .Have done it myself .
Wow, as a woman with a young baby and a husband as well as a thriving music career, I highly suggest you stay out of offering advice on that subject. It IS possible and it IS worth the struggle. There IS help for those who can't afford insurance or need financial help with a child. What a negative, "naive" and rude bunch of "questions". Furthermore, if you don't like what Emily is saying, then go offer your advice to those who want it. I for one encourage ALL of my music students who enjoy the field and have a passion for it to explore professional opportunities. Emily, I support and agree with your message. Keep doing what you're doing!!! We need more positive videos, especially from young women, who encourage the fulfillment of a career in music!!
I agree with you, wholeheartedly. I think the delivery she explained from this speaker was absolutely perfect. Music requires an intense passion in order to break through in the industry, and it can actually help the advancement and innovation in music by creating a sense of a 'pressure chamber' in order to even enter the field of 'professional musician' to keep the most passionate, and dedicated from being muddled down by those who simply find themselves going through the motions and lacking in creative drive.
I think that you misunderstood or you interpreted it in the way that he did not mean it. I am 14 and want to be a musician for my profession, so don’t get me wrong, I think encouraging students is important. However, I think what he was trying to say that, because music is such a challenging profession, being in a different field of work would increase your chance of success in your career. I’m not trying to say that he was absolutely right to say this to students, but he was being blunt and realistic. I also think that what he said might have even made different students realize their passion for other fields. I get why you’re ranting about it, but it is good that you acknowledge that he had the best intentions.
As hard as I worked in music I would have been wealthy if I had been in certain other fields. However, I'm happier as a musician. Also, many of us need to creatively find our own niche.
Here's one thing for people to also think about. Even if you are a great musician, and can improvise like Aydin Essen, can sight read like a computer, have all the passion of YoYo Ma, the economic realities of life go beyond your own. Since, for most of the public, finding food, education, shelter, money (a job, profession, career) , a mate, a family, and having access to good medical care - is a priority. After people have some of this worked out, then they can spend money on music. Buying recordings, going to concerts, taking music lessons, etc. Music tastes change with every generation. It was classical, then big band, jazz, be bop, fusion. folk, rock, electronic, EDM, rap....Now musicians can make music @ home and sell it on the various music sites directly to the public, no need for a UMG "universal music group". Sampling, DAW's, computers, and all the rest have eliminated the need for a lot of musicians. So what does it all mean? For me, if you I want to live in a nice house, have a family, send kids to good schools, have good food to eat, and participate in lots of varied activities with the kids, neighbors, friends.....it all requires money & time. Musicians spend a huge amount of time to practice, travel, be part of that scene in networking. The point of it all is that, if you want a family, you are not the only one involved in your musical career. Your mate & children are also the recipient of your decision in a career. Your financial well being is also their fate, if you have enough money to thrive, save, & plan for your old age, or whether you'll not have enough money to do those things, and deprive them of developing the best they can be. I've had musician friends, husband/wife/kid....who were excellent musicians, work themselves to ill health just to survive, have little savings, and their kid was left out of so many activities due to money & time issues. They both ended up being music teachers in private & public schools. Think long & hard about your "real" economic futures. If you have interests other than music, really dig in and find out what they're about too. I did that, worked in those areas, & found out the truths that no one ever spoke of, ended up being a 30 year career firefighter, instead of an airline pilot, & it was the best thing that's ever happened in my life, both financially & as a fulfilled, fun & exciting life...& continues to be that way. I still play music for fun & enjoyment......but now it really is fun & enjoyable with no expectations other than that. Just something to think about....... :)
I am in total agreement with your experience and view. Music will always be at my heart, but there are many other important things in my life as well. I prefer to chose a different career and let music forever be a pleasure instead of a burden.
I was told as a teenager not to go into music. I was succesfully talked out of it. Now I'm a bitter 24 year old with a lot of regrets, lmao. Last year I decided to suck it up, take care of my demons, and give it one more shot. I auditioned at my local conservatory and I got accepted! Starting in 2 weeks. I have insecurities about my age but I will give it my best shot. I will practice hard and show them that there's also good sides about being a few years older than my peers. That way at least I can't regret that I didn't try.
Don't give up, I hope it works out!^^
Good luck & have a ball! I went in @ age 20 after 2 years out of school, and one of my closest friends at uni was a jazz pianist who was 24 (I think) also. In an institute of young kids rattled with anxiety, being a bit older, more mature and resolved was a blessing. I hope it serves you well also! All the best Anna!
Also, what course are you taking?
Congrats! That's so awesome
Hope it’s going great !!! Bless you
#Blessed don't look back
I am a music major, and I graduated in 2013. Let me give some advice: If you want to go into the music field, go into it. Just do it. However, what I don't recommend is getting into debt getting a performance degree in music. You will find yourself not going into it full time or becoming a full time music teacher, so I would recommend getting a music education degree. I think that is the warning the older musicians need to be giving.
maybe him giving that advice was his way to filter students so only the passionate will ignore his "advice" and go on to excel in music
I feel the same, anyone discouraged by his "advice" probably wouldn't have had the will to make a career anyway
Elon Musk once said the same thing to young entrepreneurs. One "very passionate" person understood his statement as just what you said. If you listen to Elon Musk, he always says, he'll never quit.
What a bunch of mindfuck bull.
I'm a music composition major and honestly I would give the same advice that visiting professional gave to anyone else. I knew what I was getting into and I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I relish in the struggle but I also understand that most people do not hold the same passion for music as I do. The advice I would give is to do what puts food on your table and keep playing music for fun. Going into other fields doesn't exclude you from doing music. In fact you don't need a performance degree to play in community ensembles or even professional ensembles, it all depends on the the work you put into your instrument and how well you do in the audition. Only the top of the top ever get positions that can support them fully and most people will never get there because not only does it require dedication and skill, but also luck.
Musicians and music educators are underappreciated and undervalued and unless you have the immense drive to continue in the face of adversity you will get burnt. The unfortunate reality is that you need to be able to pay the bills and if you're okay with working extra jobs, eating cheap meals, and living in a shitty apartment (I'm pretty much talking about myself at this point) then by all means pursue you passion. But if you really can't see yourself sacrificing everything to attain your music dream then PLEASE do something else that will support you AND support your hobbies!
I feel like the advice should have been the opposite; if you only pursue music because you aren't good at anything else, you probably don't have the drive it takes. However, if you pursue music because you are passionate about it and talented, even if you have other talents, you could make it.
I don’t think that was bad advice. I think that all folks considering a career in classical music need to fully understand what the prospects are. Oh there are folks who do ‘make it’, but the probability of any one person even getting a regular job in a standard performing organization is rather slim. I was trained as an organist in one of the major conservatories in New York. While in grad school I had a one-year replacement at a junior college. I quickly discovered what type of student I’d probably end up with and decided that I really didn’t like my prospects, so changed fields.
There is nothing preventing anyone from feeding their passions. Even though I changed my career, I still continued doing church music. My only regret while in conservatory was that I limited myself in too narrow of a scope. I regret that I didn’t take advantage of the jazz program or take voice/acting lessons. Maybe I could have become a studio musician or a better choral director.
You were fortunate in that you found a niche where you could flourish.
I received similar advice, and was told I wasn't nearly "good enough," so I went into engineering and quit music for several years.. :/ Now I play folk music for fun, but I'm super interested in audio engineering and learning how to compose music. I kind of wish I hadn't quit and that I kept going down the music path... Oh well! I can still do it in my free time. :)
As long as you're still alive, it's never too late to change your career if you so desire. If you want to pursue audio engineering or composing, go for it.
and your really good! I follow your channel
The worst advice I had been given and still stumbles me to this day is that “if you didn’t start music when you were young, it’s too late for you”. Now, I am 20 and would love to start learning music, but I still struggle with that idea. I hope I can get over it sometime, I would love to learn music.
Oh you definitely can, 20 is still really young. At my music school there is a 76 year old who started playing piano as his first instrument a few years ago and hes already quite good and can play intermediate pieces with a bit of effort. So as long as you have fun with it and like to express yourself with music, theres always a way to learn it ;)
@@aquario3563 crazy that I left this comment 4 years ago. I have been playing bass for 1.5 years now :)) thank you for your comment.
I received very similar advice from my chemistry teacher not too long ago. Except he did it in front of the entire class during a lecture that had nothing pertaining to being a musician at all. He said that I wouldn't make it as a professional anything and should just give up now. He's literally the worst teacher that I have ever had, and he is now the driving force for me to get a principal position in a full time orchestra like Berlin, Houston, or New York. I can't wait to send him front row tickets when my orchestra plays the rite of spring with that opening bassoon solo. He disgusts me.
He is relly bad, but maybe he shouldn't bei the Main reason😂 Like you Just make music to frustrate your former teacher....
He doesn't deserve front row tickets - save those for aspiring young musicians. How about a standing room only ticket, if there is such a thing.
Sorry but the guy probably doesnt even remember by now... Do it for yourself
Future Sith Lord here.
In serious, use that anger when you need to to get through hardship, but don't lean on it too often.
There are some overlooked artistic advantages in choosing the stability of an easier, higher-paying career outside of music while still maintaining one’s musical pursuits. I choose to do this because it allows me to pursue only the musical projects I want. I’ve played volunteer and paid situations in both the rock and classical realms, and some of the least artistic musicians I’ve ever seen were “pros” trying to piece together a desperate career in music, playing one degrading velvet-suited gig after another with a myriad of sucky bands just to keep their utilities from being shut off when the bill is due. They play all the time and make a living out of music but can’t risk trying anything new or god forbid they should lose their gig to a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, they’ll be divorced. How much of a professional’s musical activity is spent doing what they originally went into music to do, and how much is just treading water upstream? If you’re artistically satisfied with what you do, then great. If not, there are a lot more lucrative ways to be miserable. I have the luxury of turning down humiliating gigs and playing only repertoire I love with ensembles I enjoy because I earn a living in another career, which frees me up to do only what I want musically. I no longer have to take a gig that makes me question my integrity- not everyone has that choice.
Musicians, especially classical musicians, are extremely intelligent and resourceful. If you can play a concerto, you can probably do the vast majority of jobs other people dedicate their entire lives to mastering with little more than a quickie slam bam crash course. I taught music for a couple years, but that’s not really what I got into music for- I wanted to play, not pass the torch to a classroom of future teachers who will also pass the torch. For a much higher salary and less toil, I saw exceptional teachers leave education in droves to become mediocre at the field I'm in now. For all my years in college, I reckon I deserve an expensive house, car, nice material objects, exotic vacations, and so does every other musician who has worked as hard as me. I’m not about to watch all the good things in life go to someone else who didn't work as hard. I spend a lot less time working a utilitarian career than if I were playing crappy gig after crappy gig to make ends meet- so I effectively have more time to play what I want.
I must agree I also tend to dissuade most young people from going into music. Not because it is a hard road or that I’m bitter, but because most people who aspire to be musicians don’t go into it with the genuine intent of furthering music as an art. I regard most as wannabes, whose end goals are more often to solicit superficial attention for themselves. Music should be the end goal, not a means to it. If someone is the real deal and exhibits real talent and discipline- I will support them all the way, but I don’t regard it as ethical to promote those who are just going to water down our stagnant art further and take opportunities away from the deserved. Not everyone is entitled to be a superstar.
I really don’t think the goal is to “make it as a musician” as much as it to learn the art form that you’re drawn to and give it to people who want to hear it. Reality is you have to pay bills so you have to work and carry your weight regardless of the what the work is. And then when the working day is over you create something for other people and maybe you’ll wake up in the morning one day realizing you’re a full time working musician who could be doing something else but is doing what he likes most.
I love your tone in this video. The topic at hand is definitely a touchy one, which brings out emotion in both sides. The whole video, you stayed mostly objective and fair, but at the end, especially that last bit, (“If you feel so inclined . . . to advise others to give up, maybe you’re the one who should be giving up.“), you show how fed up you are with those people who will discourage young musicians. It’s unfathomable to me that someone would blatantly advise to give up and do something else.
I've also met a lot of these "bitter senior musicians". E.g. I was 19 and playing piano just 2 years I got accepted to conservatory which was a huge thing for me since I learned all by myself in such short period of time. I was practicing in concert hall of some music school, during my practice some teacher came to the hall, sat down and listened. When I was done she was like "who is your teacher? I haven't seen you in school's concert" I said I don't have one, I just came to practice and we started to talk. She seemed to like my playing, after a while she asked if I wanted to take lessons at that elementary music school, I said I don't need any, I'm going to conservatory next year. Then she turned really bitter... She was like "why would you do that? that's so stupid, do something else, you're going to practice 8 hours a day and still you won't be good enough to make a living by playing piano, even if you graduate the school, you are going to end up like me teaching talentless little children, make no money etc.." I was so schocked... It made me really discouraged, I felt like I didn't achieve anything, I even didn't want to start the school anymore... After a lot of thinking I came to conclusion that she was clearly unhappy how her life turned out and was transfering her experience to others. after 5 years I can say I am really happy I started, but she really turned my overall mood from "I'm so excited to start learning" to "didn't I do a mistake? I don't want to end up, unhappy, bitter like her" These discouraging senior teachers are the reason many talented people stop making music and rather do what seems more racional but gives them no joy. I hope I never become "bitter senior", I try my best to motivate my students.
My worst advice?
In 7th grade. A 8th grader told me. "Dont become a musican. It dosnt pay well"
My grandpa said it aswell.
Yet my band teacher is always helping me.
So. Im going to major in band. I can already play 3 and am learning piano. My band teacher is kinder than family. I really love music. It can rid me of stress, you can make some true freinds. Music is gonna be major while science will be my minor. Adults shouldnt try to sway our minds. It can hurt us.
I mean, them saying that hurt me. I stopped playing at home. But.. I have other freinds that are supportive...
The worst thing you could ever do is give up.
I would probably respond by asking them how they know if they don't even work as musicians.
Beginning to take music seriously in your teens (instead of being born with talent and supportive parents), racking up debt in music school, then paying it off slowly with a less-than-glamorous teaching job instead of in a high-paying orchestra doesn’t sound that heartbreaking to me. It just sounds par for the course.
My Grade 6 music teacher told me I was too small and I would never be able to play Bassoon, that is was too hard of an instrument. to play. I seen a picture of it in the classroom and was instantly fascinated with it after listening to some Vivaldi concertos. Boy was she wrong, I am now a graduate with my Masters of music performance and enjoy every minute of playing this beautiful instrument.
Thank You Emily! You make some very important points in your rebuttal to the advice given by that visitor to your high school. I don't consider your comments a rant because your points are too well developed and presented. I remember telling my high school students "no one owes you a job, a future, or happiness. Whoever or whatever you become is totally your singular responsibility. Finding ourselves is a lifelong endeavor and we're bound to make mistakes along the way. Constantly ask yourself 'What activity will make me happy?' This appears to be an extremely difficult decision and responsibility. However as young adults in progress this "discovery and becoming is one of the most liberating things we can do, an adventure like no other. Don't worry, you won't be alone. On the path to your becoming someone will magically appear to help. No rant from you because you are finding your way and you are by no means done. Thank You!
I’m fifteen and I play viola! Last year, I was chosen to participate in a program where students performed pieces with accomplished musicians. It was quite fun and I was so honored to get picked. We broke into groups during the first rehearsal & a professor from Juilliard helped us prepare. As soon as we started playing she started talking about how lucky we were and how we were never going to get an opportunity like this again. I asked her why, because we were in high school and surely there will be more things like this in the future, and she flat out told us we weren’t good enough to get anywhere in life with music. It was obvious she was bitter because there were SO many talented teen musicians there who will definitely go on to have promising careers in music. So I totally agree with what you said about the older generation of musicians. Often, instead of inspiring young musicians they’re bitter and try to pin us down. But I’m practicing and I really hope I can go somewhere with it!
If anything there is too much "encouragement" from predatory educational institution promising careers that dont exist for truly outrageous fees. Kids are graduating from music schools 100k in debt. It would take a lot of youtube views to clear that.
This is true but absolutely not specific to music. I know people who've gone to university for 6 years only to find out they absolutely hate the field they end up in, or cannot find a job that's at all related to what they studied for.
Thank you for making this video. My school just had a well known composer come and talk to the band last week and she gave the exact same advice. Hearing what you have to say, coming from someone making a living off music, is encouraging for me! Being told that music is such a difficult career choice that should only be considered as a last resort was a little discouraging. As you described, there seemed to be a bitterness coming from this person. She had had a fabulous career in music, but she wanted to discourage anyone who had options other than music.
as a violinist who has heard similar advice I believe that when you were a child you may have misinterpreted what this teacher said. I have received similar advice from music teachers and from what I understand about the advice it’s not that you shouldn’t play music unless there is absolutely nothing else you could do but rather the advice is not to pursue music alone because it may not come through and then you could be living in poverty. This is why while I love playing violin and am possionate and ambitious about it I’ve chosen a career in something more reliable. So I can support myself in continuing my music education.
On one hand I see musician friends hate on relatives that say that music is a 'hobby study' and then without blinking say that it's basically impossible to make money without teaching and that it's basically an expensive hobby.
I totally agree, better advice that still follows that string of logic should be "If you want to go into music, realize it's a very challenging field and that you'll have to work very hard to be successful". You can do anything you want in the world, but some things just require more work than others in order to find success.
This advice is word for word what the director of bands as the University of South Florida said to my high school All-County Band when we were discussing college.
Was it really the worst advice? You did survive it after all. I am one of the older musicians who says the same thing and I received the same advice as a high school student. I also did not let it stop me. I do try to express the serious challenges of being a musician and surviving in the world as an adult musician, without being too much of a downer, but it is essentially the same advice. I even remember the anger I felt hearing the same words. But I think overall, the advice helped me stay focused and working hard. After 40 years as a musician, after 28 major symphony auditions with 15 finals as a youngster only to work my life as a freelancer, I really have no regrets. But I find that too many students are not warned of the difficulties more than the opposite. Too many teachers encourage students for selfish reasons to show how they can get students into conservatories, competitions, etc., without shepherding them through the perils of music life--hence the later bitterness. Both my husband and I are freelancers, teaching as adjuncts in colleges and we have a great life--but we are also very good with money and have never taken exotic trips or any other luxuries. Our kids, now adults, are excellent musicians, but after seeing our work load and life, both ran screaming from any thought of music as a profession. One's working toward being an engineer and the other a doctor. My best advice today: Know the pitfalls, never go into debt for your musical education, work really, really, REALLY hard and stay flexible as to how you earn your money to pay the bills.
I totally agree. I got very similar advice in grad school from a well known baritone. He said that if you wanted to pursue opera you had to prepare for having unsuccessful marriages, being gone for long stretches of time ect. and I had just gotten married. I also was told at NEC that there was no career in performing in concerts and that opera or opera choruses were the only way. We never had anyone come in to talk to us that had chosen a different route and I felt very isolated as I didn't really feel that opera was the path for me. I suppose that is a singers version of an orchestra. I decided that I really enjoyed programming and arranging music for my small ensemble but I have virtually no one to talk to about it. I haven't met any singers doing the same thing but it is so great to see so many instrumentalists really pioneering this field and using social media to get the word out. Thank you so much for your videos!
One thing that’s true is that if you think music is for you and it’s not then any decent+ music program in university will chew up your soul and spit it out until you yourself dropout or switch degrees so there’s no need to EVER discourage going into music since music the degree itself will make it VERY obvious whether you belong or not and although some people are very talented and can probably make it through a program but they will see the difference between them and the other music majors. This I speak from experience as many of my friends have dropped out and they were technically better than me yet I still stay because every time I feel terrible and depressed and just try not to do it I end up doing it anyways because I can’t not do it. Though I will say it is certainly at a lower quality than when I am not depressed but, that’s just me.
I think it’s disgusting how many comments there are on this video that are so condescending like “you’ll get it when your older” or “the truth can sometimes taste bitter”, at the end of the day, there is no right answer! You have an opinion, Emily has an opinion. I think it’s beautiful that she is so supportive of young musicians chasing what they really want but even besides from that, she is a human being who deserves your respect.
I really appreciate your comment as a fellow younger person pursuing music. Thanks Anna! All the best.
Also, what kind of musician are you?
The best advice I've ever been given has been in the form of encouragement. I got a degree in illustration despite strong objections from my Mother and being color blind. The discouragement of other has always help feed my motivation. Learning the cello on the other hand, I need encouragement. It's hard enough I don't have time for people's negativity.
Thank you Emily. Not being a musician but a fan of classical music since my adolescence, I appreciate your videos that deal with aspects that are not always visible for the public and that affect the music making process, both on the technical and human dimensions. This type of materials enrich my experience as a listener.
His advice may go against what you believe and was not particularly useful in your circumstances. There's no single advice that fits all. There may be other students in the orchestra that took on his advice and turned out better for them.
I think his intention was to give the students a reality check, not to discourage. A career in music generally hasn't got well defined career paths, unlike professions like accounting, law, hospitality etc. Each musician has to find their own way. To do that while at the same time having to get a roof under one's head and food on the table is quite a challenge, especially if someone has zero support after graduation.
Rather than say choose to do something else, I'd say choose 2 or more paths. If one doesn't work out, one has another path to fall back on. Or use one path to support the path until the other path is well established and can take off on its own. As I always say, choose the option that will give you more options later in life.
To all the musicians and musicians to be out there, all the best!
I have experienced this kind of situation too. I was not allowed to take music as my major when I graduated from senior high, my parents pulled me into taking commonly chosen majors people take when it comes to going to college. but finally after college I ended up focussing on my music carier and study the piano again, until I became a full time freelance piano teacher. and further I started learning cello 4 years ago as a minor alongside taking a diploma in piano teaching, which hopefully I could finish in period of around 2 years. well that's such a journey but I think it is worth taking the challenges n risks to get what I really enjoy doing 😊
I guess I'm one of those people, though I'm not quite so old. I work as a freelance musician and I strongly discourage most people from entering the field mostly because they have very unrealistic ideas about what a profession in music entails. They think it's just playing music they personally find enjoyable and getting paid for it while never doing anything they don't find fun. That's just not the reality of it. Many are not very well off and don't have any financial backup. A lot of the more positive musicians I see making the argument you make in this video tend to have a lot of financial backup. They have well off parents who will support them if they got into to a bind. They have someone paying for their college. They have someone to pay for a nice instrument. They have someone to help keep them afloat until their career can stabilize. But if a student doesn't have that, they risk going into a ridiculous amount of debt for a dead end career which they didn't fully understand the limitations of.
A huge part of the problem with music is supply versus demand and more people going into it to try to change things about it won't necessarily fix that. I'd also so that as a string player you likely get the rosier side of the classical world. There are just more spots for strings in general in the classical world and string players aren't expected to be as versatile stylistically as other instruments. There are far less openings for wind players in the classical space and wind players will be expected to be more stylistically versatile. There was a time when you could have jazzers and classical specialists, but to make it these days, you're pretty much always expected to be able to do everything.
Things get even worse for pianists. Too many people want to be classical concert pianists and that's honestly just not a real job. Someone literally has a better chance of getting drafted as a starting quarterback in the NFL that being a world touring classical concert pianist. Pianists tend to focus their efforts all in the wrong places... mostly memorizing hard rep, not spending enough time focusing on solid reading skills, the ability to follow a conductor, soloist, etc. For those with a classical background in piano, the real jobs are going to be in accompaniment, yet most schools prepare them as if they are going to be giving solo recitals. Th reality is, nobody is going to pay them to play Rach with 3 months of prep time. Pianists are expected to play a huge stack of music with maybe 1-2 weeks of turnaround if not expected to read it on sight in a rehearsal. While sightreading like this is a baseline expectation for wind/string players, for some reason it's just not in academic piano culture.
Most young students just don't have any idea what professional music entails and aren't willing to put in the actual work in the areas that is needed. So many will promise to practice 8 hours a day, but are only willing to work on polishing their strengths and playing music that "speaks to them" while leaving tons of blind spots in their ability to perform. This doesn't make them very employable. And most think they will only perform, but in reality the vast majority will have to teach privately or otherwise. And university positions aren't growing on trees either, so it's most likely going to be teaching MS/HS as maintaining a private studio of students is also ridiculously risky.
These are all very good comments, thanks for sharing. I don't at all mean to portray it as an easy life. The main message I want to get across is the traditional path is where things get really difficult, so thinking outside the box is essential. Unfortunately these types of skills aren't taught nearly enough in conservatory. I make a nice monthly amount from my TH-cam channel, through Patreon and through ad revenue, and I've also made money from sales and recitals for my self-produced solo albums. Chamber groups can make money by putting on their own concerts and getting involved with things like Groupmuse. There are so many ways to make our living outside of the normal orchestral jobs, and I worry that the classical music field isn't forward-thinking enough to explore these options.
It's interesting because so many of your videos resonate VERY deeply with me and my experiences. I find myself nodding along to so many of your points vigorously and I'm so glad to be hearing these opinions about the state of music education both from you and a small number of others on TH-cam. Non-students who've actually had to take the musical skills they were taught and see how they work in reality. I shudder at the grandiose advice from current music major who haven't yet actually tried to make it.
Despite, being so sympatico with most of your thoughts on the brokenness of music education and the hustle required for making it as a musician, we obviously diverged quite a bit. You went down a pretty specific and narrow route and I went the other way, very broad to cast a much wider net. I guess I care less personally about artistic control or personal passion and find it personally very fulfilling just to grow even when it means working on things I don't love. Sometimes I find love for them along the way, but I always find growth and that growth is where I find "passion" (though I'd never use those words). Ultimately, I'm just very mercenary about it. If I can't do the thing you want to hire me for, you'd better believe I'll try to be able to do it before the next time. I've also just found it easier to find a lot of work as a jack of all trades and as my workload grows and I become more in demand, I get to be more picky about the jobs I take and for what rate.
I feel like taking the passion project approach that you have is extremely scary and sometimes I wonder if you've got a bit of survivorship bias because of that. At the same time, you worked your ass off and came in as an underdog and you feel like you earned it, and you absolutely did. That's another area where we're on the same page in that if you really work, you can overcome being late to the party (I didn't touch piano until 18, didn't get serious about it until 26, now it's my primary income and instrument). I think going through that makes you feel like you deserve all that you've achieved in an almost jaded way.
But I don't think the vast majority have the grit. People love to star-gaze, but obviously you have the stubbornness and drivenness to stick to it in a way that is probably fairly unique to you. Over the years in trying to help others, I've realized the same about myself. I'm uniquely willing to grind in a way that other people aren't. They find it hard to work on things that are boring. They have trouble concentrating or whatever other excuse. And it makes me think that there's something just unique in people like you and me that makes us able to stick to it. I FEEL like others could do it if they would just buckle down, but I start to wonder if most people are that capable.
So many of the fantastic conservatory musicians are there essentially on inertia. They started young, maybe had a bit of talent, and worked meagerly to coast (relatively) into the school and even if they do well, it usually doesn't bring them necessary career success (as you even noted in a previous video). They just fall out of music. But it's really rare that people are like you and actually willing to work hard. Many just happen to be good at music and not much else. They aren't driven by it, they just care more about it than anything else academic. I really don't think these people are capable of achieving what you have because they don't have a fraction of the grit and dedication that you do. I think you're more unique in that way than you probably realize and that's a huge part of why I don't think people should tread lightly down the path of music.
In reality, warning people away probably just scares of the ones who didn't need to go into music in the first place. The ones that are stubborn enough and passionate enough to make it anyway are the ones that will charge forward heedless of such a warning, so I'm not even sure that warning discourages anyone who is really serious. Hell, it sounds like you were damn near spurred on by this warning. You, like me, probably felt like you could prove that guy wrong, and you did. But most people honestly don't care enough to prove anyone wrong. They just think music as a profession is easy or the only think they are good at. It's not easy and just being good isn't good enough.
Either way, keep up the great content. I think hearing from actual working musicians (no matter their views) can only help make the realities of working in music a bit less opaque to people who are considering it.
Ha! Don't get me started on my music teacher at school! I find it sad that, after talking to many other musicians over the years, not one of them has a positive story to tell about music tuition at school. Nobody was encouraged, or made to feel good about their abilities or interest. I'm in the UK and work with contemporary music, so I'm not sure how much our situations have been similar, but I agree 100% with what you're saying here.
I just discovered your channel and you are truly an inspiration Emily!! Thank you for blessing us with your wonderful videos, beautiful playing, and divine artistry❤️
This happened to me....And unfortunately I ingrained it into my mind. I warn others not to do this however. If you really want to pursue something, please try.
I’ve grown to love the cello and have always had a passion for music of all kinds since I was in middle school. I always liked the idea of pursuing music and not just performing itself but especially teaching or composing but felt like it would be impossible...I regret not trying years ago.
I have done the same. I discouraged people from majoring in something I did not think was practical, but in the end I was miserable following my own advice and changed my major to something I loved.
I'm a sophomore in high school and I've loved music since I was realy young. When it came time to choose courses, my parents weren't so keen on me pursuing a college/uni with music because they said it's not really a great job with lots of money. So I did not choose music for my elective in Gr. 9 and 10. Most of the time now, I wonder what it would have been like if I chose music and if I would be happier with my choices than I am now.
I have always loved music, classical, and other genres. Vocal music was my only outlet for expressing that and it gave me joy. Then in 8th grade choir the teacher, who never pointed out other choir members' flaws, did so with me. It was humiliating and crushing. I think he thought I would take it in stride being a bit of a class clown, but I wish I had expressed to him how I felt about the criticism.
He should have probably said to also continue to develop and work towards your other passions at the same time so that you have options incase your first choice in music doesn't pan out. Like perhaps a double major, or a minor in something that could be parlayed into a career if need be. But yeah, definitely not telling anyone to not pursue what they want. I majored in Theatre, but I am not working in it now. That doesn't mean I shouldn't have developed those skills and talents. No matter what happens career wise in the end, we can always find ways to incorporate our passions into our everyday lives. I will soon be picking up the violin after not playing for 14 years. And even though I will never be a concert violinist, I will still be able to rekindle the joy and passion that my instrument once brought me. Unfortunately when I was young I had very little support for my passion. Not much from family, and my teacher (who I adored) didn't care much about me. Those things, coupled with the fact that I was very behind and progress was too slow for me to get where I needed to be in time, ruined the passion I had for the violin. I ended up quitting at 17 and never looked back. Watching amazing professional violinists has always been a little bit painful for me because of how much I once wanted it and the realization that it would never be. But my therapist has encouraged and inspired me to begin again. She started leaning cello as an adult and I am greatly inspired by her passion and dedication to the arts. I have also considered learning cello. But affording a decent one, or even renting, is difficult at this time.
So bottom line, if you are not passionate about what you're doing, it doesn't matter if it is the most profitable field in the market, it is more than likely that you won't get paid much anyway. So please, PLEASE, choose something you love, money or any definition or success you may have will eventually come.
Hi Emily! I found this completely relatable, I was always told by teachers not to try because it is extremely difficult and that they were better than me when they were younger and did not get in to a conservatoire! But now I have been offered a scholarship in London, I feel like I have proved all of those people wrong 👍👍 I would say to anyone go for it if it is your passion, and never limit yourself!
I appreciate this video a lot, and I'm glad you took the course that you did! You're one of the most inspiring channels here on TH-cam.
Every senior art/music/animation professional gives that same speech to weed out people who don't have passion. I think the general idea is that if you care enough to make music or anything else your fulltime occupation, you will ignore the warning and pursue your dreams regardless. It's ironic how opposition usually forces us to make tough life decisions.
Hi Emily! Thanks for all your vids, they are very encouraging to me. I am 34 years old and held a cello for the first time last December, and have been taking weekly lessons since. Music will never be my career, I will never know those challenges and struggles and I am glad for that. I wanted to play the cello because it touched my heart. Baroque music is beautiful and meaningful and I admire you for sticking to it even though some may criticize you. I think it shows that you care more about the beauty and the history of time rather than trying to show off your own technical ability. So please keep making videos for people like me, who love music for how it makes us feel and not for what position it’s played in ;)
I started learning the cello in 2021, at 33 years old. one of my teachers told me if I couldn't improve by the end of the year it meant music wasn't for me. well I didn't give up but I needed another teacher telling me that my progress was ok for the amount of time I've been playing for. some teachers just want to push you down
Emily, which is paying your bills? Your career as a musician? Or your teaching? How many orchestras are there in the world vs the number of music students that graduate every year? Good advice is still good advice, even if it tastes bitter.
I don't see my career as a musician or my teaching as separate entities... teaching is one of the many pieces of my music career, along with this TH-cam channel. Also there are other ways to play music outside of orchestras (thank god).
The truth hurts 2.0
Really? If that's the case then a psychology teacher isn't a psychologist. Being a teacher and being a musician are one of the same
Edward Yeo you're comparing two vastly different fields, one is a field of science in which things are set and understood. The other is an art which is subject to change from person to person and while the basics can be taught and understood there is only so far teaching can go.
You can teach anyone to be a great psychologist, you can't teach anyone to be a great musician, otherwise Yo-yo Ma wouldn't be as impressive as he is because there'd be a lot more just like him.
I've respect for music teachers, but there's a big difference between teaching music and making music.
Dante Howlstice Sure but teaching music is still part of a music career. The older musicians are discouraging against teaching music just as much as playing music for a career...
I think it has to do with the older generation. Was meditating about my mentors and teachers just last week and honestly, they were pretty dry. I’ve learned from those experiences. I spend much of my time helping others achieve greatness; from technologies to the arts. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I’m an oboe player and when I started playing (I was 7) my teacher and my mum all told me to switch to clarinet or flute because they’re ‘easier’. I’m glad I didn’t now- I’m 14 and music is a huge part of my life. I love oboe and I don’t know how I’d live without it :)
Thanks Emily ..i agree ..i had the same problem with older teachers ....interesting thanks ..but i was so doing it ..or photography ..but chose Classical Guitar as a 1st ..have played all major venues over here UK and radio ..but now i like to do my thing ..music i like ..pref on TH-cam ..cool
Hey emily...Im from India....I am a grade 8 piano student and im still learning .....Music to me is like my soul and I would like to pursue my career in music as a classical musician.....Do u think I can make my dreams come true, having minimal support and financial constraints in my family ??? Ur advice pls...
I I've been in the music business for over 30 years and I can tell you offhand that the music business is not what it was when I first started out. Because I'm established I can make a living. But many of my colleagues are struggling financially. It seems like you're a teacher and a performer so yeah you're making a living but not everybody wants to teach. I love what I do and now I'm working on ships except for its during the pandemic so I'm waiting for my next gig. But for starting out in the music business there is a lot of hype saying you will make a lot of money getting signed or getting gigs which is just not the reality right now. I'm in a big city and many of the venues that used to be open for live performance are being sold and replaced with condos. That's just fact. I'm not speaking from bitterness because I do gig but I have to do other things to make a living. I think people should do music as a side Hustle. Most people go into music because they want to perform but they will soon discover they need to find other ways to supplement their income like teaching or or working in a retail store. And if you live in a smaller town where there aren't a lot of live venues then you'll have to move to a bigger city which means there are a lot more musicians competing for the few venues that there. I agree with thinking outside the box and that's exactly what you'll need to do if you want to pursue music as a career.
Your video was good thank you. I’ve heard that statement before and I’ve always thought about it. I’m a sucky jazz guitarist but working to get better oh well
I was told the same thing. By parents and teachers. The reasons they gave were that you would not get income security in such a field. What I have learned is that if you love music and really passionate about it, you will find a way through. After all you are not doing it for the money, you are doing it because you love music. Sometimes you have to do other jobs, but you are doing it for the music, so you can put up with that as well, as long as you find time to practice and continue to learn your craft. What would be far worse is being denied what you really love. Today I think the reasons for not doing music are even weaker than they were decades ago. You will find that in most professions now it is highly competitive, particularly at entrant level and there and a lot of the job security that once existed in many fields now does not. Your life will not be easier doing something else. So just do what you love.
Whatever the old musician advice is correct according to me. Its not easy to make a living with only music. We have to keep paying our bills at the end of the month . Making a living in music dosen't guarantee we get regular salary every month. Passion of music is great , but also have to keep in mind about our families who need to be supported financially every month. Need to have a job which guarantees we get money every month to support financial needs of family.
I have a lot of doubters, including myself, but these videos give me so much inspiration. Thank you very much😀
Emily theres an editing error around 3:20!
Thank you, a lot of people let me know and I really appreciate it!! I rushed the upload and missed it by mistake :(
No biggie. It's the content that counts.
So what?
String Player Gamer OMG MAN! YOU ARE MY IDOL!
I have a better advice for those who want to become musicians:
If you want music to become your career, be at the best 20% of all musicians. Those 80% of the other musicians struggle to live from music. So, if you're not at the best 20% or not planning to be like that, better find another career, because almost every career is easier. Do a honest reality check, if you really have a talent to be the best 20%. I thought I had - was wrong.
I wrote this from a perspective of Polish musician, maybe in the US or western Europe it is different.
I'm 28 and I'm trying to find out what to do with my life. Which is why I am here. Can someone explain what to major in music is like. Music is very broad. Do you choose an instrument and are taught how to sing? how it works?
A major in music can be many things. Music technology, playing an instrument in a sophisticated genre (classical or jazz usually), pop music, music theater & composition. Singing is classified as an instrument by the way, split into classical or jazz voice also. So the majors in essence are broken down into Composition, Performance or Music Technology. Both composition and performance in my Australian university had you receive one-on-one tuition once a week as well as your tutorial & lectures and standard university workload.
Does this answer your question? And also, what are your other options for what you might do with your life? I'd love to hear about it, as I can only imagine how tough a process that might be!
All the best!
Your friend,
Connor.
Music fiend isn’t for everybody. If your really passionate, dedicated, committed and willing to put time and work, and prepared for the life obstacles, observe where your field is going to go in next 3,5,10 years... then I don’t think you can possible fail. A lot of people doesn’t plan a few steps ahead and stay in their Comfort Zone. You have to get out there, take chances, communicate towards as much people as possible & try to plan for what’s coming next because music is always changing. & Also You have to build yourself mentally and physically for the long and bumpy road that you’re about to take... then you will meet your ends. I want people to understand that music is a tough road if you’re planing to make a living out of it. You have to know and use a lot of skills such as communication, connections, online music market, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, etc. it’s exhausting! But... it’ll all be worth in the end because there isn’t anything happier than doing what you love and getting paid! 💯
One of my favorites teachers so far told me "Remeber that being able to make music for as smallest as the moment is wipes away any amount of pain" best piece of advice I ever got
I got this advice too. For a while I agreed but going into a life in music knows this is a high competition field and for a long time we may not be "well off" but this is my life passion and I'll be damned if I don't pursue this.
YAAASS QUEEN!!! In my sophomore year, I had a previous teacher literally pull me aside personally and tell me that I would never make it as an orchestral cellist. That I would be going against people who have been playing for years more than I have and had more experience than me. I absolutely LOVED this video and am literally so happy that someone else experienced what I went through and made it as an amazing musician. You inspire me to go and pursue my passion, and I can't thank you enough for this. ♡♡
Evan M What orcheatra are you in?
Businessbusiness yeah I'm curious as well.
He;s right. If you do not have the passion for music do not do it simply because you don't know what else to do. This goes for all of the arts - it is a requirement of the trade. Trying to pursue music simply because you want to be a rock star or because parents want you to or because you are lost will lead to a disaster of a life. Better get a trade skill and forget music if it feels like a chore - you will come out much better and satisfied and in either case it would have been hard work - music perhaps even harder because you have to keep your skills up.
I started studying violin seriously one year and a half ago and I am a visual artist - I can do both simmultaneously. I believe anyone can. Many great musicians were involved with painting, photography or both. I ended up playing Vivadi after one year since I first touched a violin. I too could have initially been discouraged by the first violinist with whom I talked to about my willingness to start studying violin. This was also the first violinist I had ever seen performing live and his performance was part of the reason for which I wanted to start studying. His words did not discourage me simply because I love music too much to be hurt by discouraging remarks.
This is the "old school advice" that also held me back all my life. I want to share, but I am not sure if I want to share openly.
🎶
The only time I was discouraged in music was my dad who was a clarinet player and public school teacher who, when discovering I wanted to play clarinet in 5th grade, told me to play the cello instead because there are more jobs!! Especially positions in an orchestra. There are at least twice as many Cello positions in orchestras as clarinet and chamber music is much more vast in terms of repertoire for strings. Plus he thought the cello was much more beautiful. So I switched and never regretted that decision. I still play and teach regularly the piano and cello as a part time career and never get to the point where I’m ready to say I’m done. Plus I study philosophy and enjoy immensely examining how philosophers in the west have viewed music. It is truly remarkable the amount of wisdom and teachings we have available that hardly anyone devotes any time to study. I’m talking about Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Boethius, etc who sought to discover how music and the cosmos relate. What fascinating fields of study that hardly anyone, including musicians, devote any time to looking at and wondering about. Thanks for the video :)
Kevin Phillips really? In middle school almost no one plays the clarinet. Its sad. That instrument needs more love.
I love your passion for obscure baroque cello music! Who cares it's not 'fashionable' or popular? You stand out from the crowd and are being a true authentic individual. Please don't conform to the herd mentality Emily, be UNIQUE.
Natali D Amen I don't understand why anyone would.not like baroque music especially when played on baroque instruments. Bach and Handel are my favorite composers in the baroque period.
Ron B I love listening to Bach violin, but I still prefer the typical style.
People that stop pursuing music after advice like that doesnt have the drive and passion necessary for being a musician. Its the people that still continue after being discouraged that might have what it takes, so I understand why he said what he said. Still not very nice, but still.
I find the "I'll discourage you to test how passionate you are" routine quite distasteful. What kind of professionals are those people anyway? What qualifies them to serve as some kind of "filter"? Let the musical challenges be the ones that test the passion of those students. I was told the same when I was 19 and began classical guitar studies at my hometown's Conservatory and worked my way through admission exams - that was enough of a challenge for me. Want to see if they have what it takes? Give them something to work on and see how they do.
It's also completely untrue. Artists are told the same thing. Yes, it's difficult and success is not always proportionate to the work you put into it but you can be honest about those challenges without saying it's not worth doing. Also, when people are jaded about their career path it usually has more to do with their ego. If you don't enjoy doing something just for the sake of doing it you probably shouldn't build a career out of it.
Hi Hakon K.
Yeah I can relate and yes I have many things going against me as a musician, being dyslexic so sight reading was and is challenge for me. No rhythm in my bones is another drawback. And the list goes on. So I chose electronics and I work for a payphone company which doesn t sell many payphones these days. And I had some electronics experience but now I am not repairing anything and it's hard to leave a company I been with for almost 25 years. The question what if I went into music would I run sound for a big church or radio station. Would I have found that idea school to teach music education or privately teaching early students piano and some theory. Don't listen to people on either side of the issue. Do your hearts dream and run with it.
Craig Willis no I never wanted to. I prefer violin or bass violin. If I were to study a string instrument. I like to listen to classical guitar but never had the chance to learn. I don't like pop music or anything the pop society has to offer. I thought about learning baroque alto recorder. Maybe I could play by ear or maybe one line would be easier than 4 part harmony. I know there are music software out there to help with keyboard instruments but if I want to play I would want to play without aides, Music is from the heart and not from a machine.
you are awsome I need it this badly,Thank you for ever.
Is it feasible to double major performance with, say, a laboratory science?
Majoring in music has been a lot of my students ticket into college. Average grades, poor families, but wonderful players so they get a college opportunity that they may not of had without pursuing music.
This one hits way too close to home .
Hi, Emily. I loved this vid. There's a lot of older folks in many fields who are bitter. I have to agree about music. Lots of very talented people end up teaching music for a living but they're bitter about it.
Emily - Becoming a professional cellist or performing musician is one of the most challenging callings one can receive in life . It is similar to becoming a priest or nun. Classical musicians who actually make a living performing have usually made huge sacrifices. These may or may not include : living on a shoestring budget, giving up entertainment, sometimes relationships. To be a really outstanding musician you will need to spend thousands of hours alone in a practice room, for many, many years, where you will be practicing scales, arpeggios , and cello etudes every day: this regimen will prepare you for learning the standard cello solo repertoire, and rehearsing chamber music and orchestral music with other upcoming classical musicians. Also, you will have to find a way to pay for all your expenses; unless you have wealthy relatives who already do this for you, you may find that you must spend at least part of your time in a , perhaps tedious , perhaps not , but nevertheless, likely non music related job. You are a young person . It is important to make time to have for friends and family . Perhaps you were raised in a religious home . Keeping up with the faith you were raised into can help keep you strong, no matter what conflicts or difficulties come your way in life.
Emily, I wish you all the best!
Every spring, all the juniors at my school meet with their parents and guidance counselors to discuss careers and college/higher education. When I told my guidance counselor that I wanted to study music education, he said maybe I should double-major in a different type of education where there are more jobs, giving the example of special education. I honestly got really annoyed because music is what I want to do with my life and I wouldn’t want to put myself at risk of teaching something like history or science in a traditional classroom because that’s not what I want to do. While some would say it’s foolish to not consider the advice of an adult at your school, I bluntly told him that I wasn’t interested in doing it and I haven’t thought much about it since.
I remember in mibble school they used to put me in the verry back of the orchestra just because I didn't know how to play the cello very well.
It was the hardest years of my life 😭
In reality being a musician is very difficult. It does not have a lot of range in the labor force. Employment is very limited. Most musician work in gigs and orchestra. Some are part of a union. It all depends on what instrument you play and how musically proficient you are. All I know is if you are pianists you are very marketable because a lot of churches are in need of pianist to play on Sunday or Saturday mass. There are also choir that needs accompanists to play for them in rehearsals and perfprmances too. Therefore I think pianist have more advantage in the musical gig because of the instrument itself is versatile. However you must be a good sight reader in order to be a pianists at church and high school choir because you need to accompany the choir and soloist right away. In addition any musician should be proficient in sight reading because any gig wants you to be able to play music right away and when you do you will have a job. Unfortunately its hard to find gigs for musician anymore. A lot of them are part of a union or multiple of them in order to survive or teach students.
You can also do research such as musicology and ethnomusicology. That's another musical career you can go into.
Very useful advice emily! Great video as always
The funny thing is I said the same thing for some people that are younger. If this was in Europe where education is free, then I would disagree with the advice. If you're anywhere in the United States, where music education prior to college is getting funds cut, some children are entering college thinking the degree will be easy. They start hating music after failing basic theory, music history, ear training and other courses. This sort of college American training, some children in Russia or Europe received from a young age. American students entering college at 18 without any of that training are going to compete with some musicians graduating at age eighteen. They'll truly need more drive than normal and some sacrifices. Unfortunately, my pursuit in music has caused relations between my parents and I to deteriorate, as my parents both wanted something more practical. Usually, the students that keep doing music, have nothing left or some dark story untold. In college alone, I have spoken to at least six or more children that have gone through abuse, problems of bullying or some story that drives them to seek music as the only option in their life. These children didn't party in high school, didn't use social media often and some don't even watch tv. Some other person that has a second option, will never be able to compete really. The point of the advice, at least from my experience, is so that people can still love music as a hobby if they find a second option, otherwise they can end up hating it. Your last bit on the sentence telling older people to give up and find something that'll make them happy is rather hypocritical, those people entered with the same mindset to find happiness too, otherwise they wouldn't be where they are now. You'd have less of this problem if education was free, but that's more into politics.
tchykovsky "do as I say and not as I do" is more hypocritical than saying being in music sucks. I mean if they had the bravery to do something else then why not? It takes bravery to work in any field.
Music is look like sport. There are so many similar place. Age need young training. Music and sport are same. Bone movement. Fingers and legs physical movement very similar.
I totally agree ✨🎶🤍
What if I just want to be a busker and live like a minimalist?
I think the advice that you were given by that guy is excellent. Going into a field where the chances of getting a good paying gig are slim, it makes sense to weigh your options. There's no reason why a student can't continue to study music while pursuing another career.
I’m starting as a sophomore too!
Woah amazing! Which course?
From the perspective of a 41 year old man having worked in an aviation career for 21 years, and having a music background, it sounds more like he used the wrong choice of words to express the fact that making money as a musician is extremely difficult and the stress of making a living in music can only be justified and satisfying not by being talented, but by being passionate about it. I have made very good money working in aviation, but am extremely bored with the absence of a creative atmosphere. I am actually in the process of contemplating a career change into music. But again, I have experienced working in a career field in which I have talent but do not feel any passion, for long enough it will never feel as fulfilling to me as music.
Great Video!
Outstanding advice!
Music is neither good at math nor good at writing. It's essential technique about physical movement similar to sport athletes. Musician and athletes are common similar place to belong physical movement. one of them is the joint of fingers dexterity/flexible movement for musician. One of them is the joint of legs flexible movement.
Great great video ! You just spoke my mind ! I had a teacher AT GRADUATION say that when we finished music school
My teachers in 8th grade told me that I wasn't college material. I went on to do nine years. The two who believe in you are God and you.
I'm 32, and my decision to study in music in college with the goal of gaining an orchestra chair - and to follow that goal for years afterwards - was absolutely idiotic. I now play in an amateur orchestra largely of players who started a serious program of conservatory training and quickly changed professional aspirations either during or afterwards. They have socially and materially rich lives, and they play extremely well. I am the black sheep of the group - I may be one of the better players because I have more professional music experience, but my financial and social life is a disaster, and it is difficult to change careers many years after school. It is not a healthy equation. Don't depend on music. Passion and enthusiasm is not enough. The people who can have a career in classical music are marked for it prior to adolescence, they will have resumes of festival participation, masterclasses, etc. If you're not on that mountain, you can only climb it with a time machine, and an awful lot of "what if."
Good video!
I was in a juvenile orchestra (when I was 14) some years ago, playing piano during 3 years and I was very innovative and used to get out of the routine, which sometimes gave me some troubles with some of my teachers even the director, but at the end of the day the audience could've just think "oh I liked this and that when the pianist did this"... And of course I moved to a completely different country and has been really hard, 3 years from now, and 1 year ago I returned to my passion, the music, which I'm trying to perfect, and few months I started learning bass, thanks to the music theory I've done that by myself. But sometimes it's hard because I have people specially my parents trying to turn that off my mind, finding myself frustrated and sometimes off mood. :(
The advice being discussed is only stated at 1:58. I for one vote for shorter introductions.
I was told by a piano professor that I could never really be a performer because I started music to late.
Emily, I appreciate your passion but you sound a tiny bit foolish and naive.
That guy is not telling young people to "give up" on music. He is telling high school students how to increase their chances for success in life. It is much easier to consistently earn a living wage in other industries. Musicians are more likely to keep earning income while working a day job than from performing alone, at least without a music degree.
Many professional musicians (about two thirds) must work part-time in another job to earn a living wage especially if they are supporting a family. I know you are successful and doing well but how many of your fellow student musicians from college are equally successful in pursing their music profession? How many have been forced to get a day job in another field after their music degree? How many are still in debt and cannot afford to pay off their student loans yet? Are your student loans paid off yet?
I am a musician. In my youth I pursued a career in music but I needed healthcare, a steady income and substantial savings before getting married and having kids. These factors steered me towards another line of work. Years later, I am financially stable and can responsibly pursue a career in music. This is one reason why the average age of professional musicians is over 40. About three quarters of pro-musicians are considered self-employed (no healthcare benefits). Many of the two thirds mentioned earlier may be working entry level jobs at age 50 to qualify for healthcare benefits.
My questions for aspiring musicians are:
Do you want to have children and raise a family?
Do you plan to give birth in your living room or in a hospital?
How do you plan to pay for that hospital bill?
How much savings do you need to support your(self) or family if you cannot work for 6 months?
How long will it take the average musician to save up 6 months worth of expenses?
Totally agree with you!
I’m a professional pianist,with 2 bachelor and 2 master degrees...but still looking for another career opportunities other than Music .Working as a freelancer is incredibly unstable .Have done it myself .
Wow, as a woman with a young baby and a husband as well as a thriving music career, I highly suggest you stay out of offering advice on that subject. It IS possible and it IS worth the struggle. There IS help for those who can't afford insurance or need financial help with a child. What a negative, "naive" and rude bunch of "questions". Furthermore, if you don't like what Emily is saying, then go offer your advice to those who want it. I for one encourage ALL of my music students who enjoy the field and have a passion for it to explore professional opportunities. Emily, I support and agree with your message. Keep doing what you're doing!!! We need more positive videos, especially from young women, who encourage the fulfillment of a career in music!!
I agree with you, wholeheartedly. I think the delivery she explained from this speaker was absolutely perfect. Music requires an intense passion in order to break through in the industry, and it can actually help the advancement and innovation in music by creating a sense of a 'pressure chamber' in order to even enter the field of 'professional musician' to keep the most passionate, and dedicated from being muddled down by those who simply find themselves going through the motions and lacking in creative drive.
you are so right in what you are writing. I totally agree!
This, this, a thousand times this.
I think that you misunderstood or you interpreted it in the way that he did not mean it. I am 14 and want to be a musician for my profession, so don’t get me wrong, I think encouraging students is important. However, I think what he was trying to say that, because music is such a challenging profession, being in a different field of work would increase your chance of success in your career. I’m not trying to say that he was absolutely right to say this to students, but he was being blunt and realistic. I also think that what he said might have even made different students realize their passion for other fields. I get why you’re ranting about it, but it is good that you acknowledge that he had the best intentions.
Same in my music school ! They make it so bitter ! They shouldn't be teachers
I heard that advice, too. Also, if you play another instrument in addition to piano, major in that instead of piano.
As hard as I worked in music I would have been wealthy if I had been in certain other fields. However, I'm happier as a musician. Also, many of us need to creatively find our own niche.
Here's one thing for people to also think about. Even if you are a great musician, and can improvise like Aydin Essen, can sight read like a computer, have all the passion of YoYo Ma, the economic realities of life go beyond your own. Since, for most of the public, finding food, education, shelter, money (a job, profession, career) , a mate, a family, and having access to good medical care - is a priority. After people have some of this worked out, then they can spend money on music. Buying recordings, going to concerts, taking music lessons, etc. Music tastes change with every generation. It was classical, then big band, jazz, be bop, fusion. folk, rock, electronic, EDM, rap....Now musicians can make music @ home and sell it on the various music sites directly to the public, no need for a UMG "universal music group". Sampling, DAW's, computers, and all the rest have eliminated the need for a lot of musicians. So what does it all mean? For me, if you I want to live in a nice house, have a family, send kids to good schools, have good food to eat, and participate in lots of varied activities with the kids, neighbors, friends.....it all requires money & time. Musicians spend a huge amount of time to practice, travel, be part of that scene in networking. The point of it all is that, if you want a family, you are not the only one involved in your musical career. Your mate & children are also the recipient of your decision in a career. Your financial well being is also their fate, if you have enough money to thrive, save, & plan for your old age, or whether you'll not have enough money to do those things, and deprive them of developing the best they can be. I've had musician friends, husband/wife/kid....who were excellent musicians, work themselves to ill health just to survive, have little savings, and their kid was left out of so many activities due to money & time issues. They both ended up being music teachers in private & public schools. Think long & hard about your "real" economic futures. If you have interests other than music, really dig in and find out what they're about too. I did that, worked in those areas, & found out the truths that no one ever spoke of, ended up being a 30 year career firefighter, instead of an airline pilot, & it was the best thing that's ever happened in my life, both financially & as a fulfilled, fun & exciting life...& continues to be that way.
I still play music for fun & enjoyment......but now it really is fun & enjoyable with no expectations other than that. Just something to think about....... :)
I am in total agreement with your experience and view. Music will always be at my heart, but there are many other important things in my life as well. I prefer to chose a different career and let music forever be a pleasure instead of a burden.