If I had been told in conservatory that part of my job would be sitting next to bitter musicians who complain about their job, never smile or look engaged during performances, and that this behavior is potentially contagious, I would have not believed it. How any musician could have the passion snuffed out and be replaced by an apathetic husk of their former self was beyond me.
But the unfortunate reality is musicians do lose their passion.
Over the years, it has been necessary on several occasions to rekindle my own love affair with the violin. Burnout, stress, unsupportive work environments, and overall job dissatisfaction are the primary culprits throughout the course of a typical musician’s career. Some might say a career in music is like a stereotypical marriage; passionate at first, but it becomes stale and routine and the excitement levels off. Far more often than not, it’s up to the individual musician to work at finding ways to keep it exciting and engaging.
[pullquote_right]”Recently, I was reminded of just how easy it is to let apathy get the upper hand after reading a post at an orchestra musician discussion forum…”[/pullquote_right]Recently, I was reminded of just how easy it is to let apathy get the upper hand after reading a post at an orchestra musician discussion forum about musician stage appearance (which is something I have touched on before). I was disappointed, but not surprised, to read a colleague’s impression of why they looked bored.
They blamed their look of boredom on weeks of playing concerts with “no emotional content and musical fluff or junk.”
While I understand the musical malaise, orchestras are for the patrons first and their enjoyment is paramount. Equally important is the musicians’ enjoyment but you don’t always get to play what you consider “good” all the time.
Conservatories need to start pounding this into the heads of any student wanting an orchestral career. Yes, students will be playing fantastic works of dead composers, but there will also be a number of performances that will not be as rewarding spiritually. It’s a difficult balance; for one, telling musicians to sit there and take it only goes so far but at the same time, musicians need to dig deep and look within for some inspiration.
So my advice for keeping a job and making it as fulfilling as possible:
- Find joy in the silly: Whether it’s a cheesy pops show or a fluffy kiddy show, look into the audience and find a smile. Smile back, it’s contagious.
- Look for excellence in colleagues: Don’t just listen to your own part or section. Look around to see who is having a good day on a solo or supportive phrase. And whatever you do, don’t roll your eyes if a colleague is not playing well.
- Fake it until you make it: If you are disgusted with the guest conductor and are looking forward to his/her departure, don’t ruin it for the audience. They have no idea how he/she behaved during the week. Put on a happy face and vote quietly after the concert to insure said conductor is never invited back.
- Play chamber music with as many colleagues as possible. Playing with only a select group all the time limits ideas and creates a cliquish atmosphere. Spreading the talent around will strengthen your orchestra, and your interpersonal relationships.
- Take a sabbatical: Time off of an instrument and time away from a job gives perspective and a new appreciation. While money might be tight for the leave, reflection is priceless and the sanity it brings is completely necessary.
- Give a recital: Focusing on solo or chamber works increases the personal pride a musician feels. Extra bonus is if the recital can be a fundraiser for a favorite charity, it does the heart good.
- Get involved: If you think your orchestra’s programming is the main culprit for your funk, join a committee that can make a difference and expect accountability.
Those are just a few of my thoughts but I’d like to know what you think is worth adding to the list and why, so please feel free to leave a comment.
Live orchestral music is like nothing else. You can’t duplicate the feeling or emotion, even with the best technical set up. Seeing living breathing musicians creating music together to conjure up an audience emotion is hard to sum up in words. But the importance of looking engaged is why patrons come back for more, and why I still love what I do.
Hi Holly-this is one of your best efforts to date. Thanks for writing, I hope that it reaches a large “audience” of professional musicians. When I was at a summer music festival years ago, I sat next to a member of one of the Big Five orchestras who turned to me and said, “You know, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” It was then and there that I decided not to ever develop this attitude towards my job, if I was going to be fortunate to secure a professional position someday. My college professor constantly reminded us that we are servants of the music, and that although we might be performing the score for the umpteenth time, there was always going to be someone in the audience who had never heard it before. He performed the same show on Broadway for two years during the Depression, and was always grateful for the work.
It’s tempting to join the crowd with the negativity, and there are days when we all wish that things could be different, but they aren’t paying us to “like” anything. It takes a lot of effort to remain positive, focused and you have given some great suggestions listed above. Another way to put it, although perhaps not as eloquent, is “Sit down, shut up, and play.”
Hi Holly, Great article! You hit on so many relevant points! One little thing I might add is the fact that some symphony musicians tend to let their craft slide over time. I pride myself on practicing technique every day just to stay in shape, regardless of days off, vacation weeks, programming, etc. I do agree one should take a break once in a while, but I would encourage other “seasoned veterans” to keep up their technique a little better. I think they would enjoy their jobs more if they were in better shape and had a little pride in their preparation! It’s sad to see how many folders are left in the music library (mostly strings) before a new series! I guess I count myself lucky to have been playing in orchestras for many years, but still find enjoyment somewhere, whether it is in the music itself, the performance (either individual or collective), the conductor, or in the audience’s reaction. I always try to catch eyes and smiles when we stand up at the end. It makes my day!
Great article, Holly! Our music director down in Sarasota always tells us “this may be your 13th Boheme (Tosca, Giovanni, what have you) this season, but for some people it’s their first. Or last (referring to the advanced age of many of our patrons).” It’s good to hear this once in a while to remind us of who we’re playing for, especially when you’re sitting down in the depths of an orchestra pit and can’t even see the audience. Keeping every performance in the moment like that can be hard, but being connected to that unseen audience makes such a difference not only in the performance but also in ones overall outlook on the “job”. Of course being in the moment is easy to do when your music director is crazy-passionate about opera; the passion is wonderfully infectious… unfortunately so is the apathy from musicians and conductors who at times don’t get it. It perhaps makes our job a little harder to look past that apathy and keep the energy/passion up, but I think it’s worth it in the end. 🙂