Posted by #'s to think about on December 31, 2002 at 14:19:44:
In Reply to: Tis the Season to Audition posted by Chuck Jackson on December 31, 2002 at 04:07:22:
Bravo Chuck!!
Great advice but let me just say that your stats are a little on the conservative side. 1 in 1000 College players proceed to professional sports. I would say that for every college athlete there is about 10-20 high school athletes that hung up the cleats for something else...mine was an even trade baseball glove for tuba. So for every athlete that makes it there are about 15,000 (average of 10,000 and 20,000) former players that watch form the sidelines. Same would be true for the professional orchestral tubist.
The advantage for the athlete is the average playing career is 3-5 seasons. I am not sure but I would say that the average playing career of a musician is at least 20 years. The turnover is a lot slower in the music field.
We all have aspirations of getting the prime gig, for some of us the definition of the prime gig changes over the years from full time orchestra to part time orchestra to sub list to pick up orchestra to paying rent.
Isn't it funny that when we hear high school athletes state that they will become professional athletes everyone reminds them that not everyone makes it. Then they advise them to look at alternate career paths to "fall back on" and it is considered almost a community service to help and guide these young minds. But when the same is done in the music world it is not taken the same way.
I have a lot more respect for an individual that has gone out and taken the chance and fallen flat on their face than the individual who has always played it safe. The chance is following your dream whatevr that may be from baseball to tuba to architecture to engineering to educator.
My most humble opinion that is worth slightly less than the market's $.02
Zac