Posted by Wade on June 11, 2003 at 19:43:18:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sick but played the gig anyways posted by There's... on June 11, 2003 at 14:46:59:
Dear Anonymous Person,
We sub out as little as possible here.
Our orchestra has been near the end of its financial rope on and off for many years. Subs cost lots of money, especially when the only one you can get on less that a week's notice is ninety miles down the road, which nearly doubles the amount that the orchestra has to pay out in addition to my money (see below). We all want to continue to have a job, so what I did was by no means uncommon here. Our voluntarily saving unneeded expense helps to ensure that there will continue to be an orchestra here in Jackson and that our "family" is not disolved by our Board in the Bankruptcy courts.
Also, being in a rather isolated geographical area, there are very few adequate substitute players to be had without at least seven day's notice. In this whole State there are only two players that I can sub to without catching flack from my colleagues. Both have day jobs teaching and are not available EVER for all of our numerous day services, which was the case for the children's program cited in my original post. Since Night on Bald Mountain, Mars, and the Babar Suite were on the program, I certainly could not just leave my colleagues in such a situation.
In direct answer to your questions:
You wrote:
"Why didn't you call someone to sub for you in situations 1 and 2?"
Already answered adequately, I believe.
"It seems like that would have been the most mature thing to do."
Since you were not present, how can you determine whether or not my decision to do my job was "mature"? It was certainly most unpleasant each time. I would have loved to have been able to stomach some irresponsibility and just stay in bed or run off to the hospital, but life is really unfair at times, causing us to have to do stupid or unhealthy things on occasion.
"Are you money hungary [sic] or something?"
I am full time here. I get paid whether I play or not.
I draw an annual salary for our 38 week season that is paid out to me in 24 bimonthly installments (sans deductions for taxes, medical & dental insurance, and union work dues, of course . . . ) Once again, this means that I get paid whether or not I am there.
When the GMD threatened to dock my check if I went to have my eye examined, the Union reminded him that he could not do that according to the provisions in our Master Agreement. I played because there was a lot of tuba stuff in my folder that needed to be played in order not to wreck the programming. If it had been really light stuff I would have just called in to the Personnel Manager to inform him that I was at the hospital and that we could work out the details of "personal days" later.
I assure you that any tubist that is "money hungary" [again, sic] is in the wrong business. We do this for a living because of the thrill we get from playing music and the drug of applause that sweetens that thrill.
What on Earth would make you think that doing the job for which I was hired constitutes avarice on my part? In my ten years of playing here, I have had these three really bad (though funny, in retrospect) experiences. I am glad that I played each time, and will continue to do so as long as I am not contagious and still physically able to play well.
One time I nearly severed the left side of my lower lip in a buffing room accident at the shop where I do repair work. In that case I skipped ten services (over a two week period) in order to heal and get back in shape. The first thing that we did when I came back was "Fantastique". It went really well, and I was glad to be back on my horn again.
You skip work only when it is totally unavoidable, or you do not get tenure and you lose your job. Once I got tenure, I just maintained that same work ethic towards my job.
Wade "happy to have my crappy, unstable job even when swearing about it under my breath in rehearsal" Rackley
BTW - Hey, Chuck!! Thanks!