Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 18, 2003 at 08:35:50:
In Reply to: Re: Musician's life in the Military posted by John on June 17, 2003 at 23:28:25:
It saddens me to read some of the thing you wrote. By the way, congrats on your new military job. It certainly will be a much more stable position than some others in the field.
Trying to make a decision about the viability of an orchestral career, based on what's been going on the last 3-4 years, is a mistake. I heard on the radio the other day that this is the first time since WWII that the stock market has had 3 consecutive down years. The economy right now is pretty bad. It may be one of the worst stretches in half a century. In a bad economy, most every business suffers. Those that survive are the ones that have sufficient reserves to outlast the downturn. While we've all read about orchestras going under, and bigger name orchestras having problems, what you're not reading about are the orchestras that are not only having no problems, but are actually growing. Blame the 21st century media, who seem to believe that only bad news sells. The media doesn't seem to report the good news with anything like the same vigor, if at all.
I find it hard to believe that the odds of winning an orchestral job are significantly different than winning the job you just won. I imagine that there were fewer players to compete against at the audition you won than there will be at, say, the upcoming New York Philharmonic audition. My experience is that this doesn't really matter. The level of playing among those qualified to do the job remains pretty similar at any audition for a full time gig. The only difference is how many actually show up and how many of those are actually qualified. You still have to play at a level that distinguishes yourself from the rest. This is a tall order whether that number is 50 or 500. The beauty of the audition process is that anyone can do this. If you practice enough, work hard enough, prepare well enough, you throw your hat in the final "ring" and can contend.
I've stated many times in this forum my distaste for players taking teaching jobs because it is a fall back position. I know you didn't actually suggest this as your approach but the whole idea of you really wanting to play but being willing to continue to pursue "the dream" because there are lots of teaching positions out there suggests the same thing. I don't see the tuba positions at universities drying up anytime soon because there is still a demand for the tuba players they produce. Marching band, Symphony band, Pep band, Symphony orchestra, any university that has an athletic program is going to have a need for tuba players, as will the school of music. Striving for excellence means having a full complement of players at the very least.
It is true that orchestras depend greatly on donations. Your figure of 7-13% ticket revenues is WAY off. Most orchestras earn between 25-33% of their revenues in tickets sales and some are as high as 50%. Still, any orchestra can find themselves in the position that the group I play with is currently in. The Florida Philharmonic is bankrupt right now because the current board members decided they didn't want to do this anymore. They were tired of raising money (you ought to see an interview the chairman of our board did a couple of weeks ago were he is quoted as saying that he has a distaste for soliciting donations and that he thinks they did all the right things prior to the filing) and decided, even though the money is still here in the community, to file bankruptcy. The board is currently taking quite a bit of heat in the community for this decision and a grass roots campaign has already begun to return the FPO to the stage. It is almost to the point of being a reality and you may very well read about it in the coming month.
I mention all this because we have to remember that we are musicians. We provide to the community a service that they are willing to pay for. Or not. How well an orchestra is run, from a business perspective, reflects how well they are funded. Not necessarily how well they play! Since players don't generally look at the perspectus of the orchestras they audition for, I will assume that most are unaware of the business acumen of those institutions they apply to for a job. They shouldn't be unaware. Study the business trends of the institution and you can limit the personal risks you take in being a part of the group.
But remember this, more than anything else: We are more than tuba players. I don't require an orchestral job to appreciate tuba playing or making music. If you can find happiness in the military position you've just won, you should be thrilled. If you take that position because you don't want to risk being in my current position in an unstable orchestra down the road, I wish you the best of luck finding happiness. You'll need it. I'd hate to believe that you'll not pursue your dream just because we are having a bad economy these last few years. That would be a shame.
My opinion for what it's worth...