Posted by Rommel Cordova on March 05, 2002 at 07:53:09:
In Reply to: Re: What now? posted by Mike on March 05, 2002 at 00:26:55:
I totally agree with Mike. Unless you are Roger Bobo or some other big name, you are not going to have people banging down your door to teach or perform. You have to go out there and network. I don't know what kind of playing you like to do, but for me, the majority of my performing is as a soloist. I don't have people coming to me and asking me to perform a recital or appear as a soloist with their band, so I go to them. I don't get a dime for any of the solo performances I do, but what I do get is experience and exposure. In recent months, I have had some wonderful opportunities open up for me because I went out and networked with people. I do the band director thing also, I enjoy teaching, whether it is as a private lesson instructor or in a band setting. I don't consider the work I do as a soloist a hobby, to me it is another profession whether I get paid for it or not. I hope to one day teach at a private instructor at a college or university also, and hopefully that opportunity will present itself someday. As far as finding good solo music, search a little harder. There are some wonderful compositions written for the tuba. If you really don't find anything you like, you may consider the possibility of commissioning someone to write a piece for you. That is just my 2.5 cents worth. Good Luck.
Rommel