Posted by Howard Read on May 03, 1999 at 17:51:47:
In Reply to: Music major doubts posted by Tito on May 02, 1999 at 21:35:26:
Tito,
Judging from all the responses, your post has taken a lot of people back to that scary age of 18 when there is uncertainty about the future and how to plan for it.
At 18, I passionately wanted to become a major symphony orchestra trumpet player. That year, I had won the 2nd trumpet chair in the All California Honors Orchestra, had started lessons with some Hollywood film studio players, and felt I had a very good chance of achieving my goals. After all, I was a very good 18 year old trumpet player, and I had played in a couple of orchestras wherein the tubist was a very young Roger Bobo. Things were looking good.
Then it happened. It was like a flash of insight. I arrived for my lesson early one day and was able to hear the end of some other young kid's lesson. He was Irving Bush (who later got the principal trumpet job with the LA Phil). I knew I was a good player with potential, but hearing Irving's astonishing playing was a real eye opener for me. I knew then and there that I would never be able to rise to that level of playing. Giving up prematurely? Selling myself short? I don't think so. Just an honest appraisal of my chances for beating out monster players like Bobo and Bush.
Tito, I think you need to make an assessment relly soon about who your competition will be if you choose to be a performer, especially if you are aiming to a top-level position somewhere. Top jobs are few and the competition is absolutely incredible.
I will never regret my decision to pursue a more realistic (for me) path. I was able to raise a family, earn good money, and retire at age 52. Music performance is now a major part of my retirement years