story of Vancouver Symphony recent hire of asst prin flute/picc...17 year old high school student studying at Curtis at his first(!) audition...b/c he's still in school won't join till graduate next year....Kelly Zimba Lukić winning principal flute at Toronto Symphony was her 17th audition & first full-time job...both contrasting stories stuff movies are made...inspiring and/or depressing for the aspiring
I started a woodwind performance degree with clarinet concentration in the 90's. The probability of obtaining a FT orchestra gig being slim to none is exactly why i switched to science. The other aspect of being a freelancing musician is paying for your own health insurance, which is very expensive. However i miss playing regularly and at a high level a lot. I would still choose to play music professionally if it was more realistic. But now, it's just a hobby.
Thank you for your response from your experience with this topic. Very smart of you to switch majors. I hear you about playing at a high level- esp on great music with great orchestras. It doesn’t get better than that in life, which is prob why people keep trying for those FT Orch jobs.
I had a flute teacher who tried to stop me from pursuing music as a career. For a lot of reasons. Many would insist she was caring about me, but she took it too far and she was in reality controlling, not caring. She was very angry that it was my life and my business, that I was stubborn, and that I would do what I wanted and make my own decisions no matter what anyone said. It got to the point that I had to dump/ghost her. Many would call it “burning bridges” but she wasn’t helpful anyway and maintaining that bridge would have required me to completely change who I was to suit her. She wasn’t worth it. I found another teacher who was/is far better for me. I wish I had left the former teacher long before I did.
That’s too bad about your former teacher. It’s a tricky topic about teachers encouraging or not encouraging students to go into music for a career. I usually go middle of the road, saying all the things I say in these videos (the hard realities, etc) but I say that if you really want to pursue music, I will support you. I think more students just need to know that they are going to have to be more creative than their predecessors for making a living with music. i.e. creating chamber music groups or getting into Arts Admin or whatever. Music students nowadays need to think more broadly and incorporate modern tools, such as social media, to create a voice for themselves.
@@hawaiiflute What you do is exactly what teachers should do. Students need to be able to make their own decisions knowing the facts, but that the decision is ultimately up to them. That is what helpful teachers have done for me. As for that former teacher, she was flat out inappropriate in other ways. Like asking me about men I had been meeting and if I was picking up/getting picked up at bars. Totally out of bounds.
This is why I recommend your channel to people. You cut through the crap and tell it like it is.
Thank you - that is exactly what I am trying to do - telling it like it is.
Thankfully, I'm "only" an Adult Amateur, who is still learning. I'd like to play at Church, down the track and Adult Amateur Orchestras, or such. ❤
Very attainable goals❤ Have fun with the life long flute learning and performing process!
story of Vancouver Symphony recent hire of asst prin flute/picc...17 year old high school student studying at Curtis at his first(!) audition...b/c he's still in school won't join till graduate next year....Kelly Zimba Lukić winning principal flute at Toronto Symphony was her 17th audition & first full-time job...both contrasting stories stuff movies are made...inspiring and/or depressing for the aspiring
@@omega125th yes! Such contrast to audition stories for sure.
I started a woodwind performance degree with clarinet concentration in the 90's. The probability of obtaining a FT orchestra gig being slim to none is exactly why i switched to science. The other aspect of being a freelancing musician is paying for your own health insurance, which is very expensive. However i miss playing regularly and at a high level a lot. I would still choose to play music professionally if it was more realistic. But now, it's just a hobby.
Thank you for your response from your experience with this topic. Very smart of you to switch majors. I hear you about playing at a high level- esp on great music with great orchestras. It doesn’t get better than that in life, which is prob why people keep trying for those FT Orch jobs.
I had a flute teacher who tried to stop me from pursuing music as a career. For a lot of reasons. Many would insist she was caring about me, but she took it too far and she was in reality controlling, not caring.
She was very angry that it was my life and my business, that I was stubborn, and that I would do what I wanted and make my own decisions no matter what anyone said. It got to the point that I had to dump/ghost her. Many would call it “burning bridges” but she wasn’t helpful anyway and maintaining that bridge would have required me to completely change who I was to suit her. She wasn’t worth it.
I found another teacher who was/is far better for me. I wish I had left the former teacher long before I did.
That’s too bad about your former teacher. It’s a tricky topic about teachers encouraging or not encouraging students to go into music for a career. I usually go middle of the road, saying all the things I say in these videos (the hard realities, etc) but I say that if you really want to pursue music, I will support you. I think more students just need to know that they are going to have to be more creative than their predecessors for making a living with music. i.e. creating chamber music groups or getting into Arts Admin or whatever. Music students nowadays need to think more broadly and incorporate modern tools, such as social media, to create a voice for themselves.
@@hawaiiflute What you do is exactly what teachers should do. Students need to be able to make their own decisions knowing the facts, but that the decision is ultimately up to them. That is what helpful teachers have done for me.
As for that former teacher, she was flat out inappropriate in other ways. Like asking me about men I had been meeting and if I was picking up/getting picked up at bars. Totally out of bounds.
@@davidroache8655 oh wow - yeah, totally inappropriate. Sounds like this teacher had lots of her own issues.
50 flute performance majors?! The schools and the instrument manufacturers are the main ones behind what some people call a "scam."
Arent those tuitions 250k+?
For music school?
@@hawaiiflute yeah isnt the high end music schools crazy expensive.
@@Kjhd9987hy yes. Conservatories, like Julliard, are crazy expensive.