Freelance Musician – What does a career is music look like in today’s world?

Have you ever wondered what makes a career in music – what takes it from a hobby to a professional career. We consider this often confusing question!

 

Amateur vs Professional

I am always staggered to hear people use the term ‘amateur’ and feel it should mean ‘not good enough’. Some of the greatest musicians would likely define themselves this way, so what does it actually mean? Well for many it likely means whether you can solely earn a living from music or not. For nearly ALL musicians, we battle so often with Imposter Syndrome, a constant barrage of self-doubt and questions such as “Will I ever be good enough?”.  However, it is likely this inherent drive for ‘perfection’ that requires a musician to put in the supposed 10,000 hours plus, to reach that elusive Professional Status. Perhaps what we really mean is someone who can simply define themselves wholeheartedly as a musician – someone who gets enjoyment, enrichment, fulfilment and life-long satisfaction from the elusive pursuit of achieving the impossible ‘perfect’ moment.

One could also be tempted to define music in only one way, or to suggest that the aristocracy and elite in society were the only ones to benefit from, or at least in times gone by, the ones lucky enough to be able to afford the opportunity to hear it. We are in someways fortunate and other ways not – music is now so ubiquitous that we can consume really any form of music, at any time. However does that, or indeed has that, already meant we now undervalue it?

I guess like many careers, we continue to evolve our understanding of it, and to hopefully continue to learn and develop in our role. As musicians, we have the flexibility to define this to our own individual needs & personalities. Is music simply about performing, do we prefer to teach others, or do we prefer the adoration of the masses and getting into the ‘zone’ whilst on stage performing to a crowd, composing a great symphony or developing new ideas and pushing the boundaries of what we go on to define as music….

Often we define success through qualifications – a BIG topic, which often divides opinions, especially in the Classical Music world…. but many of the top performers have had a career that has been forged through their interactions and the people they met along the way – maybe in many ways this is what truly helps drive our careers! Other ways are the big milestones in our career, being  respected by your peers, asked to help drive an initiative, or to help lead the next generation and pass on your knowledge…..

Simply put – I think any person who decides to carve a career in an ever changing landscape, who takes on the role of Business Owner, Head of Sales & Marketing, drives their own ambition and creates a way to enjoy and share their love and passion for music with others – deserves the right to be called a Professional.

Music has the power to lift us up and support us when we’re down – not least because of the amazing musicians that helped to create it! For anyone who feels they are undervalued, know that you get to decide how you define yourself, and if you can see yourself with greater generosity maybe others will too!