Monday, August 11, 2008

The Future is Written, Get out now

Phil Schaap is a hardcore Charlie Parker enthusiast. He is also a prominent fixture in the NYC jazz radio community. Love him or hate him (I've only read about him - but I understand that he is a polarizing figure) he can certainly lay down some food for thought. As someone who is about to wade into the waters of musical academia, the following quote - from the New Yorker's extensive profile - caught my eye:

"The school system is creating six thousand unemployable musicians a year—from the Berklee College of Music, Rutgers, Mannes, Manhattan, Juilliard, plus all the high schools,” he said. “There are more and more musicians, and no gigs, no one to listen. So what happens to these kids? They work their way back to the educational system and help create more unemployable musicians. .."

I already know that there are no jobs for musicians and I still plan on studying music academically, Does that make me crazy, stoopid or both?

I'll pick crazy...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe "stubborn" would be a better word. Or even "tenacious," which begins to border on flattering. Or if you really want to slather on the butta, how about "resolute" or "determined." Now you're starting to sound like a goddamned hero!

Seriously though, think about it... if there's a glut of applicants and a shortage of jobs, then are you more likely to get one of the jobs if you HAVE a music-school credential, or if you DON'T? Depends on the job, but maybe you're not so crazy after all.

"Gigs" on the other hand, anyone can get. Where there are street corners, there are gigs, and I'm not even being facetious about that.

Anyway, music school eh. Regardless of this "job" hoo-haa, it'll provide you some good contacts and a ready-made context within which to focus on music!

Frank said...

It makes you stupid if you only value money in life.

It makes you crazy if you only value money in life and like to take the long odds.

C2 said...

I say it makes you lucky. You have the opportunity. Go for it, you're only lucky a few times in life, hehe.