What is a semi professional musician? Is it the same as a semi professional doctor? Or a semi professional civil engineer?

Is this a troll thread?

What is a troll thread? I just wondered what semi professional means.

I agree that it is curious that this term seems to be applied to musicians more than to any other profession.

I suppose it means that the individual in question earns half their living from music and half elsewhere?

I wonder if it is the arts? Could you have a semi professional actor?

You certainly get semi professional footballers - who earn some money from football, and some from elsewhere. I'd define semi professional musician in the same way as Halka does.

I would class that as part time professional. Semi professional to me means someone who earns some money from , say, teaching an instrument, but regards it as "Pin money" and doesn't charge the going rate. It doesn't imply anything to me about how good the person is, more how comfortable they are charging for their skill.

eg A semi professional piano teacher might start out teaching a couple of friends and then be asked if they would take someone else, without really feeling they could charge the going rate because they are half doing it as a favour to friends.

I think this applies to musicians more than other professions because an engineer or doctor is likely to know what they should charge. (Not to say a musician is incapable of looking up the going rate as published by the relevant bodies) Music is different in so far as it is something that usually starts as a hobby. Medicine doesn't start as a hobby, you go into it knowing you are going to earn your living at it.

I was asked if I would teach a friend's daughter guitar. I refused as I didn't feel I was qualified, if I had done it and been paid I would have been a semi professional musician.

It is beginning to look as if it depends on how you think of a profession? Could you have a semi professional kitchen fitter?

An amateur does something without pay, a professional is paid for it.

semi-professional - adjective
People who are semi-professional are paid for an activity which they take part in but which they do not do all the time
e.g. semi-professional musicians/rugby players
(Definition of semi-professional adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Per Merriam Webster's dictionary:

" engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation "

So, yes, I'm sure you can have a semi-professional kitchen fitter.

I think a semi-professional brain surgeon might worry me!

An unprofessional one would worry me more

Making money from your hobby?

What's wrong with that?
I've sold knitwear.
It's possible to be exceptionally good at something you are not paid to do.

you've already done this one, Morton.
Try again

Nothing wrong with it at all. Well done.
Is knitting a trade or a profession?
Is playing an instrument a trade or a profession?

Or an art?

I was going to say "craft" (and knitting too!). But I think it's irrelevant to the meaning of "semi-professional"!

It just seems to me that the term semi professional applies to trades better than to professions?

Funnily enough, I was just looking at the Canford School website and came across the particulars of their Head of Music. I've reproduced the relevant bits below.

Christopher Sparkhall ? Head of Music
Christopher was a music scholar at the King's School, Gloucester, and 6th form organ scholar at Gloucester Cathedral from 1994 to 1995, studying under David Briggs. In 1995 he won the organ scholarship at Worcester College Oxford, where, in addition to reading for an MA in Music, he conducted the highly regarded men and boys' choir for nearly three years. In his final year he also gained the ARCO diploma. Christopher then studied for his PGCE at Cambridge. He was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Canford School in 1999 and subsequently Director of Music in September 2005. In addition to his work at Canford, Christopher is an examiner for the ABRSM and sings with a semi-professional chamber choir, ?Sarum Voices?. He also co-directs the Avon Valley Youth Choir.


From reading the profile, it's quite clear that this chap is a pretty good musician. However, the chamber choir he sings with presumably consists of people similar to himself, who earn their living as musicians anyway, but do not derive a full time income from this particular group. One certainly cannot assume that "semi-professional" means musicians of inferior quality.

*vvavez hand*

Az a doctor, I am of courze fully profezzional, even though I only vvork half time: I do the zame job, but in fevver hourz than a fulltimer.

Az a muzician, I'm almozt az zkilled az zome profezzional playerz are, and probably more zo than zome, but I have only ever earned pin-money for it: I take exception to the remark about charging under the going rate for it - I've charged the going rate, but both the rate and the number of hourz vvorked make it pin-money, for zure. I am not hovvever doing the zame job - I've given the odd lezzon, and played vvith a profezzional group in the pazt, but I don't have a clutch of pupilz, and I provide only fill-in capacity vvhen a group iz minuz a recorder player.

I have been knovvn to zay I'm a muzical profezzional....but I guezz that might be zomething elze again.

I didn't mean that a semi professional wasn't worth the going rate, just that someone earning money from their hobby often doesn't have the confidence to charge the going rate. I think that was why I drew the distinction between a part time professional (sounds like you are) and doing something in a semiprofessional way.

I think that this means that the choir earns half of its income from paid concerts. I wonder what it does to earn the other half?

Has anyone seen my pancake?

Battered-Bag (semi-pro) x

I think last time I saw it it was sitting on a rabbit.

Do rabbits eat pancakes?

It doesn't eat it its a hat!

I would describe one of our local orchestras as "semi professional". Strictly speaking it is an amateur orchestra as none of the people are paid to play in it, it is entirely voluntary. But, the majority of the people who play in it have music performance degrees - many are instrumental teachers and others now work in other fields but maintain a very high level of playing. This means that the standard of performance is significantly higher than would be expected from an "amateur" orchestra.

So I would take the term "semi professional" to mean amateur but at a performance level approaching professional.

Go Team Pancake (current members: Bagpuss, Cyrilla, maggiemay, Seer_Green, Solari).

Can I join too please?

Supported by Team Bunny

Ah! Wearing a BUNNY on one's head might be an acceptable alternative to a pancake!

Awww DC....

Team Pancake current members:

Cyrilla
Bagpuss
maggiemay
Seer_Green
Solari
DaisyChain
katica

Is it an electric pancake?

A semi-professional one, perhaps

Last year I earned, from performing: 104 Euros and 37 Cents cash, 2 free dinners (very nice ones), and 40 Euros-worth of book tokens.

Does this make me semi-pro

Did that cover the fee for your DipABRSM? I am guessing not, but it's good to have earned something towards it!

definitely!

It's interesting looking at some photography competitions. Some do it as:
Amateur - no income from photography
Professional - some income from photography

Others do:
Amateur - no income from photography
Semi-pro - up to 50% of income from photography
Pro - over 50% of income from photography

Others do:
Amateur up to 50%
Pro over 50%

By which measure, you could be an amateur (assuming your total income for the year was greater than 208 Euros and 74 Cents, 4 dinners and 80 Euros of book tokens), semi-pro, or pro

I am a part time librarian, but not a semi professional one.

Last year my son earned ?160 from playing the saxophone! Perhaps he's a semi pro musician