hey everyone....
I m so depressed because i wish to be a pianist someday when i grow up.
but my parents say i have to have a proper job first...
isn't being a musician proper enough?? are there's chance of me being a pianist for my career??
Full Version: Dreamed Of Being A Pianist One Day
Don't listen to what your parents say. You work towards becoming a musician for a living, if that's what you want.
Many Chinese parents still have the notion that a musician is not a "proper" job and it can't guarantee a stable income when in fact it's very much the opposite! (I mean, if you lose students you don't lose all of them at the same time... but with a full-time job once you lose it, you lose it all)
However, you need to be very sure what your goals are, and know as much as possible what the chances are that you accomplish them, before you go into music. Like are you contented with teaching and playing accompaniment for students if you can't make a living as a performer? Just make sure you have a realistic expectation before you head onto music studies. I was in pretty much the same situation 6 or 7 years ago. I was a devoted young pianist but was eventually disillusioned because I feel like I have expected too much of myself. I chose to do my first degree in a subject other than music to see if I could prove myself useful in different ways, but found music too integral a part of my identity to quit it altogether.
And I wish you all good luck on your career path and self-exploration
However, you need to be very sure what your goals are, and know as much as possible what the chances are that you accomplish them, before you go into music. Like are you contented with teaching and playing accompaniment for students if you can't make a living as a performer? Just make sure you have a realistic expectation before you head onto music studies. I was in pretty much the same situation 6 or 7 years ago. I was a devoted young pianist but was eventually disillusioned because I feel like I have expected too much of myself. I chose to do my first degree in a subject other than music to see if I could prove myself useful in different ways, but found music too integral a part of my identity to quit it altogether.
And I wish you all good luck on your career path and self-exploration
my parents think that way too, they discourage me from taking music as a career but i would like to do it in future at least part-time though
I would really like to do music aswell as a career but loads of people say that the income is poor and I should do science or medicine even though i dont want to. I will do music though I will. Haha. Just go for it I say . Anyway you can get another job along side.
If music's what you want to study, study music.
If you go to university/music college to do a BMus and then decide that the career paths don't suit you, no harm done - you've still got a degree, after all, so you can go and get a normal graduate job. If you need to, there are many many zero-knowledge 1-year master's conversion courses to choose from to give you an MSc/MA in another subject.
If you go to university/music college to do a BMus and then decide that the career paths don't suit you, no harm done - you've still got a degree, after all, so you can go and get a normal graduate job. If you need to, there are many many zero-knowledge 1-year master's conversion courses to choose from to give you an MSc/MA in another subject.
| QUOTE |
| Many Chinese parents still have the notion that a musician is not a "proper" job and it can't guarantee a stable income when in fact it's very much the opposite! (I mean, if you lose students you don't lose all of them at the same time... but with a full-time job once you lose it, you lose it all) |
that is so true!
but my parents (who are Chinese) recognise that music, if played well can generate a substantial income.
follow your heart... if it leads you to play music, play more.
I once wanted to become a concert pianist too... but i found later in my life that teaching is a much more rewarding profession for me...
To each his own :-)
I once wanted to become a concert pianist too... but i found later in my life that teaching is a much more rewarding profession for me...
To each his own :-)
| QUOTE (musicbox @ Mar 13 2005, 03:58 PM) |
| I would really like to do music aswell as a career but loads of people say that the income is poor and I should do science or medicine even though i dont want to. I will do music though I will. Haha. Just go for it I say . Anyway you can get another job along side. |
same here. I had dreams of going to Julliard and being a cocnert pianist, but my mom just brought me down saying I wouldn't get much money. Also i heard about how how these goals are, and considering that i am 16 and only started playing 3 years ago, plus im not very good (to the trained ear) i just decided to play for fun
i don't know what im gonna do with my life
As a parent I see two sides (at least) to this issue...
Yeah, I remember my mother and I going through all that stuff. I do in fact use the skills (writing, art) that she didn't think were useful, but not the way she or I were thinking of
.
As a parent and extremely ex-teenager, I realize that part of the attraction of arts is that you *know* what they do...you already play an instrument, and it's an area where you have more control over what you do than in your school work...so it's not too hard or unattractive to imagine being an adult playing that instrument...whereas in other fields, you may have only a hazy idea of what jobs are available, and if they involve deskwork, they sound suspiciously like SCHOOL. So, encourage your parents to understand that with new multimedia technology, music is not a dead-end - but also cut your parents some slack, and keep an open mind about all the career possibilities that have never occurred to you OR them.
I think your generation does have an added burden...most of your parents are probably my age (most of my friends' kids are teenagers now). We grew up in the shadow of the first wave of baby-boomers, and hunted our first jobs in the depressed '70s. We're not a risk-taking generation...we can see that the old system of good education + good, solid job is crumbling, but we're not confident about telling our kids to go ahead and take extra risks!
However, by the time most of you are getting jobs, the baby boomers will be retiring thick and fast...who's to say whether there will be more jobs...or fewer. There will certainly be big changes, so the only thing I am sure I want for my kids is that they should have practical skills and be ready to MAKE themselves a job, not just FIND one.
A freelance or self-employed person tends not to have a huge income (on average). On the other hand, you don't need to wait for an employer to give you a job...you normally own your own equipment and work directly with your clients. If you plan to be self-employed, learn about business and marketing - either at university, or from community courses. You can be sure that schools don't teach you anything that will give you more power in society, so make sure you learn those things for yourselves!
One thing I didn't realize when I did my degrees was how useful it can be to have a combination of skills...look at courses in other faculties, or even a double degree. You will probably find your interests broadening as you get older - now you are in a period of intense technical development, so when you think of your future, you think mostly of just playing your instrument flat out...but in 10 or 20 years, you could start to get bored! Other skills could give your musical career an extra fillip, or they could combine with music in unexpected ways in other careers.
Second, don't forget that performance musicians are...performing. Why wait till you finish university - if you're serious about music, you should be earning pocket money from your performance in your teens (I think so, anyway ). Can you move confidently and attractively in front of people, can you keep their eyes on you? Even as an orchestral, sound recording, or teaching musician, knowing more about posture, breathing/stress control, and choreography/movement can help - think about yoga, martial arts, Alexander technique, dance, mime, or drama. Nerve and small muscle injuries are often a problem, so anything you learn about prevention and therapy could help you or your future students...it could even be a career in itself.
Third, music is changing - and since it's a craft just as much as it's an art, you need to know the technology of your craft. I can't think of any reason (=excuse) for not knowing how to set up mikes for your own voice or instrument, how to record yourself, and how to either set up a portable sound system in a hall or outdoors, or use the basic sound system in any public hall. Practice in your school hall! It doesn't hurt to know how to edit music on a computer either...don't be a 19th century musician unless you plan to dress the part!
Now I have a kid of my own who looks about 50% headed for a music-related career
. You can be sure that I've been giving this topic considerable thought. 
Sorry if I sound big-headed, I'm really just trying to keep this looong post as short as possible.
I see two sides (at least) to this issue...Yeah, I remember my mother and I going through all that stuff. I do in fact use the skills (writing, art) that she didn't think were useful, but not the way she or I were thinking of
. As a parent and extremely ex-teenager, I realize that part of the attraction of arts is that you *know* what they do...you already play an instrument, and it's an area where you have more control over what you do than in your school work...so it's not too hard or unattractive to imagine being an adult playing that instrument...whereas in other fields, you may have only a hazy idea of what jobs are available, and if they involve deskwork, they sound suspiciously like SCHOOL. So, encourage your parents to understand that with new multimedia technology, music is not a dead-end - but also cut your parents some slack, and keep an open mind about all the career possibilities that have never occurred to you OR them.
I think your generation does have an added burden...most of your parents are probably my age (most of my friends' kids are teenagers now). We grew up in the shadow of the first wave of baby-boomers, and hunted our first jobs in the depressed '70s. We're not a risk-taking generation...we can see that the old system of good education + good, solid job is crumbling, but we're not confident about telling our kids to go ahead and take extra risks!
However, by the time most of you are getting jobs, the baby boomers will be retiring thick and fast...who's to say whether there will be more jobs...or fewer. There will certainly be big changes, so the only thing I am sure I want for my kids is that they should have practical skills and be ready to MAKE themselves a job, not just FIND one.
A freelance or self-employed person tends not to have a huge income (on average). On the other hand, you don't need to wait for an employer to give you a job...you normally own your own equipment and work directly with your clients. If you plan to be self-employed, learn about business and marketing - either at university, or from community courses. You can be sure that schools don't teach you anything that will give you more power in society, so make sure you learn those things for yourselves!
One thing I didn't realize when I did my degrees was how useful it can be to have a combination of skills...look at courses in other faculties, or even a double degree. You will probably find your interests broadening as you get older - now you are in a period of intense technical development, so when you think of your future, you think mostly of just playing your instrument flat out...but in 10 or 20 years, you could start to get bored! Other skills could give your musical career an extra fillip, or they could combine with music in unexpected ways in other careers.
Second, don't forget that performance musicians are...performing. Why wait till you finish university - if you're serious about music, you should be earning pocket money from your performance in your teens (I think so, anyway
). Can you move confidently and attractively in front of people, can you keep their eyes on you? Even as an orchestral, sound recording, or teaching musician, knowing more about posture, breathing/stress control, and choreography/movement can help - think about yoga, martial arts, Alexander technique, dance, mime, or drama. Nerve and small muscle injuries are often a problem, so anything you learn about prevention and therapy could help you or your future students...it could even be a career in itself.Third, music is changing - and since it's a craft just as much as it's an art, you need to know the technology of your craft. I can't think of any reason (=excuse) for not knowing how to set up mikes for your own voice or instrument, how to record yourself, and how to either set up a portable sound system in a hall or outdoors, or use the basic sound system in any public hall. Practice in your school hall! It doesn't hurt to know how to edit music on a computer either...don't be a 19th century musician unless you plan to dress the part!
Now I have a kid of my own who looks about 50% headed for a music-related career
. You can be sure that I've been giving this topic considerable thought. Sorry if I sound big-headed, I'm really just trying to keep this looong post as short as possible.
I can give you a good tip if you want to be a piano performer...do much showmanship. Now classical music is more as a visual rather than hearing art, especially for teenagers. That's a factor why Liszt got high popularity, apart from good playing but also good looks.
| QUOTE (Sonata in b @ Mar 13 2005, 05:41 AM) |
| Many Chinese parents still have the notion that a musician is not a "proper" job and it can't guarantee a stable income when in fact it's very much the opposite! |
That's exactly what my parents said!!!!all they want is money..money and money!!!!!!
i reckon they just work for money and being money slaves!!!!!!!
They wish me to be a doctor because they said everyone in the world must get sick sometime in their lives so they need to see the doctor but not everyone will always go to see a musicale and they said if my job is a music teacher i won't get enough money because there will not be many people learn from you....especially i started learning music so late...
| QUOTE (DGA @ Mar 14 2005, 09:04 AM) |
| I can give you a good tip if you want to be a piano performer...do much showmanship. Now classical music is more as a visual rather than hearing art, especially for teenagers. That's a factor why Liszt got high popularity, apart from good playing but also good looks. |
i guess the definition of "good looking'' is ambiguous....i mean how do you define someone good looking??
e.g. I have many friends said that i m handsome...
but there are some also said that i m not...
and there are some said i m quite normal....
some said i m special....
who should i listen to then
??
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