But what do you really do? (Musician)

Member Name: powerball

Product:	Musician
Date:	27/10/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Best seat in the house for orchestral concerts

Disadvantages: Badly paid, unsociable hours

My whole working career has been that of a musician. It's been 17 years now and I can't imagine earning a living by doing anything else.

"A musician?" people often say. "But that's just your hobby isn't it? What do you actually do for a living?"

Or once, a slightly hard of hearing colleague of my husband's said "And what does your wife do?"
"She's a musician."
"Oh - I see," said the slightly bemused colleague.
2 minutes of silence were then followed by, "So - where does your wife do her magic then?"
"Erm, no, MUSician not MAGician!!"

Obviously there are many different musical genres and I can only write about my exact field which is that of a classical orchestral player. Some people are contracted and have a salaried job in a particular orchestra and some people are freelance players. I have done both and there are pros and cons to both.

After 5 years of studying at music college, gaining a first class honours degree in musical performance as well as postgraduate diplomas in both performance and teaching, I was lucky enough to win a principal position in an orchestra. I use the word "lucky" because despite an awful lot of hard work and presumably talent in order to get this far, there still is an element of luck involved in winning a job. Competition is fierce with very few jobs around the world yet thousands of people perfectly capable of filling those jobs.

Around the world there are slightly different procedures for employing musicians in orchestras. Usually the procedure starts with auditions. Candidates must prepare a set piece/pieces or concerto. There also will be pages and pages of orchestral excerpts to be prepared. A selection of these will then be asked to be played in the live audition.

In many countries there will be several rounds of auditions held throughout the day (or weekend). Auditionees sometimes play in front of a panel of principal players and the orchestra's principal conductor or music director. In some countries the auditions are even held in front of the whole orchestra. Often these days though, the audition is screened, meaning there is a screen between the auditionee and the panel so that if a candidate is known to any member of the panel, no bias or preferential treatment can be given. However - it has been known through some clever positioning of mirrors, for the panel to know exactly who is behind the screen! Or a clever panel member has been known to repeatedly ask questions in order to trick the auditionee into speaking and perhaps revealing his identity.

Some people find screened auditions less stressful - others find them very impersonal. As with many things in the profession though, they can lend themselves to some quite amusing moments. A colleague of mine once was just having one of those days. Nothing was going right. Millions of wrong notes, squeaks - you name it - the audition was just a complete disaster. He could not resist speaking to the panel through the screen at the end of the audition.............."Father, forgive me, for I have sinned............."

On the continent, when auditions are held over several rounds, the job is often awarded to a candidate on the day. This often isn't the end of the story though. Often it will just be a one year contract, or the newly appointed player can be put on probation. Basically this gives the orchestra a get out clause. If they decide that they made the wrong decision or the player actually does not fit in particularly well with the orchestra, he or she can be booted out!

In the UK, several candidates from the audition proccess will be selected to be trialed. This means they will be each given a small amount of work with the orchestra and through this, the orchestra can decide on which candidate suits the job best of all. This, in theory, sounds like a great idea. In practice, trials have been known to go on for years and years before a vacancy has been filled. This proves difficult for the stability of a particular section of an orchestra with different personnel coming in each week as well as being extremely stressful for the candidates involved.

So - assuming now that we have won our position in the orchestra - what is the average working day, week or year like?
This is a very difficult question to answer - each day is different. Most orchestras will put on several concerts each week with different programmes. Days will be filled with rehearsals. Usually between 5 and 6 hours of orchestral rehearsal each day as well as individual practice time. Some orchestras have their own rehearsal premises, some rehearse at concert venues. Normally an orchestra will have it's "home" concert hall but will also give concerts around the region that it is based.

Most orchestras also make recordings - either live or studio recordings. Also, orchestras usually are involved heavily with local education work, giving workshops for schools.

Most orchestras tour- some more than others. This can be a perk of the job although it really does depend on the schedule. I have visited many places around the world and have been lucky enough to see quite a lot of things when the schedule has not been too hectic. I have also been to some places and not seen anything more than an airport, a coach, a concert hall and a hotel.

As a salaried member of an orchestra, you receive your monthly schedule and that is the work that you must do in order to get your full pay cheque at the end of the month. It may involve getting home from a concert in the back end of beyond at 2am and then being back to the concert hall by 10am the next morning for a full day of rehearsal. One week you may have a schedule with all the most difficult pieces in the repertoire for your instrument and the next week you may find that you are not involved in many bits of the programme. But generally it is a tough schedule for not a huge pay cheque at the end of the month.

However, on the plus side, you know exactly how much you are going to be paid at the end of the month and there is (to a degree, although no British orchestra can really say that it is safe) some stability. You "have a job" - which always sounds a lot better to the bank manager!


As a freelance orchestral musician however you are basically a free agent.

There are several ways in which you can take on work as a freelancer. The contract orchestras often need "extra" players. This can be due to sickness or from the fact that repertoire they are playing requires more players than they actually employ. As a freelancer, you can become known to an orchestra either from your own reputation or from "extra work" auditions. The orchestra "fixer" will phone you and ask if you are free on particular dates and it's your choice as to whether you take on this work. Usually - because there isn't always an awful lot of work around, you will agree to it. But - in theory - if you don't fancy it, you don't accept it. Unlike if you are contracted - where you must do it whether you fancy it or not!

There are also many freelance orchestras - orchestras that are put together just for a particular concert or tour. Again, you will be phoned by a fixer, and it's up to you what work you take on.

Many freelancers have extremely successful careers and like to feel that they are in control of their diary. It can offer a lot of variety in the types of group you play with - chamber groups or big orchestras, modern music or baroque. You have more say about where you play - if you don't fancy a 400 mile round trip to play a piece you don't like, you don't take it on. It always means you can choose who you play with. Most classical musicians are wonderful people and interesting characters to spend time with. But it can all get a bit much at times. Playing music together can be a very intimate thing, but working, eating, touring, travelling with the same people day after day is not always healthy.

Many people say to me that they think that it must be a wonderful lifestyle. Well - maybe to those on the outside - it is. I suppose, maybe sometimes it is. But believe me, getting changed into glamourous evening wear in a grotty tent whan it is throwing it down with British summer rain, in order to play 1812 Overture with fireworks in a muddy field, is not glamourous!

Then there is the actual stress of performance. Conductors and orchestras can be extremely demanding. The pressure can be intense. Many a talented musician has been the victim of nerves. Some have been known to turn to drink or drugs. For some, this works. For others it can have disasterous effects.

Yet - despite all of this - yes - I feel lucky to have such a wonderful job. At times I feel stressed. The hours can be extremely unsociable. Evenings, weekends, Christmas. But then, I do get time off when most of the rest of the world are at work.

The two greatest things about my job are that I get paid for something I love doing and I get to work and socialise with many, many fun and interesting colleagues.

Summary: I can't imagine doing anything else