Posted by Mary Ann on January 01, 2003 at 11:09:25:
In Reply to: Re: Tis the Season to Audition posted by Eric Fritz on December 31, 2002 at 05:00:47:
yes, great post. I especially like two things:
The best player does not necessarily get the job. I've watched a horn player here in Tucson get employment. He is a fine player, but unspectacular. He has a fantastic personality...it would be just downright impossible to fight with him, and he has that quality of making you think that he thinks you are wonderful. He is getting a lot of work locally, while I've seen better players get just nothing.
Foreign employment: if you just gotta play, and the US is all filled up, go to another country, learn the language. Another horn playing friend of mine got in by being an ELS teacher (English as a second language.) Then her horn playing got her the local jobs that she would have had no idea of without already being there. She, too, has one of those great personalities where she makes you feel like you are the most fantastic person. She acknowledges that she worked very hard on the personality aspect, knowing that she was not the world's greatest horn player.
In getting my own subs for the orchestra (community orch, not pro)....I ask the person who can do the job, who is the easiest to get along with and who I know will not make unpleasant waves. There is at least one incredible player in town, whom I would not call for anything, because he is a jerk.
See where this is headed? Being the best, happiest, nicest person you can be, will get you farther in life than being the very best player on the planet.
Mary Ann