Posted by Neil M on May 05, 2003 at 11:24:01:
In Reply to: Re: Saving Orchestras posted by why? on May 04, 2003 at 23:33:32:
Uh.....
I can't speak for the US, however, I'm sure it's not drastically different than here in .ca
playing in a nationally auditioned YOUTH orchestra/ band/choir, despite some corporate (and government) sponsorship, still costs a bundle of money. Few musisians go on to lucrative careers playing, and often are subject to giant student debt.
playing on a nationally recruited sports team if it costs anything at all (because of corporate and government sponsorship), leads as many athletes, if not more than the number of musicians into LUCRATIVE careers as musicians, not inconceivably before they've completed high school.
If junior development in sport is such a concern for the government (an institution representing an _entire_ state) why is junior development so difficult when it comes to the arts?
As an aside...
Imagine any professional orchestra performing, for argument's sake, Mahler 5. Now imagine the princpal trumpet splitting one or two notes wide open in the opening fanfare. Gauranteed, that will be a lasting public memory long past the end of the symphony.
Recall....do you get nervous before you perform? Do you feel pressure (from yourself and others) to be at the TOP of your game every time you step on stage?
Now, recall how many times you've had paperwork screwed up by and utility, bank, what have you. Had your mail lost by the post office? Do you suppose bank tellers practise for 4 hours a day to make sure their "stamp technique" is such that they can't help but land perfectly aligned in the center of the box? Of course not.
Symphony musicians deserve more than 7$/hr. because the job demands perfection every time, and requires a great deal of knowledge, education, and work after hours, off the time clock, to even be able to consistently complete the task.
Neil