What Constitutes a Professional Musician?
A professional musician is one who plays an instrument or several instruments proficiently; performing is their primary source of income.
What Constitutes an Amateur Musician?
An amateur musician is one who loves playing music or one who cultivates something as a pastime.
If you happen to be described by the second definition (amateur musician) and would like to upgrade to the next level, you might find the following information interesting.
Recently I was asked, “How do you become a professional musician”?… and my response was, “Why would you ever want to become a professional musician”?
It isn’t that I didn’t or don’t enjoy playing for a living for I did and I do. But, I have always felt that music should be performed because of the love of the experience and not for the love or need for the money. After reading the two definitions above, it seems that I am a professional musician who enjoys performing for amateur reasons.
I will now try to list some of the requirements a musician should consider when striving for a professional level of performing; in other words, What Does it Take to Become a Professional Musician?
- Luck– Some people are basically lucky and some just can’t get a break no matter what they do. We have very little control over chance happenings or unknown elements in our lives and no matter how hard we work and practice our instrument, some people are able to get and keep employment while others never seem to get a break.
- Technical ability– I would estimate that a professional, commercial musician (shows, theater, dance bands, chamber ensembles, etc) is capable of performing well if he/she could perform a major piece with 95% accuracy. On the other hand, if the performer is at the level of a professional orchestral musician it would be expected to be 100% accuracy at all times.
- Contacts– Without contacts, you will have a very difficult time working full time as a musician. The professional musician network is the circulatory system that feeds the job market. You could be the best musician on the planet and spend your whole life sitting at home practicing, waiting for the call to go to work. More musicians are hired because they are known by friends with an established musician than those hired from auditions. Many times the orchestral chair now vacant has already been filled by a friend of a friend in the orchestra. Same is true in the commercial world for many gifted players are shot down by one bad comment by someone in the current ensemble.
- Location– If you have heard of touring orchestras visiting a small town and picking up a resident musician to join their ensemble because of their ability, forget it. Your chances of being found in a community of 250 people is non-existent. If you want to work, you have to go where the work is. Being a full-time musician in a small town is not possible. The larger the area, the better your chances and the larger the area, the more competition you will be facing. So, if you are not prepared to do the job, you will not work.
- Dedication– When considering your dedication to your goal as a professional musician, I am not speaking of how many hours you have spent in a practice room. Your dedication in this case refers to how important your goal is when other life issues are considered.
- Are you willing to relocate?
- Are you willing to subject your wife/children/girl friend to this life style?
- Are you good enough to get and keep a playing job?
- If going on the road, are you willing to accept the “gypsy” life style from day to day?
- Are you disciplined enough to manage your financial responsibilities?
- Is your physical and mental condition adaptable to constant relocations?
- Will you be able to cope with the leader/conductor of your ensemble day after day?
- If performing on the road, do you enjoy traveling?
Our next post will cover some of the lessons I have learned as a playing musician through the past 70 years of my life.
