Posted by Sean Chisham on June 19, 2003 at 20:12:16:
In Reply to: Re: Musician's life in the Military posted by Danny on June 19, 2003 at 19:18:46:
You should love your job, IMO. Most military bands are great work. I hope that people reading this don't take the few gripes there might be with this line of work as meaning that it is all bad. This is far from the truth. Although not always the most musically diverse and satisfying music job there is, it is still a fantastic way to earn a living and shape a career. I am indeed very fortunate and grateful for where I am.
All jobs have plusses and minuses. It was good to vent a bit and get some helpful ideas from others who have found ways to deal with the downsides of work. Lots of constructive comments here and some not so helpful ones also. Keeping the less pleasant sides of the job a secret and allowing the concerns to build up are not productive to anyone.
I know that I for one appreciate the input, from both sides, that people contributed to this discussion. Lack of diverse musically challenging missions and opportunities for ensemble growth and development are hopefully something that can be moved forward. I want to be a part of an ensemble which fosters musical growth and continuing excellence. I know that it is very very possible for that to happen. There is a lot of underutilized talent waiting to be exploited.
I am fairly junior in the grand scheme of things at my job and others like Chuck and other 15+ year veterans may indeed have a different, and just as valid, viewpoint on why things seem to be the way they are. I still stand by my statements that most of us chose the path we did because of a deep desire to communicate music and always continue to grow as musicians and expand our artistic horizons. We chose at a young age to go beyond simply what was required to complete the job. I want to experience that same enthusiasm now as I did then. I will continue to explore for ways to better integrate the musician's mission with the unit's mission.