Posted by Think again... on November 21, 2001 at 22:29:37:
In Reply to: Please Indulge Me (***LONG***) posted by Dave on November 21, 2001 at 15:24:11:
I think many of us are missing the point of what Dave is getting at here. Is burn out the real issue? I don't think so. What Dave is saying (at least what I believe he is saying) is... "what is it exactly that we are doing here?". We play the tuba. For those of us who play the tuba for fun, but actually do something productive in the world for a living, more power to you. For those of us who play the tuba with the ambition of being a full-time paid professional performer... I have news for you.... a small fraction of 1% of us will actually achieve that goal. There simply isn't demand in this culture for us. We may "enjoy" it, yes. But, there comes a time in everyone's life when they seriously think to themselves, "is what I'm doing making a difference in this world?". The answer, in many cases, may be no.
Take a look at the music world. We either play for a living, or teach other people to play. At the university level we teach people to play, to eventually teach others.... who will teach others... who will teach others, etc. What was the original purpose again? College students out there... how many tuba majors are there in your studio? Think of all the tuba majors in all the studios in every university in our country. How many tuba players have graduated from college but still looking for work? Can you come up with a general number of people out there competing for the one or two job openings every year? Are there too many of us out there trying to do the same thing? I think so. Basic economics will tell you that there is something wrong with the system. Ever heard of supply and demand?
Yes folks, it's possible that being a tuba player may not be that important after all. Those of us who have considered deeper meaning in life may have already discovered this.
Signed,
Concerned