Putting a Price on Music
I remember one of my former teachers asking me why I had to work so much at my job outside of school. In her day, she claims, she never had to do that. She was 75 when we had this conversation, meaning that when she was going to school, it was the late 1940s. Back then, opera was still booming. Today, not so much. There are a lot of opera singers out there and not a lot of jobs--especially in Canada. Newsflash, we get out of school and have literally no job prospects. We not only have to make ends meet, we have to financially fuel the flame of our expensive singing habit so that one day we may be able to live comfortably... or at least pay back some loans.
We're lucky in Canada, and more so in Quebec, that our schooling doesn't cost quite the arm and leg it does in the States. But unless your parents are living in Westmount, you're probably going to have to get a job to help out while you're at school. I lived at home til I was 24. During my bachelors I worked 3 days a week and also taught singing. During my Masters I taught and also enjoyed the Quebec government's student loans and bursaries program. Now I'm back to working AND teaching while finishing up another degree. If I teach one student, that money covers 3/4 the cost of a coaching. If I do a stage in the summer, it will cost me the equivalent of 5 months' rent.
But it can't come down to money. If you let money be the reason while you're setting out on this road you will be miserable. I wonder sometimes why I'm doing this and honestly the only answer I can find is "because I love it". If you really love it you're going to find ways to pay for your education. You're going to manage your time so that you get better faster and more efficiently. You're going to concentrate, do your research, get out there.
The older I get the more I think that the reason for living is to better ourselves. Others go to school to be doctors, environmentalists, engineers so they can help improve the way we live and to ensure our future. Meanwhile I keep learning because it makes me a more interesting artist. But I'm not meant to heal the sick or protect the rain forest. Music isn't going to save the world, but it does make the world a little more bearable.
So I encourage everyone to support local artists by going to their concerts, giving donations, buying their records, because their endeavour does cost money. Every great artist starts at the bottom. It's even more important to support them now than when they're at the top.
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| Oh ya, headshots cost money too. |
We're lucky in Canada, and more so in Quebec, that our schooling doesn't cost quite the arm and leg it does in the States. But unless your parents are living in Westmount, you're probably going to have to get a job to help out while you're at school. I lived at home til I was 24. During my bachelors I worked 3 days a week and also taught singing. During my Masters I taught and also enjoyed the Quebec government's student loans and bursaries program. Now I'm back to working AND teaching while finishing up another degree. If I teach one student, that money covers 3/4 the cost of a coaching. If I do a stage in the summer, it will cost me the equivalent of 5 months' rent.
But it can't come down to money. If you let money be the reason while you're setting out on this road you will be miserable. I wonder sometimes why I'm doing this and honestly the only answer I can find is "because I love it". If you really love it you're going to find ways to pay for your education. You're going to manage your time so that you get better faster and more efficiently. You're going to concentrate, do your research, get out there.
The older I get the more I think that the reason for living is to better ourselves. Others go to school to be doctors, environmentalists, engineers so they can help improve the way we live and to ensure our future. Meanwhile I keep learning because it makes me a more interesting artist. But I'm not meant to heal the sick or protect the rain forest. Music isn't going to save the world, but it does make the world a little more bearable.
So I encourage everyone to support local artists by going to their concerts, giving donations, buying their records, because their endeavour does cost money. Every great artist starts at the bottom. It's even more important to support them now than when they're at the top.
So true. Those of us who are making a comfortable living can't forget those who are still struggling to make a go of this crazy, wonderful career called 'the Arts'.
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