Nande wrote:
> I'm at a point in my life where I'm forced to make some BIG decisions.
> One of them has to do with my 'carreer'... I have a great job, I work
> at the dutch health department,
> So here is the dilemma.....
> Singing is my passion, my every spare minute, the love of my life. My
> teacher recently more or less advised me to go get a professional
> education (conservatory).
> But: I'm 29 years old.
> But: I have a full time, well-paying job.
> But: I can't get the education part-time
> But: I'd be in heaven! surrounding myself with music! Learning,
> learning!
> But: there are sooooo many pros and cons, one of them being my
partner.
If you were 22 now instead of 29, and had nobody to consider
but yourself, I'd say go for the music, see where it takes
you, if it doesn't work out you can try something else
without having lost much.
But in your situation, as you've realized, it's not so easy.
So, I think before you chuck everything and go for the
music, you need to take a very hard-nosed, realistic look at
what you can expect your life to be like as a professional
musician. Because that's that reason, at your age and
station in life, you'd make sacrifices to go to
conservatory. Doing it for fun is not responsible at your
age and with a partner to consider.
So, before you decide, I recommend you spend a lot of time
and thought on the following questions, and get as much
input as possible from as many unbiased professionals as
possible:
What would be the goal of your conservatory education?
Do you want to perform for a living? Where?
Are you good enough at your age/do you have sufficient
talent/potential to realistically think that after X years
you can be making a living performing?
Would a performing career involve travel or a move to
another city, and even if everything goes as perfectly as
possible with singing, what will be the impact of that on
your relationship with your partner and other important
aspects of your life?
Is your goal of going to conservatory to teach or work in
the management side of the music business?
If so, find out more about what life and employment
opportunities are like for those professions.
And find out if conservatory is the best way to achieve your
goal.
Would you be just as happy working in the non-music career
that you find emotionally, intellectually and financially
rewarding and also spending a big chunk of your non-day-job
time immersing yourself in singing and music?
Are there performing opportunities for you locally at your
current level of vocal skill (or projected level with
non-conservatory study) that you find musically and
emotionally satisfying?
If so, you might consider continuing as you are now.
Making art your "job" is no bed of roses. Things that are
fun when your livelihood doesn't depend on them can become
different to you when there's more at stake. Not winning
competitions or not getting jobs you want feels much worse
and takes a much greater emotional toll when your career is
at stake that you may or may not be able to deal with.
I know a very talented performing artist, who has never made
a living other than in the arts, and has made a decent
living, but has reached a certain age without having the
financial security that people who have worked "day jobs"
with pensions and employer benefits have achieved, and who
views the rewards vs benefits of artist's life differently
now than 30+ years ago.
If your country, unlike the USA, has government-sponsored
health care and old-age and housing benefits for all its
citizens, the career choice of artist is easier to make than
it is here.
Good luck with your decision.
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
|
|
|  |
