| Quoting Nick:
"I would argue that the cause for the "sky is falling" freak out Mr. Morris is alluding to should not be brought on by the fact that some very young people are achieving geat success early on. The concern, IMHO, is the glut of highly qualified players who are available for a dwindling number of openings."
And that is what hits a nerve with me. In almost any other field, experience counts for something, but in ours, it is almost seen as a detriment. The orchestra positions are becoming like a revolving door because most audition monsters at young ages cannot handle the heat on the job week after week due to LACK OF EXPERIENCE. There are exceptions, but I am finding the trend to be ridiculous. I also feel that some of these extremely young players are being allowed to have on the job training rather than work their way up or they are being paid to practice until they are truly good enough. Neither of those scenarios sits well with me. I understand that young players winning jobs is nothing new, but "back in the day" there were many more options and a lot more "live" musicians being employed. (studio orchestras, theater orchestras, television orchestras, etc.) With the field being shaved down to a nub of opportunity, these are indeed coveted jobs. I have heard youngsters play the Tomasi perfectly and a year or two later, are unable to do it at all. Things can and do happen emotionally and psychologically that basically inhibit some of these players from ever regaining their former level of ability. This is where I scratch my head a bit.
Regardless of how I feel, I can see your take on the article Nick. There is no one answer or one problem. It is frustrating at best. The world needs more beauty in the form of quality music by trained, passionate musicians of all ages, but there just doesn't seem to be a place in today's society for it. (touching on the youth obsession) We are so "here today, gone tomorrow" and could care less about placing value on anything that has ripened with time. |