Not Bad For a Local Boy Part 2

“Not bad for a local boy.” That was the phrase that stuck in my colleague’s mind from a conversation between students at the Aspen Music Festival and School when discussing violin soloist, Eugene Fodor. Hearing this story from my colleague, reminded me of some of the backhanded compliments musicians bestow on one another I have heard over time.

They usually go something like this:

I can’t believe how good that flute player is in that per service orchestra, she must be hating life, and she’s been there 20 years!

[divider_flat]

Did you hear who won that new viola spot?! He got his degree at NoName State, that’s quite a surprise!

[divider_flat]

I’m amazed at how well our trumpet player nails those difficult passages; he’s like 50 or something and he’s been in this orchestra since before it started getting good talent like us.

[divider_flat]

Wow, you certainly blew me away, I had no idea you be that good; you know, coming from that North Dakota orchestra.

[divider_flat]

Not bad for a youngster.

[divider_flat]

I could go on, but you probably get the point, so I’ll get right on to mine.

As classical musicians, it seems like we are always dealing with stereotyping and prejudices from the non musical world. We get called stuck up, snobby, elitist, and get accused of whining that we are underpaid. Our education is questioned, our contribution to culture is devalued, and our place in society is constantly beating us down.

But what has been bothering me for some time is amid all of these outside pressures musicians manage to stereotype one another almost as often as we get stereotyped as a whole. We can be quick to judge fellow musicians on their age, school pedigree, geographical location, or orchestra they currently play in before a note is played.

The Age Stereotype

Youth

[twocol_one]

[unordered_list style=”red-x”]

• Some looking at youth and automatically assumes nothing but liabilities: inexperienced, not understanding of how rules and protocol work, and less likely to blend in an orchestral group.

[/unordered_list] [/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]

[unordered_list style=”tick”]

• Other musicians assume youth as an asset: energetic, quick to make changes, easily agreeable, and amazing chops.

[/unordered_list] [/twocol_one_last] [divider_flat]

Experience

[twocol_one]

[unordered_list style=”red-x”]

• Some musicians assume an older player comes with liabilities: stubborn, no longer able to play at peak performance, just holding onto a job until retirement age.

[/unordered_list] [/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]

[unordered_list style=”tick”]

• Others look at the assets of an older player as being well seasoned, already knows most symphonic works and styles, and easily adapt to working conditions.

[/unordered_list] [/twocol_one_last] [divider_flat]

While the age issue has its share of warranted stereotypes, there are many exceptions to every rule. It is dangerous and wrong to automatically assume that the age of a musician reflects how they will play, before hearing a single note. If musicians aren’t careful, they risk creating self fulfilling prophecies by forcing stereotypes onto our colleagues.

Geographical Profiling and School Pedigrees

Is a player superior that plays in a Big 5 orchestra or a small budget sized regional orchestra that maybe has only 8 concerts per year?

Of course the Big 5 orchestras carry a strong reputation of holding the most prestigious musician talent, and the similar reputation that a smaller budget group won’t have the amount of prestige or talent. But is that always the case?

There are many talented musicians who play in small budget groups that are perfectly happy raising a family in a location they have found ideal. Likewise, in some of the bigger budget groups, there are those that have maintained a ghost like presence and stay under the radar regardless of whether or not their talent and skill endures. So when musicians judge other musicians solely on what ensemble they play in, they could be unfairly coming to the wrong conclusion.

The same goes for music schools. It’s become expected that certain prestigious conservatories pump out the very top musicians. But there is a good amount of state schools and (spoiler alert) even musicians who didn’t earn a music performance degree. While it is common practice to screen resumes for open positions in orchestras, many non-traditionally educated musicians risk being filtered out.

And while screening auditions is a common and acceptable method of keeping the invited musicians to a minimum, what is not acceptable is the backhanded chatter amongst some musicians who act shocked or stupefied that someone who didn’t graduate at a name brand conservatory could possibly have made it into a career in music (I’ve heard this conversation more times than I care to admit)!

A Musician’s Worth Is Less Than Or Equal To The Orchestra’s Reputation

So, does a musician’s orchestra classify how gifted or accomplished they are? What if a musician was in the Florida Philharmonic or Syracuse Symphony? Since those orchestras are no longer around, do the musicians’ values go down compared to the musicians of the North Carolina Symphony or Grand Rapids Symphony which are still in business? Does the value or prestige of a musician automatically go up if the budget size increases and Grammy winnings start rolling in?

I can’t quite put my finger on why there is a need for backhanded complements. They serve no purpose other than profiling, categorizing, stereotyping, and adds an unneeded prejudice to the inner part of the classical music industry. Maybe some musicians do it to make themselves feel more important?

In a time when the classical music industry is struggling from the outside stereotyping and prejudices, it is time that those inside the industry start paying closer attention to phrasing and actions. There is a lot of talent in all forms, ages, schooling, and locations. This is a modern age where there are more tools than ever to cultivate and maintain talent and the value of an individual is greater than ever.

So let’s trying leaving it at that; it never should be a surprise that anyone from anywhere could make it in this business.