The Quest

As a kid I was completely addicted to video games.  Whenever I was glued to the console, it was a chore for my parents to pull me away for dinner or to go to bed.  Holidays and summers were spent working through the most recent game in the Final Fantasy series, solving puzzles, developing my characters' skills and abilities, and reading the cheats and walk-throughs to get me through the next small step in the game.

I'm not so sure that I learned much, other than some problem solving skills (and of course to save my progress as often as possible!), from the hours engulfed in the slowly developing fantasy story lines, battling bizarre monsters, and getting dusted off repeatedly by a level boss with spells and minions that I wasn't prepared to face.  But it sure was fun!!

I doubt I am the first person to use role playing games as a metaphor for life and career, but that won't stop me from taking it at as far as I can before it breaks down. My guess is that a great number of young musicians and especially trombonists can identify with this metaphor. I don't play video games anymore, but I would not be surprised if they serve as a distraction from your professional quest, even if only a small one.  My hope is that these thoughts and stories are useful and of some value to the aspiring musician.  If it's even a bit entertaining, that would be a nice bonus. If you think that might be the case for you, read on!

I've always had the idea for a blog based around the development of my musical career, but now seemed like the best time to start because I am ready to do the work to get to the next level myself. Putting my thoughts down in writing for public viewing may provide some keen insight to aspiring musicians, but it will definitely keep me accountable in staying true to my plans as I divulge the day to day progress in my own quest.

The goal

Everybody loves music. Listening to it, dancing to it, singing it, playing it. In one way or another, music speaks to all of us. But we have chosen to make music our career. We eat, drink, sleep, and breathe music, and at some point in our lives it became painfully clear that we had to pursue music as a career. We feel it deeply within our souls, as if the creator Himself placed that specific desire into our hearts.

So now what? What's the point?

For me, the goal is to develop a career in music that allows me and my family to be financially stable while constantly providing interesting and fulfilling musical challenges.  Maybe your goal looks something like this. Fortunately that doesn't have to mean the same thing for everyone, but we can get to that later.

So what do we do?

We go to college and pursue music degrees. We practice like crazy to improve. We spend tons of money on tuition, lessons, instruments, music, auditions, festivals, and conferences. And then like magic we fall safely into a productive and stable career.  If that sounds like you, congratulations!! You may now stop reading. Of course we all know that it is rarely that simple. And even when it does happen that way, it is never easy.

Developing a career in music is a long, often tedious process that takes place over the course of decades for many of us. We start out young and green and work slowly and diligently, learning new skills, building a foundation of experiences, progressing through the ranks in our musical circles, hopefully to achieve our goals in meaningful and inspiring ways after years of hard work and dedication. Some people burn out and move on to something else. Some people achieve that goal only to find they were on the wrong path. All of that is completely fine, just another step in a different adventure. Hopefully we make some progress and can see our goals on the horizon. But the best part about being a musician is that the quest is never completely over, even when we achieve our goals.  There is always the next level.

That's where I'm headed. Maybe we can help each other pick up a few experience points, learn a trick or two, and get closer to leveling up.