<p>I love music. I go to conservatory during the year and spend my summer in festivals. I practice from morning until night and I have played since I was 5 and went to a performing arts high school. I change friends/cities/interests all the time but my instrument is the only thing I've done since forever. Now, I am wondering if an orchestral career+teaching is the only thing I want or if I strive for more intellectual stimulation.
What type of careers exist which bring together both music and something else? Can you for example (this sounds so naive) practice+go to orchestra rehearsal in the morning, do research in your lab in the afternoon, play in the evening or practice more? Can you get a symphony job and a science PhD and after a few years go on to work in a big research university, let's say Rice or JHU as a research prof or teaching science classes and also have a small studio at the school of music?
I remember reading about that guy in the Peabody article who wanted to have it all and his career, or I think about people like Borodin who had this chemistry career, Dr Chen at Bard or some other people that I don't know. What opportunities are there?</p>
<p>I don’t know the answer to your question, but I am stumbling over the idea that music is not intellectually stimulating…</p>
<p>My best guess would be to give music your all for now, and if/when you make it to the big time, then start pursuing your second degree/career once you have an idea of your schedule. </p>
<p>On the otherhand, if you can’t see letting music be all-consuming, you may want to finish this degree, then concentrate on a second one, and let music become a hobby.</p>
<p>I know full-time orchestral musicians who have dabbled in part-time other jobs, but no one who had a complete second full-time career.</p>
<p>In our area, there is an amateur orchestra comprised of medical doctors who also play music at a high level. I also know a fine physician who does teach part time at a local music school and consistently performs professionally (although not as an orchestra member, more solo and chamber type gigs) in the area on top of maintaining an active medical practice. </p>
<p>So it’s possible, at least at some level. I will say that the musician/doctor plays an instrument that I understand permits fewer daily hours of practice than, say, violin or piano, which may contribute to the practicality of time management.</p>
<p>It’s a good question, and a neat idea. I too liked having two careers, and I did it for a short period in my life (2 years).</p>
<p>I had always studied music, but never intended to make it my full-time career. I played flute. I had studied music performance at a large university but did not get my degree in it. Throughout university studies, I played in weddings, taught lessons, played in a local semi-professional orchestra, and put myself through law school with the money I earned from music. After law school, I worked several part-time jobs, including writing for a legal publishing company and doing contract work with a law firm. I continued to play with the local symphony. Earlier I had worked as a prosecutor, but didn’t have time for the music gigs when I did that (80 hour weeks!). After 2 years of this combined schedule, I took a full-time job with the federal government and moved away. My music career was over as I lost all my contacts.</p>
<p>So, can it be done long-term? Possibly. You’d have to find a part-time situation in your non-music profession. The usual downside to that is that these jobs typically do not provide benefits–pensions, health insurance. Secondly, unless you are a far better musician than I was, do not move. I couldn’t get a local orchestra job where I moved, and my full-time federal government job (again 80 hours a week) didn’t give me time anyway. I tried taking lessons in the city where I’d moved, but discovered I was better than the 1st flute in the local orchestra, and I didn’t have time anyway to practice properly.</p>
<p>What are your goals with your non-music profession? Do you always want to work part-time, or are you more ambitious? Unfortunately, in order to estabish yourself in professions such as law and medicine, your have to devote yourself completely to these professions, at least for a while.</p>
<p>This is a great thread!
I am a professional musician (I play in a symphony orchestra).
Believe it or not, our concertmaster, who is both a fabulous violinist AND an outstanding pianist, is an ER physician. He “moonlights” in the ER as his orchestra schedule allows. Evidently he was torn between music and medicine as a career choice and a very wise teacher suggested he could do both if he went the ER route.
Oh, and he’s a really nice guy to boot!</p>
<p>D’s instrumentalist grad school room mate is currently working in marketing for a large
classical music publishing firm. Her instrumentalist boyfriend (double major–music and physics) is in med school. He will specialize in nuclear medicine. Still a passionate musician,. with all that is on his plate, he still gigs.</p>
<p>Thanks all of you. I’d love to hear more about this please, oldviola. How did your concertmaster map out his life (when to go to med school, which job to start first) and how does he schedule his life (how many hours in the ER, how hard is it to get an “part-time” ER job)?</p>
<p>Skieur,
I would have to get some of those specifics for you, and will probably PM you. I do know he does most of his ER shifts in the summer (off season for the orchestra).</p>