This is the way it is (or was) for some. Remember, this page is called generality, not the rule without exception.
Two things I will tell you - when you truly discover what you were created to do, you will find the place where confusion disappears and the work flows without effort or without thought. You will have the contentment and the security that comes from knowing you have arrived where you are meant to be. This is no guarantee that you will not struggle along the way but you will know when you are on the right path.
And another? Be very careful what you listen to and, in general, what you do and say in your life. Everything has spiritual consequences. Some music is uplifting and good for the soul but most of it is dark and meaningless - avoid the latter.

Just as an opening statement, get a hard copy and have a copy on various media - cassette or video tape, CD, DVD. Print out all of your music, prose and poetry or whatever else is important to you. Electronic media changes, wears out and who knows if or when the power grid will go down and for how long. If you want a copy to play on that old acoustic piano or guitar when the lights go down and the candles come out, print it out.

Now, a few words about music teachers.
In many cases, in the early stages, the help of a good and honest teacher can be very valuable and save you a lot of time. But, if you have a reasonable amount of intelligence and the desire, you can learn how to sing, play any instrument and read music without the help of a teacher. Music teachers, from the private to the university level, have made an enormous amount of money from those who were convinced that they must have teachers to learn music.
As a matter of fact, the entire educational system is built on this "big lie." Children can be taught at home, often with much better results, by their parents. Any one can learn any thing they want by reading and studying books and materials available at most public libraries. If you can't find it there, you can buy the books, sheet music or other materials necessary, at a reasonable cost, both used and new, from many sources such as online auction sites and online stores.
Unless you need a degree to get a job or you are independently wealthy, don't bother going to music school. You can find just as many performance opportunities with community or church choirs, bands and orchestras as you can at a music school. If you have the talent, you will learn quickly and others will notice. And you can avoid paying an enormous amount of money for a degree that is no guarantee of a job. All across the country, there are competitions where self-taught, amateur musicians are "discovered" and often there are patrons who will pay for the formal education of the best among them and will open doors for others to find work in the field.
Many people who get a teaching position at the college level will hang onto it for life, continuing their education to the highest level. Many achieve tenure as a full professor - with job security much like a civil servant who remains until retirement and receives a pension with benefits. Associate or assistant professors and other adjunct faculty may teach part-time at a lower salary level without benefits or tenure. Many institutions have cut back on the rewards for long-term employees but music teachers are often adequately paid and can save for their retirements. Many will teach private lessons and get their books or music published on the side to supplement their income. Most large, four-year colleges and universities work very hard to establish relationships with wealthy alumni and other benefactors that make charitable, tax-deductible contributions used to keep the campus open and active, to pay for new buildings and to establish new programs of study. Many two-year schools, known as community or junior colleges, associate themselves with four-year institutions, thereby expanding their available course offerings and also their chances of keeping the campus open.
Although there are many college graduates who are not going to be able to repay their loans because they won't find a job when they graduate, school of all kinds - from trade schools to graduate schools - continue the propaganda that every child must have a college education in order to be viable and productive in a world marketplace. That depends on the level of education, skill and knowledge needed for the job. Music and psychology have for many years been overstocked with students and graduates - far more than the job market needs. Make sure to get a high school degree or a GED but don't go to college unless you are seeking a job that requires a degree or the level of training that can only be found at the college or university level - save your parents, your relatives, your friends and/or yourself a lot of money and a lot of trouble. Remember, teachers, faculty and staff are out to make a living and if they have to mislead students in order to do it, some of them have and probably will continue to do so in order to keep their jobs.

Many composers live(d) long and happy lives and produce(d) a substantial output of beautiful, joyous and relaxing music. Many of this first group of composers lived in the ancient, early, baroque and classical periods when life was simpler and the demands of the listener were also. Much of this period of history was a time when the western world was dominated or at least influenced by Judeo-Christian philosophy and tradition. This first group also includes composers from all times that focus on making simpler, happier sounds that provide smiles and relaxation to the listener and to themselves.

Other composers work(ed) much too hard alone in a room with their music, with too little "down time," work(ed) so hard that they require(d) some stimulant or depressant to help them work or wind down, were/are anti-social and pass(ed) from the scene too young and some in unusual and mysterious ways. Many composers in this category struggled with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - ego. Among their abuses were alcoholism, addictions to abysynthe, tobacco, drugs and other concoctions, sexual excess and perversion, greed, megalomania and other self-indulgences. This second group began to emerge and grow larger in the romantic and later periods as the world (and its music) became more complex and made greater demands on those living in it. This was and is a time dominated by the rise of the machine, secular humanist philosophy and a rejection of the traditional Judeo-Christian order. It is a time when we are less pure and wholesome and the music written by composers reflects that.

Schools of music - in historical terms, there have been a number of designations here. Throughout the common practice period (1600-1900,) the German school frequently is given the nod as the best, although what they were historically the best at was development of thematic, harmonic, rhythmic and formal materials in a systematic way, generally through the use of melodic counterpoint and a stable, often rigid system of chord progressions. Certainly, a lot of beautiful music was produced. The French school is known for its more emotional approach, which is to say a music based more on the sounds and the feel rather than technicality. This is also true of the Italian school, where the voice is the guiding light. The single melodic line is the driving force around which all else revolves. Even instrumental music from the Italian school is shaped with a vocal line of thinking concerning the melody, as in writing a singable melody and embellishing and elaborating on it. Of course these schools overlap and begin to merge in the Romantic period and into the 20th century, where, often, the guiding rules and regulations are tinkered with, completely left behind, or maliciously destroyed.

Interestingly, in order to make one's mark in the history books, a musician (writer, artist, etc.) had/has to make a significant contribution that is progressive or moves the art or literature into the future . . . or, more recently, just be the person who represents the philosophy of the moment and projects the image that will bring in the cash. This isn't necessarily taking the art in a more constructive or enjoyable direction, but it has to be something new or a different way of expressing something old - a neo-reflection of the past. If you've listened to a lot of so called "art music" written since 1920, you know that a lot of it is just depressing, clangorous noise. The internet hosts a number of sites that advocate "new music/new instruments" and pontificate on the merits of shock value, edginess and annoyance as vital elements of culture. What a load of toxic waste! Forget the debate over what is music or over the validity of experimentation with sound synthesis/sampling and microtonal composition. The point of view at this website is about what most people enjoy listening to, not the fare of a limited number of intellectuals, musical scholars, technocrats or those who remain on the cutting edge because they have something to prove to themselves or others. There is a profound level of communication between human performers either singing or playing acoustic instruments that send vibrations through the air (sound waves) that are received by a human audience listening with their ears that is just not available in any other medium of communication. As a matter of fact, most of the "Best of the Best" music was already written before the close of the first fifth (1920) and certainly the first third (1933) of the 20th century. Some would say the decline of western music began at the the end of the Classical era. Of course, significant and entertaining works have been written since. But many of those works begin to show or represent the decline of society and the descent of man due to the rise of the machine (the industrial revolution) or they represent a revisiting of what had already been written - actually a re-arranging of the music of the past.

Still, many composers slave away to come up with something that will allow them to bask in the black light of fame for a few moments, an event that may be largely due to the need of a particular group for a musical work that will momentarily open a door for their brief affair with success. The serious, art music world is highly competitive and peopled by those who are willing to pay the price for success. If you want to produce art of any kind, produce it and don't get caught up in the quest for fame and fortune. My favorite line of dialogue from the great Orson Welles film Citizen Kane is "it's not hard to make a lot of money, if all you want to do is make a lot of money." You have to make a choice; either you're an artist or just another sold-out cog in the wheel of commerce. Very few true artists are recognized by the commercial community because commerce is anathema to the artist and the commercial musician often cannot be primarily concerned with producing art. Commercial music is about what sells and the propaganda tool that is the media empire and those in control of it - film, tv, radio, publishing, recording, etc. - have carefully chosen what "popular" music is based on conditioning the mass audience that buys and listens to it.
If you want your music to be heard, make it available in whatever forum necessary. If your music is acoustic, develop strong friendships with live performers and work for local performances with vocal and instrumental ensembles, in church . . . wherever you can get it played and an audience to listen. Electronic midi and mp3 can be made available on the net or on CD. There are far less available opportunities and jobs in professional music than qualified and talented musicians. If you get caught up in "I've gotta get paid for this" or in protecting your intellectual property, the genius and spirit of your work may never be recognized. Chances are, the more talented and gifted you are - unless you are also very egotistical and aggressive in getting your work performed, recorded and published - the less likely you are to be accepted by the commercial composers making at least a partial living at it. Many have compromised themselves to make their "dreams come true" and have discovered that it wasn't worth it.

Composers and arrangers are notorious thieves - but not always intentionally. All the music that has ever been heard is a storehouse of musical material for building a "new" composition or arrangement with. Some composers refer to the scores of other composers for ideas; some remember something they have heard and include a small part of it in their work then develop it in a different direction. There are a limited number of available "jobs" for composers and arrangers - the ones who make the social connections, find a niche where they fit and are accepted by others in the business are the most successful - talent, although important, is not the deciding factor. Many talented musicians are not commercially successful because they don't try to be, they just don't have that particular set of skills or they just don't fit in with others in the profession. And, as social a business as music is, if you don't fit in, you and everyone else will know it when the music stops. When a choir, band, orchestra or any group is performing together, the goal is a unified effort to express the music. When the music begins, the personal differences end because all are working together to make the performance the best it can be. If there is a musician who is not singing or playing their part correctly, with the proper expression, everyone else will know it sooner or later. Maybe they simply don't have the ability to do it or they weren't meant to be doing it. These people will settle in at an amateur level or drop out of music altogether. The bar is set very high for those who become professional performers, arrangers and composers. Music faculty and music teachers have to fit in with the educational establishment and with their co-workers, else, there is always an unresolved tension between them.
As far as musical personalities go, there is a dominant of the effeminate in art music circles and in tenured positions on college and university campuses. The higher the position in commercial music composition, performance, publishing, recording, etc., the more social pressure upon one to be open to all things and all ways of living or face discrimination or outright rejection. Said in another way, professional musicians tend to be politically and socially liberal. This is unfortunate as many competent and talented conservative musicians are rejected because they are not accepting and comfortable (for religious, social or other reasons) with "alternative" lifestyles. Unfortunately, a straight arrow cannot always be guaranteed a place in the church music community as there is a controlling hierarchy and even a certain amount of perversion hiding there as well.

Many musicians are so obsessed with music that they have little or no life away from it and the practice, performance or composition/arranging of it dominates their lives. This often has negative psychological and social consequences for the musician. This might affect conductors and singers less than instrumental performers and composers as rehearsal and performance for the formers is often part of a team effort rather than being locked up in room with an instrument and/or a pencil and paper for much of the time. Professional music work of all kinds can be stressful as the goal is the communication of emotional and philosophical ideas through sound, requiring physical and psychological stamina for long, sometime late hours and attention to detail.

Historically, until the late 20th century, most of the best and well-known composers were also excellent keyboard masters, for instance, Bach on the harpsichord and organ and Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Copland, Bernstein, along with many others, on the piano. Perhaps this was because the keyboard instruments were capable of producing the full range of the orchestra and the visual layout of the keyboard was both an aid to performance and to composition, not to mention the popularity of the instruments among audiences, performers and composers.

As for directors and conductors, those who work with instrumental music and performers often work with difficult musical scores with many parts and additional variables, such as the ranges, tone and balance of the different sections of the group (woodwind, brass, strings, percussion.) This requires time in score study, usually alone with a keyboard. Many band and orchestral instruments transpose, which means they sound at a different pitch from which they are written in the score. So, the conductor must be aware of these differences when reading through the score in order to hear the instruments at their proper pitch. Also, various clefs (treble, alto, tenor, bass) which locate the pitch (note) on the staff (the five lines on which the music is written) must be read. (For more information, see the music glossary.) Band directors tend to be more educated and culturally aware as the scale inclines from the public school to the college/university level and the same would apply for the type of band - marching, concert, symphonic . . . with the possible exception of the jazz band - many jazz band directors are more knowledgeable of all types of music than other musicians in any field. The band repertoire (available musical literature) ranges from the marches of John Phillip Sousa to the modern sound of a percussion-dominated show piece. There is near symphonic-style music for the concert/symphonic band and with the development of the wind ensemble, which can include virtually any combination of wind, string and percussion instruments, a wider variety of music is now available that begins with the small marching band and leads all the way to the large symphony orchestra.

Orchestral conductors are usually well trained, often excellent pianists and more aware of the wider musical spectrum than their band counterparts. Conductors of all types tend to be egotistical and demanding but perhaps not as much as some opera singers and virtuoso soloists, particularly sopranos and pianists. (Laughter is appropriate, as that was an attempt at humor!)

Choral directors and voice teachers are often energetic, friendly, happy and simple people who enjoy the beauty of music made with only the sound of the human voice. The word "simple" in the previous sentence doesn't mean a lack of intelligence or knowledge - it means that the musicians and the music they work with often leads to a less complex and more relaxed way of life than that of the instrumentalist or conductor. For singers of average ability, singing in a church choir can be very enjoyable and rewarding. Solo and ensemble singing at its highest levels, such as in operas or oratorios, can be very demanding - as much or moreso than instrumental performance, especially for the soloists.
Choral group directors or conductors tend to be more socially outgoing as choral group singing is a very intimate form of music making. Generally, the octavos and scores that choral groups perform are less complex than instrumental works, so the conductor and performer spend less time in the practice room and more time working together on the performance. Some of the tasks at hand for the choral director include balancing the sections (Soprano, Tenor, Alto, Bass) in number and blend for the optimum tone quality, leading warm-up exercises for proper tone production (many receive vocal training privately,) working with individual sections to learn and polish the part, achieving an overall good sound and accurate performance of the work through his/her ability to rehearse and cue the choir by his/her style of conducting and facial expression/body language. Many choral conductors mouth the words for emphasis or as and aid to the choir to keep their "noses out of the score" and their eyes on him/her. Some of the most enjoyable musical experiences have been in small a cappella and large multi-choir settings. A feeling of deep intimacy with God and each other can be shared by those singing, for example, a motet from the Early music period, a chorale by J.S. Bach or the Schubert Mass.

After years of participation with others and alone in musical activities, one could conclude that it is best to do what is pleasing to God and healthy for yourself and others. If you spend countless hours in a practice or composing room and arrive at a point where your mental or physical health is damaged or compromised, is it worth it?
Music serves these purposes well: an accompaniment to text or solo music that glorifies God and is an aid in worshipping Him; music can be very therapeutic, enabling one to reach positive spiritual states and to relax or relieve psychic and physical tensions - it can serve as an excellent mood enhancer for both the listener and the performer.


If you read a page or listen to music at this web site, you have gained something. For many years all the time and work to build this site has been given away for free. Please give something back - keep free music online and support the teachers, composers, arrangers and performers who make music online.

Return to Notelook main page.
Originality.
Generality.
Ancient music.
Greek music.
Tonal music.
Baroque music.
Classical music.
Romantic music.
Post-romantic and chromatic music.
Musical impressionism.
Modern music - the 20th century and beyond.
Film and tv music.
Folk, Blues, Jazz, Rock & Popular Music.
Historical headings.
Music glossary.
Thoughts.
Sky page.
Home.

except where noted, all commentary Copyright © 1995-2010 by Waterfall Music Press.