I do hope that these blogs posts have been helpful in understanding what being a musician takes. This series was written in hopes of helping the next generation of musicians avoid some of the harder lessons in the stories School of Hard Knocks.
One of the things you need to remember that with all the preparation and networking you can do, this all takes a little bit of luck. The preparation and networking increase your chances of succeeding when that lucky chance occurs. Don't give up, keep working at your craft, keep meeting new people. Who knows what doors will open for you. At the moment when I was deciding whether to actively pursue more commercial work, I started winning orchestra jobs again. I had pretty much sworn off the audition process and was excited to begin a new phase of hustling and looking at the potential of the Los Angeles area and long term potential moving. 11 months later I held both opera and symphony jobs in San Jose, and was able to start a teaching studio in the San Jose area. Had made no plans what so ever for my life turning back towards my classical training.
I wish all of you the best of luck in your endeavors, what ever they be. Keep making music and fighting for your rights as a musician and employee. Don't let the Man get you down, and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers every once and while.
Yours in fellowship,
C.L. Behrens
