If you've ever used your talent to bring a smile to another person's
face, you have some idea of what motivates people to become musicians.
"I look out in my audiences and see people from six to 92 years old, of
all races, sexes and nationalities, and they're all grooving together,"
says Kitty Margolis, a jazz singer and record company co-owner in San Francisco.
She's performed with the likes of Lionel Hampton and Herb Ellis.
"It becomes a transpersonal experience for everyone. Music brings people
together and lifts them up in a very spiritual -- not to mention fun -- way."
No wonder musicians enjoy their careers so much, whether they work behind
the scenes on a television commercial jingle or record a compact disc that
anyone can buy.
"People have told me how much they love to hear me sing, and I truly believe
that music can change the world," says Judith Siirila, a classically trained
opera singer in Glendale, California.
"People think that opera means a huge woman with horns, blond braids and
a breastplate, screaming loudly. That's not the way it is, and I wish
everyone could experience the feeling I get from listening to and singing
such glorious music."
For most musicians, especially those who are self-employed, music is just
one part of a career that also offers tremendous day-to-day variety and the
chance to be your own boss.
"I love the freedom of it all," says Jan Randall, a professional musician
and composer. Randall spends most of his time composing and recording original
music for television projects. He also writes music for corporate videos and
commercials, serves as music director for several award shows and performs
with the Sierra Brass. He has even scored music for a feature film.
But freedom has a potential downside -- you're never completely sure
of when the next project or performance will come along. "As an independent
singer -- as opposed to someone who has a regular job in an opera chorus or
is really famous and always in demand -- I never know from one day to the
next whether I'll ever work again," says Siirila. "We all have a feeling
that once a gig is over, no one will ever call us again!"
So most musicians, when they're not practicing or performing, work
on marketing and promoting themselves, managing their finances or working
the phone to set up future performances or projects. "To be self-employed
is to wear many, many hats," says Peter Berryman, a Madison-based professional
songwriter and musician who performs in a folk duo with his former wife.
Among other things, the Berrymans run their own recording studio, lay out
and design their own promotional newsletter, design songbooks, take and develop
their own publicity photographs, sell CDs and other merchandise through direct-mail
marketing, and maintain a site on the World Wide Web. They also do their own
bookkeeping and financial management.
"Combine all this with writing all of our own material and you can see
how the job involves more than just getting up on stage and singing now and
then," Berryman says. "So a wide base of knowledge and a willingness to learn
do prove useful!"
Success as a musician, however, goes far beyond knowledge and willingness
to learn. Talent, of course, is a big help. But even talent isn't enough,
you also need passion -- or what Randall calls an "obsession." How can you
tell if you're obsessed with music?
"Easy," says Randall. "If you find yourself playing piano when you should
be studying for an exam, catching a bus, meeting a date, picking up your child
from school, seeing the doctor or going to the bank, then you're obsessed.
"If you wet your pants because you can't stop playing, then you're
definitely obsessed. If you play all day even when everyone says you have
no talent, then you're obsessed. If your neighbors want to throw you
out of the building because you play all night, then you're obsessed.
I hope that makes it clear."
"I truly simply love to sing," adds Siirila, who shares Randall's
passion for music. "And the idea that I can make a living at it is just the
best."
For most musicians, though, that living is a modest one. Despite what you
might see on MTV or in the pages of music magazines, only a select few earn
fame and fortune as professional musicians.
On the other hand, says Berryman, most professional musicians aren't
in it for money or recognition -- nor should they be. "This job
has been wonderful for us, but it's not lucrative, unless you happen
to be Paul McCartney. We believe in the saying: 'Do what you love and
the money will follow,' and though it may not be a whole lot of money,
you'll be doing what you love for it."