I have met many musicians over the years who have joined the profession from non-musical families. After talking to them, I have often felt like telling them " You need to get out of this profession now!" as I feel most confuse their love of music with the completely different scenario of making a living out of it.
A profession is much more than the skill and knowledge of the person concerned. In case of classical music (indeed, for all the arts), the business of making a living from the art form is tough. The constant marketing is not for the faint hearted. I've observed many senior musicians and seen their insecurity, complaints against organisers, rivalry with their fellow artistes, ego clashes etc.
I refer back to some priceless words of advice given to me by Abhik Sarkar, one of the seniormost disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan " Do not ever take this up as a profession. It's not worth it".
The days of the state as patron are gone. There is jockeying for corporate sponsorships, which are decided by non-musical people. Various platforms are controlled by groups who refuse access to non-gang members. Senior musicians are foisting their musically besura offspring on indifferent audiences. Classical music is fast turning into fast food - uniform, homogenous and boring. (not to mention the instant gratification!)
In this context, deciding to make a profession out of classical music is risky business.
I agree. It's much better to have a separate, unrelated profession, and to pursue classical music on the side. That way, you don't rely on music for your livelihood, and you can sing/play what you want to. This also means that you don't have to compete with others for popularity.
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