How am I doing?

The week is almost done. The only pressing thing is a possible reunion of Every Other Sunday this Sunday. We haven't played in almost a year-- but I am sure we haven't missed a beat. A few gigs would be nice though.

Next week there is a meeting for AVCO.
http://www.avco-online.org/

It may be a meeting to close the doors of this organisation for good. We have no money, we owe money, and our membership has dwindled down to nothing. Almost 4 1st violins, a single 2nd violin, and other diminished numbers for strings and brass. The only thing we do have is a dedicated percussionist that is all most orchestras need. It will be sad-- Thursday nights will not be the same.

This is a good time to notice how institutional music; mainly classical and jazz, has never quite been popular or well paid-- yet it demands the most out of its players. Years are spent at conservatories, years are spent on the repertoire, instruments are the most expensive of any music (think Strads), and climbing the ladder for recognition is near impossible. Yet, as a society here in America we give these artists no more respect than the local rock band. Sure, I know that there may be some social respectability for playing such music, but the pay should also reflect that. Learning an hour of solo classical guitar music for a wedding is more demanding than 3 hours of guitar for a rock band where 1) the stage is shared, 2) there are few dynamics, 3) you can hide behind special effects. But what I keep reminding myself and others that have voiced this concern is that it is not about the music-- no song is going to win someone over. It is about the image and the point. I don't believe in musical styles and such, but we need to fit into a box to marketed and shown off. "We are a rock band!" "We are a string quartet" " We do country-western metal"--? If the consumer likes the gimmic, the gig is close to being done.
But please, don't stop practicing that Beethoven.
You owe it to yourself.