Anonymous #1, Real Estate Agent.
When you were 18, what were your career aspirations and how much (if at all) did those change by the time you finished university/grad school?
When I was 18 I knew I loved music and wanted to spend my life playing it, learning about it, and sharing it with others. I wasn't entirely sure what that would look like. I figured I would end up playing in an orchestra because that seemed to be the only realistic and viable career path for a moderately talented [x] player, based on my knowledge at the time. I don't come from a family of musicians, so I was making decisions based on the advice of my private teacher who was a regional orchestra player and college teacher. I got great scholarships to several schools and when I arrived at college I was so excited and happy to be there with other people who loved music as much as I did. Obviously, I learned a ton in school about the art form and industry. I figured if I wanted to have a career I would either need to win an audition or get a DMA or probably both. I did festivals and applied to grad school, again learning a lot and meeting some great people. As I left grad school, I still didn't really understand how to win an audition. In retrospect, I had a big skills gap not so much in playing but in mental skills. I happened to win or do well at a couple of regional orchestra auditions right out of school, and I got a college teaching job that I started the very next fall after graduating. I was very lucky to be given these opportunities. I decided to move forward with these options since they were the best things I had available at the time.
Over the course of your entire career to this point — but prior to the pandemic — how have you pivoted or changed career paths and why?
About 2 years into teaching and playing regional orchestra and other freelance gigs, I really wanted something more. I still wasn't confident in my ability to audition for a better job and I didn't have a DMA to apply for a better teaching job, and I didn't want to go back to school. So, I answered an ad on Craigslist about being a real estate agent. The company called me and offered to train and license me for free if I agreed to work for them for one year. I figured, "hey, why not?" I had time and I needed money, and I was open to learning new things and trying something different.
Extremely long story short but I became moderately successful at selling homes over the next several years. I was able to continue practicing, playing and teaching. Being an agent is not a 9-5 desk job, it's a 24/7 on-call type thing but the level of business varies a lot so sometimes I would have little or no real estate work to do, which allowed me to practice and play more. I was also able to do all of my "admin" type work from home, so I would basically practice and do my emails/calls/texts at the same time. I'd do 15 minutes of scales, 15 minutes of emails, 20 minutes of an etude, 20 minutes making calls, etc. Being an agent rarely conflicted with being a performer because no one wants to see homes on weekend evenings when most performances take place. I was able to show homes and work with clients in-person around my rehearsal and performance schedules.
I did sometimes have conflicts when I was negotiating deals during rehearsals or even concerts. This is horrible but I would sometimes text other agents or clients DURING concerts because of urgent, time-sensitive issues. At intermission I would often have to run outside to return calls and answer emails. Picture counting rests and trying to remain engaged when you are texting with people about a leak in the basement or a $10,000 appraisal discrepancy or whatever. I'm not proud that I did this, it's not fair to the audience or my colleagues, but it was unavoidable sometimes. I distinctly remember doing this during a performance of the 1812 Overture during an outdoor summer pops concert. Only by sheer luck did I not miss any entrances or throw my phone off the risers when the fireworks boomed unexpectedly. Plus, I must say... many of my brass colleagues were in the back row checking baseball scores and sending each other memes on social media (and I'm not even talking about millennials, I'm talking boomers) so I certainly wasn't the only person not fully engaged.
What were you doing at the start of this year (2020), prior to the pandemic?
I was doing the same stuff: selling houses, playing regional orchestra and other freelance gigs, and teaching a couple students at a local college and at my home. I was optimistic because I was starting to get some new work with other groups I liked but didn't have an opportunity to play with much for a variety of reasons. I also started focusing harder on audition/mental skills and was excited to take some auditions in 2020 (ha).
How has the pandemic changed your career path or goals moving forward?
For the last couple of years I was again feeling like I wanted to do something more/different but I also felt trapped. All of this time away from the rat race has given me space to think, reflect, and plan my next moves. I consulted with experts in performance psychology, audition skills, and career coaching. Prior to the pandemic, I was really afraid that if I backed off of playing my current gigs, I would lose motivation and just quit. The pandemic has taught me I was 100% wrong and I'm practicing more and better with no gigs for the last 9 months. I am extremely lucky to have a lot of financial security due to years of living like a poor freelancer but earning significantly more by working two careers, 60+ hrs/week. Because of what I've learned about myself during this hiatus from my previous work, I am going to pivot away from my freelancing gigs and toward 1) designing and performing my own solo and chamber music educational/outreach/engagement concert events in my region and 2) making a concerted effort to really prepare for auditions for full-time jobs.