Arthur Robinson, horn.
U.S. Navy Musician. Personal Training. Kinesiology.
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, my only goal was that I would be fully employed as a horn player, wherever that may be. My goal was actually to win a job BEFORE I finished my undergrad because I was burned out from attending, what I thought, were useless classes outside of ensembles and studio. I was open to wherever employment would land me, whether that was in an orchestra, in recording studios in LA, or in premier military bands. I was not married to one particular path. That way of thinking never really wavered through school, as I started subbing with the Columbus Symphony as a sophomore. That afforded me invaluable experiences that school would never give me, and I carried those lessons into every festival and audition I ever attended. I was making finals of auditions, but landed in the Navy Fleet Bands just as I finished my undergrad.
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?
Had I truly changed or pivoted prior to the pandemic? No, but I began to explore my other interest areas a little more once I had a decent handle on life as a military musician and what was expected of me. I started venturing into my hobby as a SCUBA diver while I lived in Florida, as well as figuring out what it really meant to be fit and healthy. A hidden benefit of having a military band job is that you are required to pass an annual Physical Readiness Test, so staying in top shape year-round is encouraged. Sports performance has been a major interest of mine since I was young, so the timing worked out to start exploring in depth.
What were you doing at the start of this year (2020), prior to the pandemic?
At the very start of this year, I was touring throughout Europe performing a wide range of events. I had just gotten off a deployment to Malta aboard the USS Mount Whitney, and was about to travel to South Africa when the pandemic shut down everything. We had extensive tours planned through all of 2020….
How has the pandemic changed your career path or goals moving forward?
The pandemic hasn’t changed my career path per say. I’m very happy with my current career, and I’m one of a fortunate few to be a fully employed performer in the middle of a pandemic. My other interests have taken more of a front seat though with the extra time on my plate. I recently became a certified personal trainer, and will be starting a Masters Degree in Kinesiology this summer, with the ultimate goal of eventually going to school for Physical Therapy.
The military doesn’t last forever, and eventually I will serve my time and either choose, or be forced to leave. The pandemic has really made me think about what my post-military career could look like in another 15-20 years, especially with live performances being few and far between. Becoming a Physical Therapist for artists/musicians/dancers/actors/etc is what I feel a calling to do at some point in my life, so with the available time I have, I’m getting a little bit of a running start towards that end goal. I love playing, I love my horn, and that will never change. I want to continue to foster that part of my life as long as I’m able, but I’m also realistic to what the performing career landscape could potentially be in another 20 years, especially with how over-saturated with talent the current landscape is.
In a perfect post-military career, I’d be a Physical Therapist, a college professor of horn, and still performing with top level ensembles somewhere. Even if it’s not a full time performing career. At that point I’d explore being a soloist as well. I like to have as many doors open as possible so I have a place to go when life points me down a different hallway. In the military we say “Semper Gumby” (Aways Flexible).