#NowIsTheTime

In a meeting last week, one of my teaching colleagues posed the question: should we begin talking to students and prospective students about the future of careers in music in the post-covid world? I could feel the anguish in his question. With most live performances cancelled for the foreseeable future, our friends, colleagues, and former students whose livelihoods depend on the stage are hurting. We have to acknowledge that this question is on the minds of every young aspiring musician– is there still a life to be made here?

The answer for me unfolds like this: there is tremendous need in the world right now for music, in so many ways. For “front line musicians”– teachers of children, leaders of community music, and music therapists, the amount of work to be done is colossal. We’ll need an army of music educators to tend to the intellectual, creative, and emotional needs of children whose growth has been stunted during the pandemic. A curriculum rich in music will help inspire, heal, and motivate young learners when our schools are fully back in session. Music therapists, and community choruses, bands, and orchestras will have their work cut out for them, as people from all walks of life with all sorts of challenges turn to music for emotional, mental, and even physical healing.

For performers, the question is more difficult. Regional orchestras, opera companies, and concert series will inevitably shut their doors like so many other businesses. In the short term, there will be fewer good jobs, and fewer gigs to go around. But I do know this: so many people are starving for live music. For myself, I know that whenever I’m able to attend a live opera again, I’ll be stowing a full box of kleenex and sunglasses in my purse. When concert halls and theaters re-open their doors, there will be huge demand for seats. I’ll be there. Won’t you?

Performers need to be ready to rise and meet that need. We will need new ensembles, new companies, new presenters who are prepared to make art in new ways, serve new audiences. It will take time and it will take financial support, but there is going to come a time when we see artistic rebirth happening in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of places.

Back to my meeting. Another colleague coined this perfect catch phrase for the moment we are in: Now is the time. For young aspiring musicians, the time is now to take a deep dive into those Kapustin preludes, those Bach fugues. Read. Write daily about the artistic life you envision. Practice, perfect your craft on your instrument. Learn a language. Research composers whose music may be less-known but may speak deeply to you. Connect with like-minded musicians and scheme about future collaborative projects. Let your ideas begin to percolate.

If you are just on your way to college, don’t be afraid to major in music. If attending an expensive conservatory seems too risky in the current climate, perhaps you work on a double major in a liberal arts setting, or you pursue music education at an institution that also allows you to delve into performance. Choose a college that fosters entrepreneurship in the arts, and use your four years to begin imagining the creative landscape you’d like to build. (By the way, Fredonia is a place where you could do all of these things).

Don’t be afraid! The world needs music now more than ever, and if music is pulling on your heart, listen. Now is the time.