Thinking about making a living out of music is something I have been critized for many times.

Most parents want their kids to learn an instrument but are shocked when they tell them they
want be a professional musician. They tell them that “music is not a real job” and that “it is
impossible to make a living out music” They are not entirely wrong since becoming a
professional musician is really hard.

One of the strongest arguments can be that people don’t take being a musician seriously, even
worse classical music. The popularity of classical musical has been on a decline for almost a
century. Music was created for people to hear, but if people don’t want to hear it wat is the
point of it anyways. This causes people who play classical music to be, on the most part,
unsuccessful. So, they decide to either change the style of music that play or do another thing
for a living. The decline in the popularity of music could de caused by two factors: the way it is
performed and the way it is taught. Classical music is performed in a very serious setting where
both the musician and the audience must be still and do the correct things at the right time.
This creates a sense of disconnection and insincerity from the musicians. The lack of feeling is
what makes this type of music boring and unappealing to the majority of people. So people do
not want to listen to it anymore. What happens to people who play it. They must bring
something new and interesting to the table. Take Markus Schinkel as an example. He combines
classical music with other genres.

The teaching of classical music is also par of the problem, mainly because it is nonexistent. I
was looking for universities that have a career in art here in Honduras and the only one I found
was in Francisco Morazán and it was in visual arts. That means if you want to study music you
have to do it in another country which involves extra expenses that many people would not be
willing to pay so they would rather study another thing. Of course, you will be able to find a
music conservatory here and there in the major city is, and the will teach the basics but, where
will you go next? Teaching in the same place you learned, or in another place. If a student is
not be able to continue developing their abilities as a musician, then they will not be able to be
a professional. In the few places classical music is taught it is thought with a very archaic
system that consists of learning to read sheet music, its history and a lot of theory, some even
include hors of forced practice. This leaves no room for expressiveness to connect with the
audience. Even though the dynamics may make a piece less boring they don’t give that
expression that only someone who plays the piece with passion do.

Another reason why it is so hard to become a professional musician is the competition that
comes along with it. It may not seem like it but the classical music environment is very
competitive. Most musician work in orchestras (except pianists) to which you must audition to
get in. Then, if they get in, they compete for first chair and violinist compete to be
concertmaster. It is getting more competitive since we see all these music prodigies playing
incredibly as such a young age. Popular instruments like the violin and piano have many
talented people that try to get into universities or participate in competitions. Less popular
instruments like English horn or Euphonium don’t have these kinds of problems but no one
likes listening to them. Since the environment is getting more competitive people have a
harder time being successful. Recently I researched for the repertoire needed to enter Julliard
in a pre-college summer program and eleven-year-old must play pieces me and other
classmates my age and older than me are barely learning.

As proven before it is hard to be successful as a professional musician but despise al the

hardships that they must face, many of them accomplish great things