I always thought that in music school they did not do a great job of talking about how to monetize being a musician. We learned to play/sing really well but when you are done it can feel like "now what?" I think it's getting better (at least here in the US).
This was great Sarah! I recently got myself a Tenor Recorder and realizing how much more I like it compared to the soprano or alto. I am still learning so it HELPS that it is the same fingering as soprano. Once I am a bit more solid I am considering buying a basset recorder because I love the big bois.
Actually really sad that the most popular question is "do you get paid?" because that's the really bad attitude that means the arts get underfunded because people don't think it's work and we don't "work"
And don't forget the misinformed belief that the recorder's not a "real instrument", which would feed the belief that you can't get paid for playing it.
And this notion/attitude not only applies to the arts in a strict sense, but to a lot of ‘creative jobs’ like designers, text writers, translators etc. too.
Talking about adult beginners: I started playing my first instrument at age 26 (the harp), and while I have only ever intended for it to be a hobby, now 5 years later I've actually seen the glimmerings of some "professional" applications. Specifically, being asked to play at weddings. I also have played with an amateur orchestra, so while of course I didn't get paid for it, it was still very much a classical musician experience. Of course I'm never going to be Valerie Milot, or make a living playing music. But that's fine, I have a "real" job already and making money playing music was never my goal. But I'm starting to actually get near the skill level where making a bit of side money would be possible if I decided that was the direction I wanted to go in.
@OriRune - Congratulation on playing the harp. As a harpist you needed to learn two clefs of music: the bass clef and the treble clef, and to play them simultaneously. Talking about adult beginners: In addition to the several of instruments I learned to play in my youth, there a number of instruments I learned to play to at least the intermediate level after the age of 55.
4:10 oh yeah if you're going to do masters at conservatoire in the UK you only get a one off lot of funding for one year (half your masters) because the gvt assume all masters are a one year course just a heads up because I didn't know that !!
Sarah this was so fun to listen to! You have such wisdom when it comes to the music working world. It’s such a juggling act as we get older but totally worth it. Keep up the great recorder-ing! 🪈❤️
I would go even farther than simply saying many of us are weird. Most of us are weird. I remember when I was at university, one of the piano profs stood out for how utterly *normal* he was. Aside from being a pianist, he was just a regular guy. All the rest of us were weird or awkward in our own ways. Or as I prefer to think of it, we were interesting. Normal people are boring.
Its really interesting, as a lot of peo musicians do non music work too. I'm in that position, I never really got into teaching, so I do other things alongside performing. You're absolutely right about immersing yourself in the community. You really have to be interested in other people's work and talk to people at their concerts. You can't be a wallflower unfortunately.
Hello Mrs. Jeffrey. I learned a lot from your page and I am really grateful to you. Please teach the song The Last Of The Mohicans (Promontory). Besides, I request from Iran to teach this beautiful piece. I'm waiting, Mrs. Jeffrey. You are a very kind and good person.
You didn't really cover the problem of competing with other aspiring professional musicians for a very limited supply of paying gigs. I am very happy that I never thought of myself as a potential full-time professional saxophone or clarinet player. It is really great to play an instrument well, but not worry about getting paid. As far as woodwind players go in my country (Canada) there must be more than 100 amateurs for every full-time professional.
JFC that sounds like a really tough life. Wouldn't be able to do it. Mad respect. Also amazing on you to put in all that hard work and get good at not just your profession but all the endless peripherals required to run your business. This makes me really sad though. If I win the lottery or marry a rich billionaire and then divorce with half their funds I'll be supporting all musicians with all that monnie. You deserve to have stability in your life and the profession deserves to be attractive enough to acquire more learners. But if it's this hard people are gonna stay away. That's ultimately bad for human progress. And yes about adult learners. They bring a different perspective. It's not just about being the youngest and such wow at such young age that should matter. That's unfortunately true for many other professions. It's putting a lot of pressure on the kids to appear gifted and build a reputation early on and is brutally soul crushing for adults. Humans are such wrecks I say. Fugging hate dis.
Question: if there are no recorder teachers locally, is there another wind instrument which most likely would be best suited for crossover teaching? I live in central Finland, in a town with a symphony orchestra, a branch of the Sibelius Academy, and a university with a music department, as well as an adult education centre meant for odd courses on a vast array of topics (arts, languages, crafts...). When I asked about recorder classes at the branch of the Sibelius Academy they don't teach toys (I also play harp and asked about harp also and got an identical response, I must have mispronounced something). I realise not every town can support a full time professional of instruments which aren't in high demand (violin, flute, piano...). So if I were to ask for flute lessons but hope to convince the teacher to work with me playing recorder, or is there another wind instrument which might be more similar and less frustrating for the teacher - frustrated teachers are not a good recipe for successful lessons! Thanks for everything!
When you answered the question about practicing, I was confused by what practicing meant. It seems to mean different things to different people. In other words, to the hobbyist it might just mean playing scales and exercises in practice books. But I'm wondering what 'practice' means to a full-time musician such as yourself. Might practicing mean going back to 'familiar' pieces you don't anticipate performing any time soon?
It can mean all of these things! Learning repertoire for upcoming concerts, but also investing time into technique, learning new skills such as playing in a certain style, or getting familiar with a new instrument. Playing old favourites is so important too, to relax and enjoy playing, and to remind ourselves why we are doing what we're doing! So all different kinds of practice serve a different purpose, and contribute in their own way.
I think she pretty well hits the nail on the head. We put soooo many hours into practice in our student days to know now how to 1) rely on what we've learned and perhaps more importantly 2) how to practice more efficiently. Not only does this come into play when preparing new music in styles we're accustomed to, but also when stretching out. I just did a set of recitals of Lebanese piano music, and much of it had melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic vocabularies that were new to me. But knowing how to focus my practice time really helped in preparation.
@@Team_Recorder Sweet! Also, do you ever have times where your misophonia affects you in music? For example, with mine I really struggle with the extra sounds in contemporary recorder music. A hard journey we face and it’s helpful to chat with others ❤
नमस्ते । मलाई चर्चको दिदीले दुईवटा 8बर्ष अघि recorder gift दिनुभयो। एउटा सानो 12.5inch को सानो जसमा म चर्चको गीत sopranos मा बजाउछु । अर्को हजुरले Dear Irish boy गीतमा बजाउन भएको जस्तै 25inchs को 3 piece छ । मलाई थाहा छैन।25inchs को ठुलो मा sopranos alto र tenar र Bess कुन बजाउँदा हुन्छ? म हजुरको channel को subscriber गरी बजाउन सिक्दैछु। please reply me
It's kind of different everywhere I work, but I love travelling to new places and performing there! I should say, I have a Dutch residency/work permit, so working in the EU is not a problem for me - I hear from my English colleagues it's a right headache now after Brexit 😭
You apparently found your calling at a young age. I'm a 79 year old American man and am still searching for mine. You INSPIRE me to keep searching! J in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. I just Googled this: 7 Secrets of Street Performers Who Rake in a Ton of Money. After 20 more years of practicing my $20 Yamaha Alto, I might be the GREATEST 99 year old BUSKER around. I rarely get ideas. Thanks for giving me this one!
Hi Sarah. 🖐 Do you get paid!? 😲 As the fictional defense attorney Perry Mason would’ve responded, “That question is immaterial, irrelevant and incompetent.” The fact that you are a “professional,” implies that you are paid for your services. 😌 Parenthetically, I wouldn’t go so far as calling you a “Recorder Goddess” that would be blasphemous. But I would absolutely, positively, unequivocally, unambiguously and no doubt about it call you a recorder virtuoso: A dedicated musician who has mastered the ability, technique, and personal style with your particular musical instrument - the venerable recorder. 😊 BTW: Being a musician is more than just a job - it's an enchanting and whimsical adventure through the dimensions of sound, sight and mind. And the more instruments one plays (such as I), the more adventurous it becomes. ☺
I always thought that in music school they did not do a great job of talking about how to monetize being a musician. We learned to play/sing really well but when you are done it can feel like "now what?" I think it's getting better (at least here in the US).
This was great Sarah! I recently got myself a Tenor Recorder and realizing how much more I like it compared to the soprano or alto. I am still learning so it HELPS that it is the same fingering as soprano. Once I am a bit more solid I am considering buying a basset recorder because I love the big bois.
Ah brilliant!
Loving the honesty and positivity in this ❤
❤️❤️
Awesome tips Sarah, specially the ones about being an independent musician and having to juggle various factors.
Actually really sad that the most popular question is "do you get paid?" because that's the really bad attitude that means the arts get underfunded because people don't think it's work and we don't "work"
There's a reason that the term, "starving artist" exists.
And don't forget the misinformed belief that the recorder's not a "real instrument", which would feed the belief that you can't get paid for playing it.
And this notion/attitude not only applies to the arts in a strict sense, but to a lot of ‘creative jobs’ like designers, text writers, translators etc. too.
Its a very British attitude. Even the British government tends to treat the arts as a hobby, generally ignoring the massive industry that it is.
@@Rik77 It’s not just British, in the Netherlands it’s pretty similar, and I would guess it applies to many other countries too, sad as it is.
Talking about adult beginners: I started playing my first instrument at age 26 (the harp), and while I have only ever intended for it to be a hobby, now 5 years later I've actually seen the glimmerings of some "professional" applications. Specifically, being asked to play at weddings. I also have played with an amateur orchestra, so while of course I didn't get paid for it, it was still very much a classical musician experience.
Of course I'm never going to be Valerie Milot, or make a living playing music. But that's fine, I have a "real" job already and making money playing music was never my goal. But I'm starting to actually get near the skill level where making a bit of side money would be possible if I decided that was the direction I wanted to go in.
@OriRune - Congratulation on playing the harp. As a harpist you needed to learn two clefs of music: the bass clef and the treble clef, and to play them simultaneously. Talking about adult beginners: In addition to the several of instruments I learned to play in my youth, there a number of instruments I learned to play to at least the intermediate level after the age of 55.
I play the violin, but I follow your channel already for a few years. It's always interesting and entertaining. ❤❤
Thank you! ❤
Thanks for the information. As a fan, that helps me understand any performer in the creative fields.
4:10 oh yeah if you're going to do masters at conservatoire in the UK you only get a one off lot of funding for one year (half your masters) because the gvt assume all masters are a one year course just a heads up because I didn't know that !!
Oh how bizarre!! Surely you could tailor it to the length of the course?
Interesting. This wasn’t the case for my UK Master’s (graduated 2020) - my funding was spread across both years.
"Take the time you have and make good use of it" Love this. 💡
So many tips, that not only help musicians, but also any young adult starting their professional career. Wonderful video, Sarah! I appreciate it 💕✨
Sarah this was so fun to listen to! You have such wisdom when it comes to the music working world. It’s such a juggling act as we get older but totally worth it. Keep up the great recorder-ing! 🪈❤️
I would go even farther than simply saying many of us are weird. Most of us are weird. I remember when I was at university, one of the piano profs stood out for how utterly *normal* he was. Aside from being a pianist, he was just a regular guy. All the rest of us were weird or awkward in our own ways. Or as I prefer to think of it, we were interesting. Normal people are boring.
Really great Q&A with lots of useful insights. Thanks Sarah 👍
Its really interesting, as a lot of peo musicians do non music work too. I'm in that position, I never really got into teaching, so I do other things alongside performing. You're absolutely right about immersing yourself in the community. You really have to be interested in other people's work and talk to people at their concerts. You can't be a wallflower unfortunately.
Candid comments like these are the equal of pure gold!
Hello Mrs. Jeffrey. I learned a lot from your page and I am really grateful to you. Please teach the song The Last Of The Mohicans (Promontory). Besides, I request from Iran to teach this beautiful piece. I'm waiting, Mrs. Jeffrey. You are a very kind and good person.
Love your videos. Your an amazing person. Thanks for what you do.
can relate to taking forever on deciding what to buy
You didn't really cover the problem of competing with other aspiring professional musicians for a very limited supply of paying gigs. I am very happy that I never thought of myself as a potential full-time professional saxophone or clarinet player. It is really great to play an instrument well, but not worry about getting paid. As far as woodwind players go in my country (Canada) there must be more than 100 amateurs for every full-time professional.
I have a question how do you oil your wood recorders? I've seen contrasting opinions on how and what to oil
JFC that sounds like a really tough life. Wouldn't be able to do it. Mad respect.
Also amazing on you to put in all that hard work and get good at not just your profession but all the endless peripherals required to run your business.
This makes me really sad though. If I win the lottery or marry a rich billionaire and then divorce with half their funds I'll be supporting all musicians with all that monnie.
You deserve to have stability in your life and the profession deserves to be attractive enough to acquire more learners. But if it's this hard people are gonna stay away. That's ultimately bad for human progress.
And yes about adult learners. They bring a different perspective. It's not just about being the youngest and such wow at such young age that should matter. That's unfortunately true for many other professions. It's putting a lot of pressure on the kids to appear gifted and build a reputation early on and is brutally soul crushing for adults. Humans are such wrecks I say. Fugging hate dis.
Question: if there are no recorder teachers locally, is there another wind instrument which most likely would be best suited for crossover teaching? I live in central Finland, in a town with a symphony orchestra, a branch of the Sibelius Academy, and a university with a music department, as well as an adult education centre meant for odd courses on a vast array of topics (arts, languages, crafts...). When I asked about recorder classes at the branch of the Sibelius Academy they don't teach toys (I also play harp and asked about harp also and got an identical response, I must have mispronounced something). I realise not every town can support a full time professional of instruments which aren't in high demand (violin, flute, piano...). So if I were to ask for flute lessons but hope to convince the teacher to work with me playing recorder, or is there another wind instrument which might be more similar and less frustrating for the teacher - frustrated teachers are not a good recipe for successful lessons!
Thanks for everything!
When you answered the question about practicing, I was confused by what practicing meant. It seems to mean different things to different people. In other words, to the hobbyist it might just mean playing scales and exercises in practice books. But I'm wondering what 'practice' means to a full-time musician such as yourself. Might practicing mean going back to 'familiar' pieces you don't anticipate performing any time soon?
I'd guess she primarily means learning and rehearsing new music that she's going to perform in upcoming concerts
It can mean all of these things! Learning repertoire for upcoming concerts, but also investing time into technique, learning new skills such as playing in a certain style, or getting familiar with a new instrument. Playing old favourites is so important too, to relax and enjoy playing, and to remind ourselves why we are doing what we're doing! So all different kinds of practice serve a different purpose, and contribute in their own way.
I think she pretty well hits the nail on the head. We put soooo many hours into practice in our student days to know now how to 1) rely on what we've learned and perhaps more importantly 2) how to practice more efficiently. Not only does this come into play when preparing new music in styles we're accustomed to, but also when stretching out. I just did a set of recitals of Lebanese piano music, and much of it had melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic vocabularies that were new to me. But knowing how to focus my practice time really helped in preparation.
Wonderful insights and Q&A into the professional musician world. On a side note, your lipstick is awesome and gorgeous today 🥰💋💄😂
Thank you! 😘 MAC ❤
@@Team_Recorder Sweet! Also, do you ever have times where your misophonia affects you in music? For example, with mine I really struggle with the extra sounds in contemporary recorder music. A hard journey we face and it’s helpful to chat with others ❤
Very useful for freelencers in all kinds of fields
Glad you think so!
नमस्ते । मलाई चर्चको दिदीले दुईवटा 8बर्ष अघि recorder gift दिनुभयो।
एउटा सानो 12.5inch को सानो जसमा म चर्चको गीत sopranos मा बजाउछु । अर्को हजुरले Dear Irish boy गीतमा बजाउन भएको जस्तै 25inchs को 3 piece छ । मलाई थाहा छैन।25inchs को ठुलो मा sopranos alto र tenar र Bess कुन बजाउँदा हुन्छ? म हजुरको channel को subscriber गरी बजाउन सिक्दैछु। please reply me
As an English person, what is it like working abroad? I am looking to try and move abroad to work also
It's kind of different everywhere I work, but I love travelling to new places and performing there! I should say, I have a Dutch residency/work permit, so working in the EU is not a problem for me - I hear from my English colleagues it's a right headache now after Brexit 😭
Nice embouchure shirt.
You apparently found your calling at a young age. I'm a 79 year old American man and am still searching for mine. You INSPIRE me to keep searching! J in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
I just Googled this: 7 Secrets of Street Performers Who Rake in a Ton of Money.
After 20 more years of practicing my $20 Yamaha Alto, I might be the GREATEST 99 year old BUSKER around. I rarely get ideas. Thanks for giving me this one!
6:56 "Be your own weird self."
A word of caution: NEVER write me a blank weirdness check. ;)
😄❤️
Hi Sarah, nice
"A lot of us musicians ar weird" Thank you ! So true hahaha
Hi Sarah. 🖐 Do you get paid!? 😲 As the fictional defense attorney Perry Mason would’ve responded, “That question is immaterial, irrelevant and incompetent.” The fact that you are a “professional,” implies that you are paid for your services. 😌
Parenthetically, I wouldn’t go so far as calling you a “Recorder Goddess” that would be blasphemous. But I would absolutely, positively, unequivocally, unambiguously and no doubt about it call you a recorder virtuoso: A dedicated musician who has mastered the ability, technique, and personal style with your particular musical instrument - the venerable recorder. 😊
BTW: Being a musician is more than just a job - it's an enchanting and whimsical adventure through the dimensions of sound, sight and mind. And the more instruments one plays (such as I), the more adventurous it becomes. ☺
Sarah