I am about to touch on a taboo subject. Something that musicians do not talk about usually. A lot of my colleagues, drum teachers or gigging drummers practice that taboo on a regular basis.
The course of their life goes something like this.
At two, while listening to music, their face lights up and they start to move their limbs in rhythm.
At 8 they get their first drum lesson. They practice like mad Men. They get good at it.
At 21 they make enough money to sustain themselves. Oh, the joy! Oh the bliss!
But, at 23, too many of them start to have second thoughts. Because they have too many students or too many gigs: they burn out. From then on, they treat their job like a butcher treat his meat. Slowly but surely, their mind shifts. They go from happy musicians to bitter workers. That’s too bad.
Then, until they die, the profession they so passionately wanted, becomes a chore, a slow torture. And they will tell to everyone who wants to lend them an ear how disappointing it is to be a musician.
That’s regrettable.
Really.
They have the incredible luck of doing the most wonderful job in the world, and yet, they don’t have kinds words for it.
So is there a solution? Yes! I suggest to those who spew bile and discontent to the profession to try and do something else. Simply put: they might not be cut for the job. It is very plausible that the dream they had about becoming a musician didn’t match the reality, and there is nothing wrong with them for thinking that. And, who knows, if the other avenue they explore doesn’t satisfy them, they can come back to music. This time with a renewed enthusiasm. Because being a musician is an absolute privilege.