I asked my guitar teacher what advice he would give to my students. Here is what he said: ___________________________________________________________________________
The
very highest echelons of the entertainment business are filled with a
very tiny percentile of the total number of people who hope to achieve
that status.
Talent has something to do with it, but good looks and who you know who can help your career is actually more important.
But
even people who have talent, good looks, and numerous contacts get lost
in the shuffle. Only a small percentage of these people are successful.
That's
when sheer tenacity and financial backing help sustain people like that
in their goal. Not to mention the fact that such career-driven people
need to put aside family and friends in pursuit of this goal, as well
as having the selfishness, greed, and the Machiavellian willingness to
do whatever it takes and use whoever they can to get there.
Someone
who wants to go to Berklee or Julliard or MIT to pursue a career in
music has to be realistic about their goals. Your only goal cannot be
the very top, because the odds are overwhelmingly against you.
Someone with talent musically should also
plan on something more realistic, such as working as a studio musician,
arranger, jingle composer, guitar teacher, music school professor, or
in a music-support capacity (roadie, guitar tech, engineer, etc).
The
point I'm making is, if someone loves music, they have an extremely
slim chance of being a star, but have a much better chance working in a
music-related job that's not as glamorous or high-paying, but can
nonetheless still be rewarding.
Having a recording contract
doesn't make you a star. I've known lots of people who had
recording contracts and still ended up poor and unknown. Some of
them are bitter and stop being involved in music entirely, mainly
because they wanted to be a rock star, not just a rock musician.
Stars
come and go, but people who are realistic about making a serious career
of music tend to do it for a very long time, even if it means being a
small fish in a big sea.
I'm thinking of a Zen Buddhist koan
that I can't remember correctly, so I'll paraphrase: it is the process
and the journey we make in life, and not some lofty goal to be aimed
for, that is the ultimate reward.
