# Career decisions for prodigies



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

The typical biographical text in a orchestra program of a musician goes like this:

"[Name] is one of the most popular and sought-after young musicians today. He/She studied with [name] at [prestigious conservatory] and won [competition]. [Name] has played in [long list of cities]."

Considering the glut of virtuoso musicians, here a question from two perspectives:

If you were the parent of a prodigy would you encourage a musical career?

If you were the prodigy, would you pursue a musical career?


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Yes to both questions but I am biased musically, specifically classical music. I might be more wary if it was a career in pop music, rap music, hip-hop or anything like that because that has more to do with commercialism than talent.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Good question. Depends on the level of prodigy I suppose and if the gift is real. I've known several prodigies and it's not always pretty. One I've known for some 50 years played two concertos on the same concert: the Mendelssohn violin concerto and the Mozart 21st piano concerto. Pretty amazing for a 13 year old. And a straight-A student taking all the AP classes like physics and calculus. She seemed to have it all and her Tiger Mother (yes, she's Asian). But somewhere in college she burned out. The international career never happened. Then there's a composing prodigy who was writing some pretty amazing music when he was 10. Went to Julliard in their program for young musicians. But he's stalled and things he's written lately are not so inspiring. There are better young composers and he knows it.

The world is littered with musicians who at one time were glorified and marketed heavily - and then they maxed out, or burned out, and never fulfilled the promise. Some decided the pressure was just too much and didn't want to live that way. Tough call for parents, I'm glad I didn't have to make the choice.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

ArtMusic said:


> Yes to both questions but I am biased musically, specifically classical music. I might be more wary if it was a career in pop music, rap music, hip-hop or anything like that because that has more to do with commercialism than talent.


Boy, are you gonna be disappointed.

The success of classical musicians-particularly solo musicians-are way more based on commercialism or luck rather than talent. Name any of the top 10 most popular pianists right now and there are a hundred more unknowns who have equal or greater amount of talent.

Being an attractive female also increases your chances, especially of making money off of Youtube.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

ArtMusic said:


> Yes to both questions but I am biased musically, specifically classical music. I might be more wary if it was a career in pop music, rap music, hip-hop or anything like that because that has more to do with commercialism than talent.


That's a pretty broad brush. Would that include even these?


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

DaveM said:


> That's a pretty broad brush. Would that include even these?


Congratulations to them and I wish them well. I would rather stay within classical. It might not even be full time, while I pursue other careers.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

mbhaub said:


> Good question. Depends on the level of prodigy I suppose and if the gift is real. I've known several prodigies and it's not always pretty. One I've known for some 50 years played two concertos on the same concert: the Mendelssohn violin concerto and the Mozart 21st piano concerto. Pretty amazing for a 13 year old. And a straight-A student taking all the AP classes like physics and calculus. She seemed to have it all and her Tiger Mother (yes, she's Asian). But somewhere in college she burned out. The international career never happened. Then there's a composing prodigy who was writing some pretty amazing music when he was 10. Went to Julliard in their program for young musicians. But he's stalled and things he's written lately are not so inspiring. There are better young composers and he knows it.
> 
> The world is littered with musicians who at one time were glorified and marketed heavily - and then they maxed out, or burned out, and never fulfilled the promise. Some decided the pressure was just too much and didn't want to live that way. Tough call for parents, I'm glad I didn't have to make the choice.


Totally agree. So many young kids have been burned and psychological traumatized when pursuing fame in entertainment. It's a very tough call indeed for parents. I mean, even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart didn't quite have a normal childhood. He never attended school.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

DaveM said:


> That's a pretty broad brush. Would that include even these?


What a delightful surprise on a grey Monday morning to see and enjoy a Sarah McLachlan video here of all places. That isn't even her best song, IMHO of course - my nomination for that award goes to "Angel". Sorely tempted to post the video but don't want to derail the thread. 

My response to this would centre on the child him/herself. If I felt I genuinely had to slip their leash to let them be who they needed to be, I'd do it but make sure I was there for them all the way. I'd take a lot of persuading though, precisely because so many young prodigies (not just in music either - the same thing often happens in sport) ultimately burn out.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Well I'm not a parent, but I don't think prodigies should be pushed, and certainly not glorified. Love is the soul of genius. Prodigies shouldn't be discouraged from pursuing their passion, but they should carve out the path themselves and find their own inspiration. Ala John Cage.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Aurelian said:


> The typical biographical text in a orchestra program of a musician goes like this:
> 
> "[Name] is one of the most popular and sought-after young musicians today. He/She studied with [name] at [prestigious conservatory] and won [competition]. [Name] has played in [long list of cities]."


Yeah... I can't stand reading this stuff. Am I supposed to be impressed or something?


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

Aurelian said:


> If you were the parent of a prodigy would you encourage a musical career?


Most definitely, but not beyond "encouraging".



Aurelian said:


> If you were the prodigy, would you pursue a musical career?


Not sure if I would have as stubborn as I was with my dreams as a kid, but with a mature mindset I would have, yes!


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

chu42 said:


> Boy, are you gonna be disappointed.
> 
> The success of classical musicians-particularly solo musicians-are way more based on commercialism or luck rather than talent. Name any of the top 10 most popular pianists right now and there are a hundred more unknowns who have equal or greater amount of talent.
> 
> Being an attractive female also increases your chances, especially of making money off of Youtube.


yeah...this is the reality and has been for a long time.
Thinking back to my Alma Mater I can easily recall of about 4 pianists (let alone other instrumentalists), who seemed destined for a fabulous concert career. One I recall went into office admin and another one I met again, years after we had graduated, was working in a department store selling pianos. I was heartened to see some old faces from my student years in orchestras when I started doing session work recording, but gifted as they all were, several were and still are trying to get by as freelancers in a job that is constantly being re-freshed and saturated by up and coming, equally gifted or better graduates. TBH they where even lucky to be involved in the London session scene as most of the players I worked with where in the major orchestras (thanks to the fixer I used).

The standard is so incredibly high that the line between performance prodigy and 'good enough to work regularly' is not so clearly delineated. A young prodigy should also be encouraged to develop their social skills as they will need them.


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## BeatriceB (May 3, 2021)

I know of a prodigy who was spotted as quite talented at about age 3. Her parents wanted her to continue with non-musical education in case if the child gets burned out later, so she can still have a non-musical career. Outside of classical music it is often as much about a girl's looks if not more, as it is about her ability to sing and dance.


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## feedsqt (3 mo ago)

I've often been told that I'm going the wrong way. If I had followed all these tips, I would not be sitting here right now and would not be leading a major referral at the clinic. I've always wanted to be a superhero — every boy in childhood wants to be a superhero. But I realized with horror that I don't have superpowers, and I don't let out a spider web, I don't fly with a hyper-alien, and a laser doesn't fly out of my eyes. I realized that I needed to choose some cool profession. I was offered browse careers or jobs in the medical field, and I realized that this is what I've been dreaming about all my life. I think real superheroes work in medicine.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

just because you can really play at a young age doesn't really mean that much. I've known lots of really good players that never got a break. I've also know prodigies that burned out and ended up doing something else for a living. A couple of my musician friends had kids that were in that category. Teenagers rebel, what can you do?

If you really want to encourage a kid, move to a major market with a really strong music community in the style you want to play. That's how you can make the connections you will need for a career in music.

The thing is that playing is just a part of it. You have to be a good self-promoter and get yourself into the situations where you can meet the people that can help you. Also you have to be able to stand up to some pretty fierce criticism. It also helps to look the part

there's just so much more to it than just playing. but if you can't play, the rest of it doesn't matter anyway


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