# Do any of you have work as music writers or performers? If so what's your story?



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm curious, I've always done both on my own for my own personal enjoyment and never until recently began even to think about doing either professionally. I'm curious how you got your start for your first paying gig as either?


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

I don't think of myself as a professional player, but I've been paid numerous times to play my trumpet for weddings, church services, dance band gigs, etc.

Professionally as a composer, my first $$ came during my undergraduate days (40+ years ago) when a few of my pieces were published and I became a member of ASCAP. Since then with more publications (and the royalties that they yield) and performances that ASCAP surveyed (which yields $$) and a handful of paid commissions, why I probably raked in a total of a few thousand dollars...that's total over 40 years...glad I never quit my day job:lol:


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm a quasi-professional flutist. I have a BM degree in flute performance, but I'm not making money yet, really. I might not have any students to teach this summer even, it's a hard area to reach out to where I live, low income and low interest. But I will have a nicely-paying gig in a week. I also do the rigmarole of career development events, like Summer Music Festivals (going to one in 2 weeks!), Masterclasses, and Competitions. It's a part of our life.

I will start my Masters in Music (MM) degree in Cincinnati this Fall, and I hope to really barrel down on my entrepreneurship then. I want to teach, play gigs, do other musical jobs. As of now I'm in transition so I've not really done anything in the past year except a _few _gigs, 1 student, and grad school application process.

I started playing flute in 4th grade and was good at it immediately. I was recommended to take lessons that year and in 5th grade I started. I just liked flute, but I didn't think much of it at first. Then in 6th grade, I had a breakthrough moment when I heard Holst's _Jupiter _for the first time, and that's what really got me seriously into classical although I knew plenty of classical before then. And then it became more than that. I wasn't satisfied just listening to the music, I wanted to be a part of it, to play it one day. And that's how I discovered I wanted to be a professional. That was between 6th and 7th grade, and I also got a new teacher in 8th grade who started helping me on that journey. Now when I think about it, it really was such a natural experience that I can hardly recall the time before when I wasn't interested in being a professional musician. It just happened. I guess I played flute for 2-3 years before I made up my mind. I would say encouraging teachers also made that decision easier, because they all told me I had huge potential and only needed more training.


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