Leaving negativity in the dust

[unknown-user]

Doctor of Musical Arts degrees are offered in the U.S. as well. Here
you have a four years bachelor degree, a two year master’s, then a
three year DMA or Ph.D. (or a bachelor’s to a five year doctorate) It
is considered equivalent to a Ph.D, but focuses more on original
creative expression, and less on research. People teach at the
college/univeristy level with a master’s degree, but the doctorate is
becoming necessary to be competative. (no guarantees, though). I have a
master’s in harp and a degrees through a DMA in composition.

There are some very complex dynamics in our profession. The potential
for accolades and the element of subjectivity can create political
tension. I live in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, U.S. and love it here.
I spent three years in a somewhat rural area prior to this. As an
outsider with strong credentials, I was not welcome except for
exploitation. I played in the local symphony and the conductor paid me
below the bottom of his payscale ($15 per service which as $5 less than
the amateur musician members received). When I got my paycheck before
the concert all performance anxiety left because I knew whatever
happened, he got more than he paid for. I ended up nailing every
entrance because I was so relaxed. Still, it’s personally rewarding to play well. He also made nasty faces at me. I had
nothing in writing (my mistake), so I
resigned. He also announced the presence of my harp in the department
as though the college sort of owned it. The
entire area functioned this way. In these scenarios the goal is
to demorilize anyone who poses a real or imagined threat so they will
either allow themselves to be exploited or simply quit altogether. We
have limited energy and resources,
and I feel it is not worth fighting a battle unless it can be won. The
world is a big place, and our lives are short, so it is better to
conserve energy, and find the best scenario to work with, and be
flexibile and willing to adapt as needed to survive.