Comments | taz_39: Elf on Tour: Detroit, MI part 2

taz_39

Elf on Tour: Detroit, MI part 2

Nov 11, 2024 07:41

The opening night show went well. The band had one snafu that almost derailed us, but we hung on and kept going and made it without crashing. It's during a dance number so if we mess up, it's bad for everyone on stage too. I'm sure it'll get worked out ( Read more... )

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geminiwench November 12 2024, 02:24:12 UTC

Just because you love what you are doing, doesn't mean it's *not work*, right?

Maybe it's just an unfair English Language sentiment that people say musicians "play" music.. they "play" their instruments, rather than... say, "make" it? Use it? Create it? Perform it? Explore it? Perfect it?

Arrangers get to "arrange"
and directors get to "direct"
and composers get to "compose"
and singers "sing" while dancers "dance"...
but for everyone else it seems we say they..."play", doesn't it seem?
And THAT sort of subconsciously frames the activity in a non-/anti-work light since our culture sees a real schism between the social value of "work" vs the worthiness of "play" philosophically, and their comparative value comes up, whether it we plan for it to or not.

What do you think?

taz_39 November 12 2024, 03:19:03 UTC

I think that sports and sporting events have incredible societal value, athletes make millions of dollars, and humans overall attribute great worth and value to professional sports and athletes. And we say they "play", too.

So, I don't think that theory holds up.

geminiwench November 12 2024, 09:58:41 UTC

I'd argue that only holds up the theory... because athletes and musicians both are *told* they are important and *could* be "rich" if only "they prove they are good enough"... but actually, in reality, UNTIL/UNLESS they become rich doing it, they are seen as hobbyists who are just fooling around most of the time,... since only the top 1% of the top 1% actually make millions doing it, while the rest struggle for the scraps ( ... )

taz_39 November 12 2024, 12:50:47 UTC

Sounds fair to me. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the value attributed each by society in relation to MONEY. Sports are FINANCED. The arts are not. Even the most popular rock bands, the most rich and famous pop artists, are not awarded million-dollar contracts (not any more, anyway ( ... )

geminiwench November 13 2024, 02:07:17 UTC

I think the truth AND secret is in the specific words you used... "Sports are FINANCED ( ... )

taz_39 November 13 2024, 12:59:09 UTC

Olympic athletes v. orchestral musicians seems like a weird comparison to me, but that is probably because I'm ignorant of Olympics-based career options ( ... )

geminiwench November 13 2024, 19:18:43 UTC

don't think there's any comparison using the word "play" as an excuse for how musicians (and the arts really) are treated compared to other occupations whose actions are defined as "playing."I don't think it's an *excuse*, I'm posing that it's a subconscious part of our language which reflects (or infects) our English-speaking Protestant-work ethic-obsessed society with having a dismissive attitude toward the *work* of "play" **even when** its a profession ( ... )

taz_39 November 13 2024, 22:28:37 UTC

See, this right here proves that I ought not to be speaking on this topic XD

Thank you for taking the time to share this, and the links. I learned a lot (haven't read everything yet but your summary is awesome)

Yeah, I essentially didn't really know how to respond, so to put some sort of response out there i opened my ignorant mouth. Actual answer should have been, "I don't know!"

I blow air into a metal tube for a living and make slidey sounds. The fact that I EVER get paid to do it is kind of flabbergasting.
I want to earn a living wage, but it's not required that I earn it via the trombone. I think that many entertainment and sports people would feel the same. Given the current way-things-work, of which I don't know a lot, it's ideal to be earning money "playing" the instrument/sport if you also want to advance publicly/professionally. But certainly it's not a requirement to earn money doing the thing, in order to keep enjoying doing the thing, whether society/people take it seriously or not. Idk.

geminiwench November 14 2024, 02:26:50 UTC

You're amazing and wonderful and it's crazy we live in a world where we have these wild instruments you can't MAKE, but you CAN PLAY.... and that we live in a world where the pleasure you give yourself/others blowing your human airbags through a metal slidey pipe is even a possible occupation is... cool, isn't it? I think it is!

"But certainly it's not a requirement to earn money doing the thing, in order to keep enjoying doing the thing,"Nope, but of course... to afford the time to keep doing it, you need to be able to afford other things... like food/shelter/healthcare... which you know and understand quite well. It's a privilege give our time to music, but it's also required to give our time to music *to* play music,... time/effort/energy ain't free, and study/practice ain't paid ( ... )

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