To a brighter future

Hello! Welcome to the ‘Careers in Music’ portion of the Flourishing in Music blog! I am excited that you are here and I hope that Flourishing Foundations Music Studio can be a real source of helpful information to you about careers in music. You might be seeking a professional career in music, be a parent of a student in music lessons who seems to really love it, you might already be on a path to a career as a musician, or simply be a curious amateur.

My hope with this blog is to bring in diverse perspectives, present a multitude of musical career options, shed some light on the realities of working as a musician, and for those who just know that they have to be a musician – open doors to a brighter future in music than might be possible without having certain insights into the field overall.

My path through music has been truly winding. Throughout its windings, I continue on it because it is a journey from the heart and for me music is clearly something I was just ‘made’ to love. I started playing the piano at the age of seven and ended up becoming a professional flutist – sky-rocketing from the back of the lowest level band after my initial auditions at my undergraduate college to being a full-time college music professor at age 26. Then after three-ish years of college teaching, I felt pulled in other directions and at the ‘logical time,’ of continuing on the expected path of earning a D.M.A. (Doctor of Musical Arts) in the flute and seeking a long-term career as a college professor – I instead decided that some of the things I really care about were more possible in other areas of life. I’ve played for and with some of the best musicians in the world and been sincerely complimented by them, and also tasted criticism and disappointment, and real hurt – as have many other pro musicians who are truly talented. Along the way, I’ve found that I ‘flourish’ more when my identity is not so much as a musician, but as a compassionate, caring human who is able to share in the hardships and suffering of others around me, and one who leans into my need for God.

One of my hopes in this blog is to shed some light on the reality of careers in music and what it takes to flourish (flourish may be defined differently from ‘success’ in some ways) and in a field that is in constant flux. In doing so, I hope that these posts open the doors to true flourishing in life for others who are gifted musically, those who have a passion for music, those who are supporting someone else’s pursuit of a life in music, open doors of provision and possibilities for those who are possibly pivoting, adjusting, or even healing from some of the hurts that can come in this field or from having an identity rooted in things that don’t contribute to overall flourishing. Music in itself is a wonderful thing – to me a real gift of grace – but pursuing it as a career does need a whole lot of wisdom. Not talent alone, nor even connecting with great musical artists, will necessarily produce wholistic flourishing and sustain a person through the highs and lows of the field. Musical careers can bring real amazing joyous celebratory moments or heart-break that has to be overcome to flourish again. My heart for you is that you flourish, and that the Flourishing Foundations Music Studio blog can help you find perspectives that lead you in that direction.