Reflections on "Everyone Here is Going to Have Bright Futures", Chapter 3 in Class, Control & Classical Music (Anna Bull, 2019)
For me, learning music was more of a solitary activity than a social one, as I did not play an orchestral instrument or participate in musical ensembles. The closest I got to an ensemble experience was the regular accompanying of instrumental and vocal performances which I did throughout school and beyond. More often than not, I am the one working to lift the performance of the soloist, though sometimes there is a connection whereby we are mutually lifting and expressively shaping one another’s playing. Being a musicology major at the Conservatorium, I was grateful to sidestep the highly competitive atmosphere that existed amongst ambitious and talented performance majors, along with the associated social hierarchies. I have primarily maintained contact with one close friend, a bassoon player who also studied some musicology classes. I also have some contact with two other close friends from the Con, a vocalist and horn player, who attend the same church as me.
While my experiences of social hierarchies within classical musical circles are more limited, I have felt a social and musical hierarchical parallel among church musicians, where there is an unspoken but identifiable differentiation between professional and amateur players. The professional musicians know, respect, associate and collaborate with others that are within their musical league. There is a sense that professional musicians look down on amateurs. Although I greatly dislike this exclusiveness, I do understand the need for musicians to be able to associate with like-minded people and play with others of a comparable ability. For example, my daughter withdrew from her string group at school due to being the most advanced player in the group, the one to hold the group together, and having to continually be patient with students of a lower standard. On the one hand, musicians need to be challenged and extended at their own level, and on the other hand, these musicians can also be a great support to musicians at a lower level. It seems that the problem lies in the attitudes of the accomplished musicians, whether they are arrogant and patronising, or humble and gracious.