Benign Apathy

So, life has been a whirlwind lately, Reader(s). Most of you heard that I was offered a one year position as Associate Principal Horn in an orchestra in Canada. (As it turns out, Runner Up ISN'T The First Loser!) This will, methinks, make for some hysterical blogging in the not-so-far future. (Canadians are inherently funny, after all.) So preparations are going well. I sympathize with Spot and CMH, though, as they have both mentioned the stresses that go along with the paperwork of working “abroad.” Thankfully, the orchestra will take care of my work permit stuff, but the expediting and timing is really getting complicated. I don't know if I'll actually be starting in early September or not... its a little touch and go... But anyway...

What I’m really here to blog about, though, is my current job. Playing in a summer pops orchestra is not, as you may imagine, terribly musically fulfilling. Now, I’m new to this orchestra. Many of the members have been playing in the orchestra for many years. (Some of them have been there nearly as long as I’ve been alive.) I never though, though, from the first moment that I won this job, that I would find it fulfilling.

Sidebar: Everyone is entitled to complain about their job. Complaining about your job is one of the great privileges of employment, after all! And, for that matter, no one likes their boss. Yeah, you say that you like your boss, but when it comes down to it, you are lying. I know you are. So the fact that everyone in this orchestra complains is not unexpected. Nor is the fact that no one (myself included) particularly cares for “the boss” (in this case, the “maestro.”)

But seriously, Reader(s), these people act like being in this orchestra is one of the great injustices that the world has to offer. Is our boss incompetent? Yes. Does the job blow serious chunks sometimes? Yeah, for an orchestra gig, I’ve definitely played better jobs. But in the greater scheme of things…. How bad is it? Ok, there are going to be train wrecks in the show tonight. Could this be a great group with some leadership? Yes. Undoubtedly, yes.

Personally, though, I’ve found that an attitude of “benign apathy” is incredibly helpful in making it through rehearsals. I’ve found that if I get in the car after a show and focus on all the bad things( such as the leadership, the missed notes, the incompetence, the idiots, etc) by the time I get home 1 ½ hours later, I feel like a bad person. But if I make the conscious effort to think about the good things (the little solo in that Broadway tune went well, I really enjoy the way JH plays the trumpet, AR is a really inspiring person and musician) I can come home and feel good about myself. Did I change the world today? Probably not really. Did I make the best of a bad situation, though? Yes. Did I get bent out of shape over the five minute break between the second and third segments of overtime? No, because I didn’t get caught up in everyone else’s negativity, and I was able to focus on the cash that comes with three segments of overtime with a 14% principal overscale.

These musicians act as though their employment is a privilege, and the ass on the podium is some great injustice. I’m not saying they are wrong to complain. Trust me, this guy is terrible, and I thought I had seen it all. This group could undoubtedly reach a new level with some functional leadership. But that’s not going to happen. This is not news to me, and really shouldn’t be to anyone else. In the meantime, can’t you please just be thankful that you have summer work playing your instrument? If you hate it that much, move over, because I know plenty of people who would love the gig, and might see it for what it is: a summer pops orchestra, not the Philadelphia Orchestra. If you are looking for musical fulfillment, please, go somewhere else.