Music Degrees, $50,000 and the Military Band

I've been checking out some of the recent blogs here at MusicianWages, in particular, How to Actually Make $50,000 a Year and How Do I Get A Job After Music School and felt something really should be said about the military musician, since many of us have music degrees and make over $50,000 a year.

First off, making a living as a musician is -NEWS FLASH- not easy. Graduating from music school with a shiny new degree does not guarantee a job. Hey, it doesn’t even guarantee an interview – trust me. You might as well have majored in philosophy – at least you’d be able to hold a conversation.

How do I know? I have a music degree. It’s even from one of those big, fancy, well-known music schools. It’s landed me exactly ZERO gigs. But it does look nice in the filing cabinet along with my other important papers.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I loved college. I gained an enormous amount of knowledge about my craft, had some amazing (and mostly legal) experiences and made lifelong friends. But it didn’t get me a job. In fact, it put me pretty deep in debt.

I needed a job so I signed up for the Army Band. Went to work for “The Man” full time. Some have even said that I’ve become the man since I now cruise the building looking for unsuspecting and lower ranking coworkers, cackling with sadistic delight as I make them do push-ups while regaling them with stories of how much tougher it was “back in my day…”.

I mean, I even come on this site once a month tooting the Army’s horn – yes, pun intended. How much more assimilated could I be? – It should be noted that I volunteered for this gig. I don’t get paid a commission if people join the Army as a result of these blogs. I simply provide information and help interested folks make an informed decision.

I traded the bohemian life of an artist for a more reliable gig as a government employee.

I get paid every two weeks, and I get paid pretty well. No, I don’t drive a ferrari and I haven’t bought my vegetarian wife a mink coat. But we’re comfortable.

I don’t have a “day” job. I don’t need to live in my parents basement. I don’t have to go and constantly hustle to make sure gigs and money keep coming in. I have health and dental insurance for me and my family.

Of course, there are some trade offs. I have to keep my hair short and wear a uniform. Endure concert band and PT tests.

No bong hits in the drummer’s van after the gig.

But I’m not the first. Bach made his living as a church organist. Beethoven worked for a king. Stravinsky drove around collecting roadkill. These were musicians who also craved a steady paycheck. And (obviously) found a way to get what they wanted from their jobs.

Do I think I’m the next Beethoven? Not hardly. I’m just a guy that only wants to play the piano while still having a comfortable life.

Do I have to play music I don’t like? Yeah, sometimes. But I’ve played so many different styles of music, from Klezmer to Reggaeton, that things stay fresh. Not to mention helping me grow as a player.

I also get to perform my own music. I’ve composed and arranged music for Big Band, Concert Band, Jazz and Rock Bands. I was recently in Brussels playing a St. Patrick’s Day party for a bunch of Irishmen. We played mostly my originals, but also some covers, and of course, Danny Boy. We drank pints of Guinness and had a great time.

Sounds awful, right?

So what are the big fears? Getting shipped off to war? Working for/with people you don’t like? Waking up at 6am (or earlier) Monday through Friday?

• You may get shipped off to war. As long as the US remains at war it’s a possibility. But on the bright side, the job has come a long way from the old days of strapping on a drum and marching rows of troops towards an advancing and attacking enemy.
• You may end up working for/with people you don’t like. But how is that different from any other job? The good news is people are always moving around so it’s temporary. You’re rarely with the same person for more than 2 years. This can also be a negative, if you’re working with people you really like.
• You will wake up early…. deal with it. If you really can’t handle this, DO NOT ENLIST.

But don’t take my word for it. While writing this I spoke with many military musician friends (Army, Air Force, Canadian Navy, Italian Air Force, Estonian Army and French Marines) about why they joined this unique club. Here are some of the responses I received:

I needed to pay off my student loans and I didn’t want to teach music all day then hustle gigs every night to do it. It would have been exhausting, and I would have had no life.

I was a Band Teacher but my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to play.

I was supporting myself by doing gigs. But, I wanted to start a family and Joe’s Bar wasn’t offering a health plan.

I didn’t want to go to college, I just wanted to play drums.

I was burnt out from several years on the cruise ships. But I wasn’t making enough money from gigs (on land) to support me and my wife. In fact she was supporting me!

I had a day job at a bank and did occasional gigs at night. This (the band) seemed interesting and the money was good, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I didn’t get the gig with the National Symphony.

I was driving all over the state for gigs. Now I get paid more for doing less work. The choice was easy.

So what is my point? If you’re tired of teaching piano to kids who don’t care and never practice, Or you’re worn out from haggling over your paycheck from the sleazy bar owner after the gig, Or if you don’t feel like you’re getting your money’s worth from your degree by slinging hash at Denny’s… maybe you should stop by the recruiter’s office. And bring your axe.