Myrsha LazarreMusical Personality
June 5th 2008 23:18
A musician's job is not a simple one. As the common expression states, "There's No Business Like Show Business." It is one of the few professions which requires truly rigorous physical and mental work on a daily basis. Musicians are not paid for the long grueling hours of solitude spent in the practice room, or the seemingly eternal repetition of one particular passage at a rehearsal. It is only the final, refined product presented to the public on concert day which produces revenue.
Only a certain kind of person can pursue this career. Surely it is not for the weak at heart. It takes nerves of steel to perform in front of a sea of spectators eagerly waiting to hear when you will hit a wrong note, or trip, or even worse, stop abruptly during the middle of a performance. Becoming a professional musician demands willpower, ambition, creativity, and passion. Some personality traits needed for success include: self-confidence, resilience to bounce back from criticism or failure, charisma, great stage presence, consistency in the ability to reproduce passages accurately, a competitive nature, sensitivity to emotion, tolerance for drill and repetition, innovation, and a vivid imagination.
In addition, a musician must have great physical endurance, solid memory, good hand-eye coordination, be able to learn quickly, and have the ability to adapt to sudden changes. A natural talent for music is always a bonus, because after all, music is a form of intelligence. The main goal is to hone and refine that talent. Great listening skills are also a necessity. Imagine an orchestra filled with players who were tone deaf...any attempt at a performance would prove to be an utter disaster!!
Most importantly, regardless of whether a musician is the concert master, or the worst musician in modern history: practice, practice, and more practice makes perfect. The only path towards progress is diligent hard work. As another common saying goes: "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."
In essence, the musician is truly a remarkable individual. All of these components constitute the musical personality. Of course, the list could go on for infinity, but that would be impractical.
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