Nice piece. When I was just a kid reading Downbeat in the '70s and '80s, I don't recall ever reading about such-and-such jazz player's day gig. A few of them copped to playing on the street, but very few if any mentioned the non-music jobs they worked to pay the rent. There would always be references to how poorly playing jazz paid, of course, but seldom (if ever) was it made clear that when they said they didn't make any money playing jazz, they literally *did not make any money playing jazz.* Even after I moved to New York, I found musicians reticent to talk about how they paid the bills. Everyone's front was, "Yeh, I'm making it, got a European tour next month, blah, blah, blah." I've always thought such self-delusion is harmful to all concerned.
Thank you for a truthful and vulnerable piece! You have gifted us with rich and insightful writing helps us as readers to locate ourselves. Personal stories are so important in breaking through the distorted cultural narrative about poverty and wealth. And, as you so clearly convey, they take courage to tell. You inspire me to tell mine with even more honesty.
Colleges and universities, despite huge endowments, pay professors peanuts milking the prestige factor of their schools for all its works.
My favorite sentence in this well-written piece is "Whatever one's economic background or status, working in the arts involves the perseverance to sit alone in a room overcoming fear and inertia to create something."
My mother told me she could give me a Harvard education in three words, "Perseverance, Perseverance, Perseverance.", without any student debt.
Thank you again for your writing Michelle and looking forward to reading more soon.
Finally, sorry for your loss of the storyteller. My dad was quite the storyteller too although some of the best stories never see print.
The idea that someone with an adjunct faculty job would be regarded as "wealthy" is hilarious. I have been both a tenured faculty member and an adjunct professor. The latter are typically paid $3000-5000 a course, with no guarantee hat they will continue to be re-hired.,no benefits, and a limit on the number of courses they are allowed to teach per year. Except in situations where adjuncts have organized in their own unions, typically their tenured or tenure-track colleagues have very little interest in these inequities.
This brings us to someone with a published book. Outside of a few successful and highly promoted authors, authors often get pitiful advances, and in many cases their books do not result in significant royalty payments. Of course authors could always turn to a really lucrative artistic profession, like being a professional dancer!
Nice piece. When I was just a kid reading Downbeat in the '70s and '80s, I don't recall ever reading about such-and-such jazz player's day gig. A few of them copped to playing on the street, but very few if any mentioned the non-music jobs they worked to pay the rent. There would always be references to how poorly playing jazz paid, of course, but seldom (if ever) was it made clear that when they said they didn't make any money playing jazz, they literally *did not make any money playing jazz.* Even after I moved to New York, I found musicians reticent to talk about how they paid the bills. Everyone's front was, "Yeh, I'm making it, got a European tour next month, blah, blah, blah." I've always thought such self-delusion is harmful to all concerned.
Thank you, Michelle. Please accept my sincere condolences. He’d be proud of your work here.
Very important topic Michelle. Looking forward to next installments.
Thank you for a truthful and vulnerable piece! You have gifted us with rich and insightful writing helps us as readers to locate ourselves. Personal stories are so important in breaking through the distorted cultural narrative about poverty and wealth. And, as you so clearly convey, they take courage to tell. You inspire me to tell mine with even more honesty.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on these issues of great mutual interest Michelle.
Colleges and universities, despite huge endowments, pay professors peanuts milking the prestige factor of their schools for all its works.
My favorite sentence in this well-written piece is "Whatever one's economic background or status, working in the arts involves the perseverance to sit alone in a room overcoming fear and inertia to create something."
My mother told me she could give me a Harvard education in three words, "Perseverance, Perseverance, Perseverance.", without any student debt.
Thank you again for your writing Michelle and looking forward to reading more soon.
Finally, sorry for your loss of the storyteller. My dad was quite the storyteller too although some of the best stories never see print.
The idea that someone with an adjunct faculty job would be regarded as "wealthy" is hilarious. I have been both a tenured faculty member and an adjunct professor. The latter are typically paid $3000-5000 a course, with no guarantee hat they will continue to be re-hired.,no benefits, and a limit on the number of courses they are allowed to teach per year. Except in situations where adjuncts have organized in their own unions, typically their tenured or tenure-track colleagues have very little interest in these inequities.
This brings us to someone with a published book. Outside of a few successful and highly promoted authors, authors often get pitiful advances, and in many cases their books do not result in significant royalty payments. Of course authors could always turn to a really lucrative artistic profession, like being a professional dancer!
Thanks for writing about this and I'm looking forward to the follow-ups!