By Jeffrey S. Powers   

Many performers are motivated by a desire for fame.  Yet, fame is often illusory.  I have frequently been asked: “Have you heard of this or that orchestra, conductor or soloist?” and have had to reply, “No, but then they have probably never heard of me either”. 

The people who are all the “buzz” in the relatively small circle of classical music are often completely unknown by the general public.  Fame is best considered a possible by-product of doing one’s job “with all your heart, as working for the Lord”.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. (Colossians 3:23f, NIV).

In these verses the Apostle Paul calls us to do our work, whether playing in the orchestra or working in an office, so that it is an offering pleasing to God.  Performing or working for the right reasons will make a difference in long-term career satisfaction. 

If we perform or work for the approval, praise, fame or perhaps the wealth it might bring we will find that approval is long in coming, praise is not always honest or well meaning, fame is relative and fleeting, and wealth can be a liability as well as a privilege.

After playing in an orchestra for 16 years, I accepted an offer to move back to the US to take up a position at Baylor University.  A man came to appraise the value of our house in Belgium for the buyer’s loan.  It turned out that he had been a subscriber to one of our orchestra’s concert series for ten years.  This man did not recognize me nor know my name, but he let me know just how much he enjoyed the concerts and the sound of the horn.

Perform as an offering to the Lord

If we perform for the Lord as an offering to Him, and to give something to the public to enrich their lives, then perhaps we can avoid a lot of frustration and bitterness and the critical nature that follows close on their heels.  We can then work diligently at the task God has given us to do with the talent He has given us to do it. 

We cannot always expect to be ‘up’ for the job but we can develop a disciplined approach to the job that makes it possible for us to consistently give our best to God and our public or clients whoever and wherever they may be.

Boredom can and most likely will be part of any job at some time.  If we recognize that fact rather than seeing it as a problem, we can rely on our discipline to work through those slow periods and still give our best possible under the circumstances.  A professional orchestra player must not allow himself to use the less gifted soloist or uninspiring conductor, or less than interesting program as an excuse to give less than his best. 

He may not garnet the same degree of personal pleasure or satisfaction as he would from the performance with a more competent soloist or inspiring conductor, or a more rewarding program, but he can still go home after the ‘show’ with the satisfaction of having done his best for the Lord and the public.  In the same way, in other work places a less than inspiring boss, not particularly challenging project or inept co-workers must not be an excuse for the worker to give less than his best. 

Again, he may not have the same degree of pleasure in the process, but will have the satisfaction of knowing he did his best for God and the client.

Giving ‘one’s best’

Now, doing ‘one’s best’ can mean different things to different people.  The professional ensemble player cannot just show up for the required services, do what the conductor asks and call it a day.

A professional musician must be ‘in shape’, doing the necessary practice outside the work hours so that he has his instrument under control, has the necessary strength and endurance to play the part and has the part ‘in hand’ before the first rehearsal for a program or production.  Granted, the player must listen to the conductor and try to do what he asks (or at least try to do what he thinks the conductor is asking for), but he must do much more to do his best.  He must constantly listen, analyze and adjust to what he hears going on around him. 

If necessary, he must take the time at breaks or before or after the appointed hour to ‘work out’ a pitch, rhythmic or balance problem with a colleague or colleagues.  He should warm up before the rehearsal begins and not during the rehearsal.  (We must never underestimate the value of a good and effective daily warm up for the quality of our performance and for the long term).

Similarly, a worker in another profession must be prepared to do more than just “put in the time”.  He should do his best to try to keep up on the latest information and techniques related to his job or business.  In addition, he should try to carry out his superiors’ wishes, and more, without being pushed or watched over.  A professional doing his best will strive to be responsive to the other workers’ needs and problems and offer help if possible without being assigned the task, and perhaps be willing to put in a bit of extra time to get the job done right.

‘One’s best’ requires discipline

To give ‘one’s best’ the player or worker must also take care of himself so that he is physically fit, adequately rested and mentally prepared for the work at hand.  That is why the discipline of a playing career can be compared to that of an athlete but with a much longer duration.

To do ‘one’s best’ as a player requires a disciplined lifestyle as opposed to the so-called ‘bohemian’ lifestyle that is often associated with the musician.  My experience is that those who live the ‘bohemian’ lifestyle either self-destruct, change, or, if they survive, play way below their potential having squandered the talent they were given by God. 

One might ask where is the enjoyment in a disciplined lifestyle.  I can in all confidence say that the satisfaction is in a job well done and in being able to consistently do ‘one’s best’ as an offering pleasing to God.  In addition, there is the reward of being able to provide a living for yourself and your dependants.

‘One’s best” must include a relationship with the living God

For the Christian, an important part of doing ‘one’s best’ must include his relationship with God being kept alive and current through prayer, Bible study and Christian fellowship so that he can know God’s will for himself and have the strength and wisdom to live the disciplined lifestyle required to be a successful professional and to deal with life in the secular work place.

The text from Colossians, quoted above, applies not only to our playing but also to our relationships with others in the work place.  It is a real challenge to consistently do your best and to try to get along effectively with colleagues and those in authority over you (In an orchestra – the principals, conductors and managers). 

To be honest, one of the greatest challenges in my life has been to try to live as a Christian in the last orchestra where I worked for 16 years.  I often failed to ‘do what Jesus would do’ and found myself critical, mocking and bitter.  In hindsight I believe I failed to go down on my knees enough to let God lead me and strengthen me each day.

Letting go of Ego

We meed to be aware that more likely than not our colleagues will not be brothers and sisters in Christ, yet we must still treat them with the respect and love that God’s creatures deserve.  Loving some colleagues will be one of the greatest and most difficult challenges of any career.

 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these member do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5, NIV).

As with any organization, a musical ensemble depends on people working together, on the subordination of the individual’s ego to the group, to achieve the best results.  Then one’s ego can have the satisfaction of a job well done.

Just as in the body of Christ every part is necessary to the functioning of the whole, the ensemble or work group is no better than its weakest member.  It is easier for one poor performer to pull the group down than for a good one to pull the group up.

Hierarchy in a Symphony

In addition, for an organization to function there has to be a hierarchy.  For example, in a horn section, the principal player must set the style for the group (tone, pitch, rhythm, dynamic and phrasing). 

The second player must match what the principal has done and ‘pass’ that on to the third and he in turn to the fourth.  The principal must listen to and match the woodwinds and other brass and ultimately follow the lead of the conductor.  A large ensemble cannot be a democracy.  Someone has to lead, to set tempi, balance, style, etc.

The same is true in any work place.  There have to be leaders who make the final decisions and carry the responsibility for those decisions.  Others must be willing to work as a team making their contribution to the group effort within the parameters set by the leaders to produce a quality finished product.

Yet submitting to a hierarchy does not negate the need for the workers to be treated with the respect due to a colleague and fellow human being.  Very important to a successful working atmosphere is the attitude of the leader toward the others and the example he gives.  The leader sets the tone of the group.  Although he cannot control the others he can define the boundaries for acceptable behavior.

The Christian must dare to speak out or stand up for what he knows to be right and against what is wrong.  Yet he must try to do so in a loving way and be prepared to ‘take the heat’, to deal with the consequences that arise from doing so. 

For the orchestral musician these consequences could include ostracism by colleagues, management or the conductor, being hassled on stage by the conductor or colleagues (something at which some people are very adept), fines, being denied opportunities to solo or play chamber, being passed over for advancement or raises in pay or even being fired.

_____________________________
Jeffrey Powers, Principal Horn of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and former Professor of Horn, Baylor University School of Music, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with “Honors in Music” from Austin College in Sherman, Texas and a Master of Music in Horn from The Cleveland Institute of Music. He has taught and played professionally in several countries.  He is known for his clinics and master-classes and has released a solo CD entitled, “Let All That Hath Breath Praise the Lord – Music of Praise for Horn”. (First published in Crescendo magazine, October 2004. Crescendo is an international network of Christian classical professional musicians and music students @ www.crescendo.org.)