I am going to be 32 in august. I am soon to be laid off from my job of 13 years (a dead end factory job) and i have an opportunity to go to school for 2 years through a program through my job. Music has always been my biggest passion,since i was probably 8 or 9 years old. But after high school i got kinda forced into this factory job by my dad. I stayed there because he said it was good for me, and it was right in town and had good pay and benefits,and i didnt need a college degree to work there. But now,i am going to be at a crossroads,i can either apply at other dead end factory jobs or i can go where my heart is leading me,into music. But the problem is,i'm 32,about to buy a home with the man i'm going to marry,my family is here,i am not a fan of traveling,especially at this point in my life where i hate to leave my friends and family...so it doesnt seem like my lifestyle is cut out for the music business. And on top of it all,i live in a small hick town where we only have one small bar that has bands play. I feel so out of reach and too old to be able to do what i want. Are there any jobs where you dont have to travel,where you dont have to live in a huge city,where you dont have to be young and fresh out of college?? I dont even know what i want to do,as long as its in music. I can sing pretty good but i dont want to be famous,i just want to work behind the scenes,maybe do some backup singing somewhere along the line,but i'm sure thats out of the question because of my age and unwillingness to travel. Anyone have any advice for me?
Always do what makes you happy, even if it doesn't always seem to measure up to waht you think would be a "better" choice. Being happy is what it's all about, right? Who cares about $ as long as you can survive and do what you want to.
Good luck :)
M
"Contrary to popular belief, Clapton is NOT God. The prospect that he is God probably had a large hand in driving him to drugs and booze. Thanks everyone."
-Guitar World :lol:
A few things: Making a living with music is hard. 'Making it' is extremely hard. Becoming a rockstar when you start at the age of 32 is next to impossible. So there are a few things you might wish to ask youself, the most important one being:"Is your soon-to-be husband financially able to get you two a house and food?"
If so, then you can always try and see where it all ends. Unfortunately, if your husband doesn't have a full-time, and properly paying, job, you might want to forget about it. Most people like yourself have a normal job, and play music in their spare time. I would love to say "go where your heart tells you to go." and happy stuff like that, but with the economic crap going on in pretty much every western country you might want to reconsider going all out for music.
Anyway, just my opinion. Whatever you do, goodluck, and have fun.
A few things: Making a living with music is hard. 'Making it' is extremely hard. Becoming a rockstar when you start at the age of 32 is next to impossible. So there are a few things you might wish to ask youself, the most important one being:"Is your soon-to-be husband financially able to get you two a house and food?"
If so, then you can always try and see where it all ends. Unfortunately, if your husband doesn't have a full-time, and properly paying, job, you might want to forget about it. Most people like yourself have a normal job, and play music in their spare time. I would love to say "go where your heart tells you to go." and happy stuff like that, but with the economic crap going on in pretty much every western country you might want to reconsider going all out for music.
Anyway, just my opinion. Whatever you do, goodluck, and have fun.
This is also all quite true. If you want to try to get involved in music, there are several ways of doing so besides performance. On one hand, 32 is a later time to start a career in relation to people who have been trying all their lives, but then again it seems that in this day and age you're only as old as you feel. The choice and circumstances are different in every case.
Test the waters, see what happens. If it seems viable, pursue it.
"Contrary to popular belief, Clapton is NOT God. The prospect that he is God probably had a large hand in driving him to drugs and booze. Thanks everyone."
-Guitar World :lol:
If your intention is to make a bit of a living, there's all sorts of things you can do. Even at the (ahem) old age of thirty-two. Performing is one of the hardest simply because it involves a lot of time and effort, but I know a lot of people who have become "local" - meaning that they are able to make a comfortable living in their little part of the world. And this is what makes them happy.
Don't be afraid to follow your dreams but do try to have as much support from your family and friends as you can. It's important that they understand what it means to you and can help you as they can.
Check out some of the many books written about the music industry and also check out what's going on in your town. You could be doing anything from interviewing musicians and/or reviewing concerts for your local paper to helping bring musicians to town for concerts.
Check into other things that you might be able to do via the internet as well, such as publicity and promotions.
Hope this helps and hope you find a way to make your dream come true.
Peace
Thanks for the advice everyone! I dont want to be a performer (except maybe the occasional back up singing if i ever get involved with any bands),but mainly i want to work behind the scenes like mixing or helping set up stages,or writing reviews of concerts,or my dream job which would be picking songs for movies. That is probably impossible since i'd need training in music AND film. Heck i'll be 40 by the time i'll even get out of school! haha! And my future husband does have a job but its just a temporary one until the economy picks up and he can get something decent. He can support himself but certainly not me,if i were to just go to school for the next 10 years. I guess i'll just have to try and see what happens.
I'm of the opinion that you're never too old to start anything. Don't let age stop you, if you find what you want to do and can make it work, then go for it! Good luck.
"And if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." -- George Harrison
I just typed (but lost) a response so just look at my signature to make a decision. Live is short--live it! :o
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Keep your chin up, Shelly. If you think you are old for getting started I will be 47 in two weeks and just picked up the guitar but I'm starting to think about how to make money in music to suppliment a retirement income, which is a goal for me in about 6-8 yesrs. I know that's not the same as making a living 100% from music, but I've been taught that you are only as old as you think you are and should not use age as a reason not to pursue your dreams. many people have launched very successful careers, businesses, and such while in thier golden years. And you are far from being that old!
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
Oh, at that age, you might as well hang it all up. Stop walking, stop contacting your friends for fear you forget their names. Get your will together and prepare for the eventual.
NOT! I'm all of 36 (good or bad depending on your relative age). Life is to be lived so da*n everyone who says you can't do what you want. Can you start gardening at that age? Sure. Can you start computer networking? Sure. Can you start modeling for cameras? Hmmm, well, the media likes the young crowd from 16-25 and that's about it.
Nevertheless, you can do most anything when you put your time and practice to it. :shock:
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
You're not too old. I am 42 and five years ago I stopped working daytime to play music full time. And I'm still doing it.
My only advice is to just start spending more time with music. Play your guitar more often. And maybe a get a set list together. Once you have enough tunes to get yourself through a night then maybe run an ad in the paper or start going to the closest jam sessions looking for other people to play with.
Look at U2. They got to be in their fifties, and they are still rocking hard long after other bands that started around their time quit.
The king of rock, some say lives
the lizard king, is surely dead
the king of France, lost his head
the King of Kings... bled
( email me at esherman@wideopenwest.(com). I almost never check my hotmailaccount.
Maybe something to consider is what I hope to do when the place I am working for finally folds (GOD LET IT BE SOON) which is teaching.
Try and find out if there are courses aimed towards Music and Arts subjects.
Could be the thing your looking for...
Find all you need in your mind, If you take the time
NO WAY, NEVER.
I think it was Nick that summed this up rather well some time ago.
I really can't remember exactly what he said but the implication was that "maturity" was advantageous rather than the other way round.
Something like:
Old age, knowledge and deceit will overcome youthfull skill and energy everytime.
I think that's a paraphrase. It's hell getting older. Memory is the second thing to go, can't remember the first.
This one is one of mine though I'm sure the sentiment has been expressed more eloquently elsewhere:
Only when the undertaker helps you into your suit are you too old to learn.
I just read an article the other day that said one of the reasons a brain stops functioning properly in old age is that you stop learning new things. Apparently the creation of the new pathways exercises the brain and without that exercise it atrophies. So learning a musical instrument, a foreign language, or even figuring out jigsaw puzzles is incredibly helpful.
