Is it possible for a musician to make a living in Cleveland?
I'd like to broaden the question and say that it's more possible now than in previous decades to make a living in music anywhere in the country. A musician, however, has to be more than a good player or teacher. They must have an entrepreneurial spirit and serve as an advocate for their art.
Music is one of the easiest art forms to give away for free. B-W teaches all college students how to be contributing citizens in today's world, and in the conservatory, we not only teach students to be intelligent and sensitive performers, but we also guide music students on how to create their own unique career in music.
Mr. Landgren (fondly named PL by his students) is my former horn teacher of three years in college (Johns Hopkins in Baltimore). As a music major at a great conservatory, I spent a lot of time each week preparing for my lesson with PL. It was really exciting to see this piece in the newspaper about Big P's new adventures at BW (I was known as Little P in college). Take a moment to go read the whole article which is very interesting insight on the music "mecca" in Cleveland.
