Conflicting Criteria of Success in the Careers of Symphony Musicians

Smith, Thomas S.; Murphy, Raymond J.

doi:10.2190/n29x-lw41-jp59-w46q

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Orchestra musicians often view themselves as artists who are paid only for what others want to buy, subsequently leading a high percentage to regard their playing as more of a ‘job’ than the fulfilment of their ‘passion’ (Atik, 1992). They convey sentiments which reflect the ‘classic dilemma’ of creative individuals; that is, either seek public rewards that legitimize their work or pursue their own artistic growth (Smith & Murphy, 1984). In fact, an orchestral contract may be considered to be the ultimate trade off for debased artistic standards; a rank‐and‐file position can represent a subordination of virtuoso assertiveness and the repression of individual personality in the service of collective musical achievement.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Based on 70 single-session interviews carried out over one winter season, Westby concluded that the gap between orchestral musicians' social position as dependent craftspeople versus their idealized self-image as gifted and highly skilled artists, led to problems of reconciliation between social and aesthetic expectations and the realities of occupational life. More than 20 years later, Smith and Murphy (1984) surveyed six American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL) symphony orchestras, focusing on their perceived criteria of career success. The study highlighted several raisons d'être for musicians to be in an orchestra:…”

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In the wings of British orchestras: A multi‐episode interview study among symphony players

Brodsky

2006

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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An orchestral career has often been looked upon with awe by the public. A contract position with a well‐known orchestra is highly regarded, and often the target of competitive auditions. Yet, orchestral life‐style is easily misconceived by outsiders. Only a few researchers have been able to penetrate group barriers and gain the confidence of orchestra members, and none of these have reported emotions and cognitions pertinent to occupational development, career aspirations, vocational motivations and performance experiences. In this study, 54 British symphony orchestra musicians from 14 performance organizations were interviewed 8 times over a 10‐month period at four major concert halls across north‐west England. The interviews each followed mood‐induction procedures consisting of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation training, guided affective imagery and music exposure applied via the Somatron® Acoustic Massage™ Power Recliner. The descriptive narratives were examined using qualitative approaches including content analysis. On the one hand, the musicians viewed membership of a symphony orchestra as representing the final surrender of the ambition to join the ranks of celebrated world‐class soloists. On the other hand, they viewed their orchestral career as the essential means by which they could socialize with like‐minded people, and experience camaraderie, teamwork, solidarity and friendship. Contrary to what has been previously reported in the literature, the current study provides a view of symphony orchestra players' motivations and commitments to the music profession as based on a lifelong passion for music and music performance.

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In the wings of British orchestras: A multi‐episode interview study among symphony players

Brodsky

2006

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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“…Creativity scholars have studied commitment in relation to creative personality and identity (e.g., Barron, 1972;Dudek et al, 1991), networks of enterprise (Gruber & Bodecker, 2005), and creative performance within organizations (e.g., Amabile, Hill, Hennessey, & Tighe, 1994;Smith & Murphy, 1984). A few scholars have looked at how commitment in adolescence contributes to the pursuit of passions past high school (Csikszentmihalyi et al, 1993;Fredricks, Alfeld-Liro, Hruda, Eccles, Patrick, & Ryan, 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

What Role Does Commitment Play Among Writers With Different Levels of Creativity?

Moran

2009

Creativity Research Journal

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Commitment involves how a person invests resources in a work role over long periods of time. Creativity is a novel, appropriate variation that is embraced by a field of gatekeepers and transforms the symbolic domain. This qualitative analysis (Cohen's kappas of .62, .86, .68 across three coders) addresses the different roles that commitment plays in the careers of 36 writers, depending on what level of creative influence the literary field has attributed to the writer's work. The sample was segmented into genre conformers who played by established literary rules (M ¼ 0.15, SD ¼ 0.18), experimentalists whose innovations have not yet caught on widely (M ¼ 0.80, SD ¼ 0.17), and domain transformers who changed the canon (M ¼ 1.32, SD ¼ 0.27). For genre conformers, commitment compensates. They invest technique in the craft of writing to improve their social standing among other writers, editors, and critics within the field. For experimentalists, commitment defies. They translate their selves into words by twisting traditions and supports to yield new meanings, which gains them an emotional rush plus increased control over their self-expression. For domain transformers, commitment impassions. They trust some beloved aspect of literature, such as a character or poetic form, to convert new minds to the latent possibilities of the domain.

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