[muraiki]

Thanks for sharing your experience. As a bad amateur musician, I've wondered about what it's actually like to pursue a career in music. It's sad that the odds seem to be highly stacked against people who want play classical and/or jazz music professionally.

I live in Pittsburgh where we have a wonderful orchestra. The musicians went on strike this season because their compensation was going to be significantly reduced (after already having suffered cuts recently). I wish I knew what to do to convey a love of this music to others, such that there could be more financial support for orchestras. It seems like the supply of talented musicians far exceeds the demand.

Also, since you're a fan of jazz, I was blessed to hear what would become Phil Wood's last concert. He played here in Pittsburgh while on oxygen -- he called it his "amplifier". Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony joined him as he played selections from "Charlie Parker with Strings". Besides the fact that every solo he played was perfect, he ended the show by telling the story of his musical career (and also, to the surprise of all gathered, announced his retirement from music). He passed away only a few weeks later.

I hope that we can find a way to not only maintain but to expand the richness of these musical genres for future generations. But with the challenges that you've described, I fear that many musicians will not be able to take part of it.