View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Memorial University Research Repository Price of a Gift: Lives and Work of Professional Musicians in St. John’s, Newfoundland by © David Bruce Chafe A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology Memorial University of Newfoundland February 2017 St. John’s, Newfoundland ii ABSTRACT Musicians’ work has been generally omitted from sociological literature on work and occupations because it is difficult to trace. Musicians are usually self-employed on short-term contracts that are often verbal and paid in cash that is usually quickly expended on ongoing costs. Furthermore, their work in music is commonly obscured by portfolio employment within and outside of music to supplement income and cover costs. Portfolio employment is characterized by concurrent multiplicity of sources of employment and income from outside of one’s primary skills. In order to illuminate the true experiences of local professional musicians and to lend some definition to music-making as an occupation, this study traces and examines the complete career trajectories of 54 wage-earning rock, traditional and classical musicians based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In so doing, it is possible to reveal a network of support essential to their commitment to the music profession. The network usually develops from early childhood and includes family, friends, educational institutions, funding institutions, fellow musicians, other industry professionals, and audiences. The weakening or disappearance of any support can compromise the career and cast doubt onto its viability. Music work stands in contrast to other occupations in at least three key ways. First, participation in music is not restricted by license, age, or experience. Professional and amateur musicians often co-exist in the same events or settings, performing music as a community activity, clouding distinctions between amateurs and wage-dependent professionals. Second, musicians in St. John’s tend to be highly educated yet with a tradition of adapting to and accepting portfolio employment as the norm and, for some, as a measure of employment security. Musicians’ familiarity with balancing personal life and portfolio employment can iii inform the literature on work and occupations as a longstanding example of adaptability to employment and income instability. Portfolio employment may result in a sense of either employment precarity or employment satisfaction, depending on individual circumstances and career goals. Third, competition among musicians is carefully managed so that their work can continue unimpeded and they can present publicly as a unified collective group with a common cause. Furthermore, there are numerous bureaucratic and educational organizations and ensembles that purport to serve musicians’ interests but that might also obscure some harsh realities of attempts to establish music careers. Underlying these characteristics of the music occupation is the interrelationship between cultural, social, symbolic and economic capitals. Economic capital is not by itself the determinant of career commitment in music. All of these forms of capital intermesh, are influenced by one another, and contribute to artistic commitment at different career stages. Given the dearth of representation of the work of income-dependent musicians in work and occupations literature, my research —which confirms the co-existence of these forms of capital, the significance of understanding music professions in the context of relational sociology, the importance of family, and the ways in which musicians adapt to portfolio and precarious employment — may serve as a basis for additional future research that might include other genres and other locales so as to provide increasingly meaningful realities of musicians’ work. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Department of Sociology for taking a chance on a middle-aged musician. I am especially grateful for the support of Dr. Stephen Riggins, Dr. Karen Stanbridge, Dr. Liam Swiss, Dr. Lisa Kaida, Dr. Linda Cullum, and Dr. Barbara Neis. My dissertation committee members, Dr. Mark Stoddart and Dr. Ailsa Craig, have been welcoming, helpful and supportive throughout this process. My deepest appreciation is for my supervisor, and former piano student, Dr. Judith Adler. She has been in continuing contact with me through every step of this journey with outstanding advice, constructive critique, limitless patience, and incredible insight and knowledge. Thank you, Judy. I am profoundly grateful to the 54 musicians who opened their hearts and minds to this project, providing astonishingly frank, poignant and detailed experiences that collectively serve to achieve the goals of this research. This dissertation is ultimately their story. They deserve to take considerable ownership in helping to illuminate the work of musicians and to set a precedent for future research in this area. I wish to extend my thanks to the many young musicians with whom I have had the honour of working over the course of my career in music. I derive tremendous energy and motivation from observing and participating in their determination to succeed and thrive in one of the most challenging yet rewarding occupations. There are several people to whom I wish to dedicate this research and final manuscript. The great music professor, Kjellrun Hestekin, who befriended and mentored me through my undergraduate music degree and my career in music, passed away before I completed the first v draft of my thesis. Kjellrun was deeply interested in my progress both professionally and personally, regularly checking in, always curious about my findings, and just to see how I was doing. She was a dear friend who offered words of wisdom from her world as a music educator and musician. My parents, Bruce and Elizabeth Chafe, have been in the audience of practically every musical event in which I have ever participated. I failed out of Memorial University as an aimless 19-year-old student. My parents stood beside me through my toughest academic times and were my moral and emotional guides as I slowly and surely climbed back to gain a foothold on my eventual career path in music. My wife, Joan, has made my entire music career and this research possible by giving me her unquestioning love and support and enabling me the freedom to delve into the kinds of work that interest me the most. One key finding of this research is the importance of a social network that includes family and friends. Joan, my parents and my closest friends, especially Tom Dunne, have been cheering me on from the start and I certainly would not be writing these words without them. Thank you all. vi Table of Contents Price of a Gift: Lives and Work of Professional Musicians in St. John’s, Newfoundland ABSTRACT. ................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..…………………………………………………………… iv Table of Contents ..…………………………………………………………………….. vi List of Tables..…………………………………………………………………………. x Chapter One: The Work of Musicians .………………………………………………... 1 1.a Overview of Musicians’ Work…….…………………………………………... 2 1.b The Research Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland… .……………………….. 6 1.c Context: The Insider-Researcher……………………………………………… 10 1.d A Life of Exchange: The Careers of Local Musicians..……………………… 13 1.e Relevance and Potential Contribution of this Research ……………………… 15 1.f Thesis Overview……………….……………………………………………… 17 Chapter Two: Review of the Literature………………………………………………. 20 2.a Parents, Teachers and Peers………………………………………………….. 22 2.b Advanced Education and Career Preparation – University and the Real World.. 27 2.c Going to Work…………………………………………………..……………. 37 2.c.i Portfolio Careers and Precarious Employment……………………………. 38 2.c.ii Portfolio Careers and Self-employment ………………………………… 40 2.c.iii Precarious, Atypical and Non-standard Employment…...…………… … 42 2.c.iv Portfolio Work and Musician Identity………………………………….. 47 2.d Public Policy, The Status of the Artist Act, and The Creative Industries…….. 49 2.e “Are they any good?” – Success and Worth………………………………….. 54 2.f Musician Health……………………………………………………………….. 57 2.g Emotion Labour…………………………………………………………………. 59 2.h Career Crossroad……………………………………………………………… 61 2.i Professionals, Amateurs and the Music Industry……………………………… 62 2.j Networks and Exchange…..……………………………………………………. 66 2.k Theoretical Framework of the Research………………………………………. 68 2.l Relevance of the Literature to this Research……………………………………. 72 Chapter Three: Methodology…………………………………………………………. 75 3.a Study Rationale and Design………………………………………………….. 81 3.b Inclusion Criteria and Recruitment…………………………………………... 83 3.c Data Collection……………………………………………………………….. 92 3.c.i Qualitative Analysis……………………………………………………… 95 vii 3.c.ii Quantitative Analysis………………………………………………………97 3.d Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 98 Chapter Four: Becoming a Musician…………………………………………………. 100 4.a Earliest Recollection of Music……………………………………………….. 103 4.a.i Childhood (up to and including 12 years of age)……………………….. 104 4.a.ii Adolescence (High school years – Ages 13 to 18)……………………… 112 4.b Confirmation of skills in Childhood…………………………………………... 115 4.c Confirmation of Skills in Adolescence……………………………………….. 120 4.d Self-taught Musicians………………………………………………………… 122 4.e Considering the