Andres Gunther
[log in to unmask]

Dear Kevin and List!

I am following this thread with greatest interest because I am in a very
similar situation, and it's all but easy to give a "Patented solution".
Some hard, cold facts first:

1) You never will do a living from church music alone. I even never
attempted that and always kept my church jobs as part-time jobs.

2) If you decided to get into the organ world, no matter if as Church
musician, recitalist, organ builder or maintenance tech, *forget* about
becoming rich. Bach, Cesar Franck, Gottfried Silbermann, Aristide
Cavaille-Coll and Ernest Skinner -to name a few and most important organ
artists- weren't rich! You won't even come near to that.
If you are clever and *really competent* you can make a decent living: Own
standard home, 2-3 years old car, raise a family at middle-class standards.
What's wrong with that?- nothing, I say. Because I get spiritual and
artistic satisfaction that, at least in my case, surplus all my other, more
profane dreams. But *everybody* of us has to sit down and make a choice
between organ career = less money, less social acknowledgements- vs. other
career = more money, perhaps more social acknowledgements.

Now I become very hard: Only the most valuable organ people choice to remain
active in the organ world and are willing to make the due sacrifices. What's
more: They cannot change! When they attempt, they feel so unhappy that
sooner or later they must go back to the organ world!
Normal people call that "stubborness" and "inflexibility". I don't.
One important thing more: In the organ world the words of Jesus Christ
become true: You must search for the Heavingly Kingdom first, and then all
other things come in from alone. Probatus est! But truly it needs a lot of
teeth gritting patience...

3) In the best of the worlds, an organ job must get a decent *both* money
and moral payment. But we don't live in the best of the worlds, so you again
have to make a choice what to do. I have rejected well paid jobs where
people didn't other than nagging. And I have rejected jobs where people
celebrated me as a 'big valuable man' but had not the money to pay what I
needed to perform the job decently. And I have done (mostly repair /
restoration) jobs at cost level when the organ and the people were worth of
it, but I made that at my own responsibilty, not my family's, and made it
for once- no more.

I wasn't only church musician and organ tech in my life. I have made many
alternative jobs: teacher, carpenter, contractor, piano repair apprentice,
artisan, even cleaning man. But these I considered always only as secondary
occupations when things went bad, and I left them as soon as a job which
suited to my vocation: The Pipe Organ, came around. And I never got more
money than the necessary to make a *basic* living. Sometimes this becomes
very bitter, for example when I plan to travel to join a colleague- and
can't because I haven't enough money. In my particular case there is an
advantage, if we can call it so: I don't have kids and no chance to have
any; and a second, BIG advantage: I have an understanding wife.

Kevin, you are not alone with your difficulties: right now my country is
down-broken and under the rule of a neo-communist government. You figure
out. Again I have to look out for alternative jobs [<grrrroan>, we have 30%+
unemployment here and things won't improve for years this time]; but I
assure you that, as soon as an organ related job opportunity here in
Venezuela (or abroad) shows up I'll go to it without thinking twice- proven
it suits to my values, skills and requirements. Because the organ is my
vocation. Despite my own inner conflicts and self doubts I am very clear in
*that*.

Speaking of self-doubts, I refer to Paul Marchesano's *excellent* response
regarding this. Read it again, because here maybe lies the root of most of
your problem. Self doubts are results from an internal conflict, and you
must work very hard to get rid of both. *Getting rid of inner conflicts and
self doubts is first priority* because they block any attempt to improve
your situation. This is a very hard task and you may need even help: From
friends, family, perhaps a spiritual advisor.

Kevin is electric (or electronic?) engineer. This sounds terrific. A
suggestion: Modern pipe organs depend more and more from electronics. A firm
who manufactures digital and electronic organ components perhaps some day
might need an E- engineer *who knows music and understands the function of
an organ* (which I guess in my lay status isn't easy to find). Such a
position might not pay as well as the USAF perhaps, but keeps you closer to
the organ world which I understand is *your* world, your vocation... just a
tought. The choice is yours. Hey, you even might invent and develop a new
useful organ device and become a Millionaire :)- This is meant as a serious
encouragement. Or you might join the NASA and help to install the first pipe
organ on Mars [now, I am kidding! Time to close this extremely long AGEP!]

I hope you come out of the ditch soon.
Andres
=======================================
All began when Ktesibios of Alexandria said:
"Come, let us build an Organ!"

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