That statistic about classical musicians switching careers surprised me
I was reading a study from the League of American Orchestras last night, and it said over 60% of trained classical musicians leave the profession within 10 years of graduating. That hit me hard because I spent my 20s practicing violin four hours a day, hoping to join a major symphony. I ended up working in an insurance office instead after I couldn't handle the audition pressure. Has anyone else here walked away from a music dream, and do you still play for fun?
But did they break down how much of that 60% quit because they actually couldn't handle the financial instability versus just getting burned out on the constant rejection?