What Is the Difference?
By Laurien Jones, ROPA Executive Board

In March 2008, I represented ROPA at the New England Conference of Musicians in Newport, RI. The Regional Orchestra Players’ Association was founded to give a voice to classical musicians who perform in regional orchestras across America.

For me the importance of ROPA has been how the organization provides an opportunity for communication between the Delegates and the orchestra members whom they represent. ROPA is one of the branches of the AFM that ensures that musicians are given current information and education about the music labor industry. Some of the tools available to ROPA members are: The Leading Tone (the ROPA periodical), the annual Wage Chart which is a compilation of comparative statistical data about the ROPA orchestras, the website www.ropaweb.org and our annual conference. This summer our ROPA Conference was held in Houston, Texas from
July 29th – August 1st, 2008.

When I spoke at the NE Conference, I also mentioned a newly released
San Francisco Bay Area documentary entitled the Freeway Philharmonic, by filmmaker Tal Skloot. The film follows the lives of several Northern California freelance musicians as they travel hundreds of miles per week to rehearse, teach and perform. As I was thinking about the documentary, I realized that the Bay Area freelancers with whom I work are not limited to performing only in Northern California. In fact, some of my freelancing colleagues travel from Redding to Santa Barbara for work, and they also perform in all of the orchestral destinations in between. These artists drive miles and miles to work, in rain or tulle fog, mostly late at night, while they dodge their share of drunk drivers.

So what is the difference between a group of laborers like the United Farm Workers (UFW) and that of freelance musicians? In the 1960s and 1970s we recall the undaunted determination of Cesar Chavez and the UFW. We read about their labor struggles described in newspaper and magazine articles. We learned about their dreadful working conditions on radio and television programs. The public aligned themselves with the workers’ causes. As consumers we participated in the grape and lettuce boycotts. The
difference between the UFW and freelance musicians is that the agricultural workers had procured the media to help their struggles be recognized. The coverage exposed the world to the Farm Workers’ substandard working and living conditions. Until the media brought the Farm Workers’ to the attention of the public, this workforce remained invisible and marginalized. When the agricultural laborers organized, the media helped their cause, because the public recognized the Farm Workers as an exploited workforce.

I began to wonder if there might be a connection between public perception and the struggles of being a freelance musician. Could it be that musicians are viewed as a group of not so serious minded people who are having a really good time promoting a hobby, because they ‘play’ musical instruments? In the Freeway Philharmonic the musicians in the documentary represent a group of highly skilled professional musicians. To prove this point, in 2007 a horn player from the documentary was employed by the San Francisco Symphony for its European tour.

Maybe musicians should begin redefining for themselves and for the public just what it is that they do for a living. We could begin referring to ourselves as workers first, and as artists, second. Also, we should label ourselves as ‘performers’ and put the notion that “we play� to rest. I think the public gets the wrong message when we talk about ourselves as “players� instead of defining ourselves as workers.

As we educate the public about our profession, we need to remember that we represent a highly specialized and educated segment of the American workforce. Many of us have spent most of our lives being educated in music. We attend a conservatory and/or private lessons with an expensive teacher, and we also experience endless coaching. In fact, the amount of necessary musical training and critique that a musician requires lasts a life-time. A musician’s education can rival the length of time it takes to become a psychiatrist.

Perhaps what America needs now is a substantial infusion of federal money appropriated for the Arts. In 1933 during the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt summoned Congress to begin a financial recovery program for America. The New Deal was set up to employ people in public

Work projects. Specifically the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was established both as the Federal Writers Project and the Federal Theatre Project. As a result, writers, artists, actors and musicians were employed. FDR believed that artists, just like other workers, needed to have a sustainable income. Two examples of how the public works project money was spent for music were: (1) it employed music teachers who provided public school children with music lessons; and (2) besides classical music performance opportunities, the appropriated funds were used to inspire a rich legacy of American folk music both for recordings and for live performances. The purpose of these projects was to help promote a rich American culture. Is our musical heritage less important now than it was during the Depression?

The documentary, the Freeway Philharmonic, has begun to give the public awareness about a marginalized group of workers known as freelance musicians. Although highly skilled and educated, many freelancers’ earnable income places them below the poverty line. It is my hope that with the increased media exposure our society will begin to recognize and value these workers. All Americans, including freelance musicians, should be provided with the basics of health and welfare. In the near future, if more federal money is given to the Arts, more musicians will be able to afford to sustain our American music legacy.

Respectfully submitted,
Laurien Jones,
ROPA Executive Board

We thank Laurien for her insightful article. She may be reached at laurien_jones@comcast.net We have a copy of the DVD Freeway Philharmonic available for your viewing to sign out. Please call Kendra at the BMA office (617) 489-6400.