October 2006 - SPECIAL REPORT

"Stress & job satisfaction"
This report from the Symphony Orchestra Institute examines the levels of stress and job satisfaction for the orchestral musicians chosen profession.

View

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MyAuditions,

Interesting read. A bit outdated but still relevant.

Anyone going to comment on how they relieve stress that does not involve certain over-the-counter petroleum products.

Most of the time, just taking a deep breath and reminding myself of how many worse jobs there are than mine does the trick. I'm awfully lucky to get to play music for a living, and as much as orchestra jobs can be annoying, politically exhausting, and generally stressful, they can also be immensely satisfying on a level that people who work in a cubicle in front of a computer screen usually can't even conceive of. So a simple reality check usually helps me get over myself.

And if that doesn't work, well, that's why God invented alcohol.

what about stress level for symphony orchestra management?

I would say, if the management is stressed, good. They should be. That is a lot of responsibility to "rule" over 80+ players lives. Plus, if you are bad at your job, you have 80+ players hating your guts.