Dobson, 2010.pdf - University of Sheffield

248 Psychology of Music 39(2)
Lack of job security; the ensuing importance of ‘professional sociability’
A lack of security and stability was frequently cited by participants in both groups as a negative
aspect of freelance life, particularly because of the speed at which work can be both offered and
withdrawn:
I think the sort of air of insecurity around it is also something that’s hard to shake off. Because you
don’t really ever know where you stand. I mean you kind of do, you know, when people are booking
you, but actually there is no such thing as a contract with most of the groups I play with. So, and a lot
of the directors are very fickle and, you know, they might just change their mind and decide they
prefer somebody else, and just like that, you know, you’re dumped. And you’ve kind of got no comeback.
So there’s a lot of intrigue and politics attached to that, and a lot of people who are very insecure
and hanging onto their jobs as much as they can. (S9)
This account suggests a need for freelance performers to maximize work potential in as
many ways as possible, not just by maintaining an adequate standard of playing. This was
echoed by many of the other musicians; a strong emergent theme is what I have termed
‘professional sociability’: the need to be sociable and liked by one’s colleagues and peers in
order to increase chances of offers of work, or simply to retain existing work. The participants
stressed the importance of ‘getting on well with people’ (J5), describing how ‘you need
to be in a good mood all the time’ (J3) when working. S9 noted her difficulty maintaining
adequate levels of professional sociability when on tour, where in essence one is ‘working’ –
socially if not musically – constantly:
I really treasure having time to myself. So sometimes when I’m on tour, that makes me a bit disagreeable.
Because you’re around people full-time and you have to be positive and cheerful and fun, all the
time. And, you know, there’s a limit to how much of that you can do. (S9)
One conservatoire student violinist, talking in the context of competition among violinists,
was more explicit about his aims, stating:
You’re perfectly nice to people most of the time, because you have to be because you want work and
you want people to ask you to do stuff, but … there can be slight competition issues, and it’s always at
the back of your mind. (S6)
This suggests an underlying tension, perhaps particularly in the conservatoire environment,
between regarding peers as competitors for future work, yet simultaneously acknowledging
that the same people hold the potential to lead to new work opportunities.
S6 was not alone in explicitly acknowledging the importance of being sociable and likeable
to maintain and advance prospects of work, as the following two sample responses to the question
‘Do you think there are any aspects of your character which are particularly well-suited to
your life as a musician?’ demonstrate:
I’d say probably there are areas of my character that have taken me further in playing than probably
[my] actual playing. I tend to get on with people very well, and I tend to be on very friendly terms with
most people that I work with regularly, which I think sometimes tends to get me a call, now and again,
maybe beyond my playing. I think it really is the fact that I can … become meaningfully involved with
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