become a professional musician

I want to become a professional composer and clarinetist. Four of the other goals on my list relate to this: The one about practicing my clarinet, the one about composing every day, the one about finishing my violin concerto, and the one about getting into the Master of Music studies. I am already an excellent composer (says the lecturers who gave me 96% for my final undergraduate composition folio); what I need to do is to get to know musicians to get my music played, and enter competitions so that I have something to put on my CV to impress publishers.
The only thing holding me back with my clarinet is my shocking practice habits.

I’ve tried out for cover bands in the last few years and it never panned out. I played at a wedding cocktail hour once but didn’t make any money off of it. A Potbelly’s opened up near my work at the end of november and I went in for an audition and have been playing there during lunch weds and fridays ever since!

I’ve taken (2) courses: 1) Semester in orchestra; 2) Semester in strings. Both with the violin. Grade: A in both.

I think before I start them again, I should have a foundation in reading music. Not so much theory, but sight reading would be good. I had to study so hard because I didn’t know which note was which finger and for months didn’t know you could write on the sheet music. :)

At some point I got so good I could play a tune without thinking, but this is rope memorization. This is not the same as reading music. Ah! I’m turning into Guitar Hero. No! lol.

The day I can claim income from music on my taxes, I’ll be there.

I love music. It is how I relate to the world around me. I can’t explain it that well but anytime I hear a song I can relate to I get this fire charging through me, filling me with this passion that nothing else in the world can compare to. I’m sure I sound stupid to some people but we all have something we love, that one thing that defines our place in the world, the justification of our exsistance. I play flute (and I’m begining to play fife), guitar, base guitar, and I am also a vocalist. I am hoping to learn some other instruments as well (see my 43 things for full details). I am not only a performer but a songwriter as well. My favorite band is Enter the Haggis but, I listen to just about everything.

Aye well, the thing is I’m in the wrong job. Went into IT more or less by default and now wishing I’d done something a bit riskier. However spending some time trying to play in a ceilidh band for weddings etc and write some of my own music, will really have to get into it a lot more though! Playing music of any sort, being paid for it and not having to do anything else is my dream, I don’t care how difficult it would be or how hard I’d have to work!

This is going to take a while. I’m majoring in music, but I don’t know what I want to do. Horn performance is my dream, but we’ll see if that can work out or not.

I already have lots of recorded music.I want to find an online record label that lets me keep good royalties and treats me right!

‘cause i read so many horror stories about record labels.