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Musicians

Play one or more musical instruments in recital, in accompaniment, or as members of an orchestra, band, or other musical group.

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Artistic

Second Interest High-Point

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Conventional

Third Interest High-Point

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Musicians, Instrumental

Musicians, Singers, and Related Workers

Musicians and Singers

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers

Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.

Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.

Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.

Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.

Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.

Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.

Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.

Make or participate in recordings in music studios.

Compose original music, such as popular songs, symphonies, or sonatas.

Practice musical instrument performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music or to maintain and improve skills.

Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.

Listen to recordings to master pieces or to maintain and improve skills.

Arrange and edit music to fit style and purpose.

Accordions

Acoustic guitars

Alto horns

Alto saxophones

Amplifiers

Autoharps

Bagpipes

Banjoes

Baritone horns

Bassoons

Bb clarinets

Bongo drums

Bugles

Capos

Cellos

Clavichords

Clip-on microphones

Cymbal stands

Digital tuners

Double basses

Drum mallets

Dulcimers

Electronic metronomes

English horns

Euphoniums

Finger picks

French horns

Guitar stands

Handbells

Harps

Harpsichords

Instrument mutes

Instrument tuning forks

Kettle drums

Laptop computers

Mandolins

Maracas

Marching bells

Marimbas

Mellophones

Musical cornets

Musical flutes

Musical organs

Oboes

Orchestral cymbals

Personal computers

Pianos

Piccolos

Sheet music stands

Sousaphones

String cutters

String winders

Stringed instrument bows

Synthesizers

Tablet computers

Timpani

Trombones

Trumpets

Tubas

Vibraphones

Violas

Violins

Wooden drum sticks

Xylophones

Apple GarageBand

Appointment scheduling software

Avid Technology Pro Tools

Avid Technology Sibelius

Blogging software

Email software

Facebook

Financial tracking software

Instagram

iZotope Ozone

MakeMusic Finale

Microsoft Word

Snapchat

Twitter

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YouTube

I don't have a college degree, I left school, which was one of the most painful decisions I ever made.

Jazz Trumpeter/Founder

<p>: In a restaurant at the Grand Canyon, the Roadtrip Nation team unexpectedly books an interview with a documentary filmmaker named Bennie Klain in Texas. Then they head to New Orleans to interview jazz musician Irvin Mayfield. After this interview, the team heads across the bridge to the Ninth Ward, where they talk with Jim Pate, the executive director for Habitat for Humanity in the city, and then help to build houses.</p>

Austin - New Orleans

Believe me, when I first told people I wanted to play a trumpet, it's not like a lot of girls is lining up trying to get a date with you. What do you do for a living? I play the trumpet. Oh. Okay. So what do you really do? [LAUGH] So it's not like that was some great thing, like I want to be a doctor or a lawyer. Believe me, it was nothing hip about that. But I loved it. It's what I loved. I had a passion for it. I could get up all day and listen to it and listen to Miles Davis note by note, and rewind that tape for six hours every day, seven days a week for six months trying to learn one solo that he played. I like that drive. I like being able to do that and when I realized that that was my passion I loved it. I wasn't so much concerned about what everybody else thought about it, how I was gonna make some money off of it. As a matter of fact, I really had made a decision to myself that whether if I made money off it or not, I was gonna do it. 

Passion

Passion For Music

The consistent thing that I find in everybody, the decision wasn't even really a decision. It was just this is what I like to do and I did it. And that's something that I'm finding with everybody, whether it was the man who doing photography. I love taking pictures. But if I told people I wanted to take pictures, they wasn't trying to hear it. And you yourself, you talked about that, about playing the trumpet. But it's like that noise, though, that noise, especially for us. I mean, again I can't speak for your generation but for us it's consistent every day. When I'm graduating I'm going to graduate school I gonna make this money, I'm like don't want to do that. >> I think also being black man, it's a different kind of thing. Because people, we want something very you know specific. Like your parents don't want to hear about no, I want to go to Europe for like a month and they're just like, No. They're not on that program. [LAUGH] They don't want to hear about I want to go just write. You know, I want to take a year and just write and work on my, the average black family is not into that they want something that's tangible. Even in school people saying, You know I left school, I don't have a college degree. I had to leave school which was one of the most painful decisions I ever had to make between, okay, is this gonna get me where I need to go? People just oh, you ain't gone to college? Oh my god! Man, you ain't got a degree? Oh! I still have people coming to me now and saying, it ain't too late to go get that degree, baby. [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] >> Yeah, that is so true. That's my mom. She's like, you need to go to graduate school. Well, I don't wanna go. Well, doesn't matter if you wanna go, you need to go. >> Right, it's just tangible. Get a job! How much your job pay? That's what my dad used to be. It's just, with him it was always like, well? Like he, the whole music thing, he was against it. Which was funny cuz he taught me how to play. He was against it when I left college, the look, my mother said. She said, well I believe that a person should follow their dreams. [LAUGH] Man, my daddy looked at her. He looked at her just like, and the level of disgust he had on his face. And she said he was so disappointed, he was, yeah [LAUGH] I was just sitting with my head down like this. This is terrible. Until I got nominated for a Grammy and then he was like oh, well. Got my own apartment. Oh, yeah I'm asking him for money. You know those are tangible things. Well you're making money and man in reality it's down luck. It's your life. You know, when it doesn't work out those same people be sitting there saying, well you know. You should have did what you wanted to do. Why didn't you do that? 

Choices

Culture

Family

Pressure

Something Tangible

We're meeting Irving Mayfield, founder of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. >> The real thing about what we're trying to do is, we're trying to figure out some purpose and do the best we can do while we're here, and things we wanna accomplish. But we're really trying to be the best we can be. Well what is the best we can be? That's where we have to figure out the benchmarks. What are we good at? What are we the best at? What is that one thing we can do that nobody else can do? That's why your passion is so important, because that's the one thing you can do that nobody else can do, because you love it more than everybody else. [MUSIC] Believe me, when I first told people I wanted to play a trumpet, it's not like [LAUGH] a lot of girls is lining up trying to get a date with you. What do you do for a living? I play the trumpet. Oh, [LAUGH] okay. So what do you really do? [LAUGH] So, it's not like that was some great thing, like, you know, I want to be a doctor or a lawyer. Believe me, there was nothing hip about that. But I loved it, it's what I love. I had a passion for it. I can get up all day and listen to it, and listen to Miles Davis note by note, rewind a tape for six hours, everyday, seven days a week, for six months, trying to learn one solo that he played. I like that drive, I like being able to that. And when I realized that was my passion, I loved it, I wasn't so much concerned about what everybody else thought about it, how I was make some money of off it. As a matter of fact, I really had made a decision to myself whether I made money off it or not, I was gonna do it. [MUSIC] So the quality and that's what it all comes down to, the quality of what I do is really high. Quality is priceless, when you have a quality experience, it's the one you remember. And what you're looking for in your life with your careers, you're looking for that quality in yourself. You don't need those extra added things, you can just be yourself and it's okay because the quality of what you're doing is so high. >> Well my question first and foremost is what did this age mean to you? What were you thinking when you was our age? >> And you're 21 right? >> 21. >> At 20 I had just done my first record and I had known what I wanted to do since I was 14, so it took me roughly about six years to get it started, and this first record was the start. >> How is that, like how is going through the process of trying to succeed at such a young age? >> I just wanted to play the trumpet and make a living from it, so I can make $400 a month and [LAUGH] it wasn't much, whatever it was I was like really excited about it too, man if I could make it $400. Like one month, I made $500, was like man I got an extra hundred dollars. [LAUGH] Buy me some music. I never thought about it like I had to be successful. Cuz another thing, what's successful for one person, now I sit down and talk to people and they'll say man you're successful and somebody else will walk in with nine Grammys. [MUSIC] As long as you're doing quality, as long as you know you're doing your best, as long as you know when somebody gets what you're doing is a quality product, and it's very hard for them to imitate what you've done, you're doing the right thing, you're in the right line. >> The consistent thing that I'm finding everybody, the decision wasn't really a decision. It was just, this is what I like to do and I did it. And that's something that I'm finding with everybody, whether it was the man who was doing photography. I love taking pictures. But if I told people I wanted to take pictures, they wasn't trying to hear it. And you yourself, I mean you talked about that, about playing the trumpet. It's like that noise, though, that noise, especially for us. I mean, again, I can't speak for your generation. For us, it's consistent. Everyday. When I'm graduating, I'm going to graduate school. I'm gonna make this money. I'm like I don't wanna do that. >> I think also being black, man, it's a different kind of thing, cuz people, we want something very [LAUGH] specific. Like your parents don't wanna hear about no, I wanna go to Europe for a month and it's like, no. That is not on that program [LAUGH]. They don't here about, I wanna go just write, I wanna take a year and just write and work on my, the average black family is not into that. They want something that's tangible. Even at school people saying, I left school, I don't have a college degree, I had to leave school. Which was one of the most painful decisions I ever had to make between, okay is this gonna get me where I need to go? People just oh, you ain't go to college? Oh my god, man you ain't got a degree? I still have people coming to me now and saying, you know it ain't too late to go get that degree baby. [LAUGH] >> That is so true, that's my mom. Like she's like, you need to go to graduate school. Well I don't want to go, well it doesn't matter if you want to go. You need to go. >> RIght, it's just tangible. Get a job. How much a job pay? That's what my dad used to be like. With him it was always like, well. Like the whole music thing, he was against it. Which is funny because he taught me how to play. When I left college my mother said, she said, well, I believe that a person should follow their dreams. [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] >> Man, my daddy looked at her, he looked at her, just like. The level of disgust he had on his face. She said, he was so disappointed, he was, [LAUGH] I was like, and I was just sitting there with my head, nah, like, this is terrible. You know. Until I got nominated for a Grammy. Then he was like oh well. I got my own apartment. Oh yeah. Had my next move for money. Those are tangible things. Well, you making money. Yeah man the reality is that look, it's your life. When it doesn't work out, those same people will be sitting there saying, well you know. You should have did what you wanted to do. Why didn't you do that? >> I received direct pressure from my family, like, everybody knows in my family that I want to be a lawyer, on both sides. So if I tell them I don't want to do it anymore it's gonna be like, what do you mean? >> I just say resist it at all cost. You know, cuz it is your life. You have to tailor make things for yourself. I'm not saying exact way I did it was how you should do it. You have to figure out, like I said, you have to write down those sacrifices, and one of them you gotta really think about is, my family's gonna be disappointed for x number of years, or maybe disappointed ever. Do I care? How important is that to you? Some people, that disappointment just kills them. Some people just love just making their parents happy. They go through an entire life just do what their parents tell them. That may be attaining your dream, I wanna do whatever the hell my parents tell me to do. I love that. That may not be your thing. If your thing is something else, that yellow pad, I would just write down what am I, what do I want to do. And then I just start writing down the negative parts, what are the positive parts, how they play out. Make those decisions off that. Paper is great. It won't lie to you. It's just there, you can go back to it and reassess it all the time. >> Right. >> Look at it. Another thing you'll find when it comes time to have that discussion. if you have to, you'll be much more prepared for the debate. >> We actually had everybody in our home slash RV slash car we're living on the road. We having everybody sign the room. Let me take you to our house. >> Please excuse it. Do we clean this up? >> Oh boy. >> It's stuffy, I'm not sure what it smells like, and we're sorry [LAUGH]. >> As I'll always remember, there's one thing my mother always tells me. And she told me when I was 14, I never forgot, was, blessed is he who gets paid for what he would do for free. I think about that every day, I play the trumpet for a living, we're working, life is good. [LAUGH] 

Interview

My question, first and foremost is, what did this age mean to you? What were you thinking when you was our age, 20- >> Oh, you're 21 right? >> 21, yeah. >> At 20 I had just done my first record, and I had known what I wanted to do since I was 14. So it took me roughly about 6 years to get it started. And this first record was the start. >> I was going through the process of trying to succeed at such a young age. >> I just wanted to play the trumpet and make a living from it. So I could make $400 in a month. It wasn't much, but whatever it was I was real excited about it, too. Man, if I could make $400. One month I made $500, I was like man, I got a extra $100. [LAUGH] I'm going to buy me some music or, you know, I just, I never though about it like I have to be successful, because another thing, what's successful for one person, I mean, I sit down and talk to people now that say like man, you're successful. Somebody else would walk in with like nine Grammys. 

Success

Just Wanted To Play The Trumpet

[MUSIC] As long as you're doing quality. As long as you know you're doing your best. As long as you know when somebody gets what you're doing it's a quality product, and it's very hard for them to imitate what you've done. If you're doing the right thing you're in the right line. 

Individualism

Doing Your Best

[LAUGH] >> As I always remember there's one thing my mother always tells me, and she told me when I was 14, I never forgot was, blessed is he who gets paid for what he would do for free. I think about it every day. I mean i play the trumpet for a living, life is good. [LAUGH] [MUSIC] >> [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC] 

Trumpet For A Living

So the quality, that's what it all comes down to, the quality of what I do is really high. Quality is priceless. When you have a quality experience it's the one you remember. And what you're looking for in your life with your careers, you're looking for that quality in yourself. You don't need those extra added things you can just be yourself and that's okay because the quality of what you're doing is so high. 

Quality Is Priceless

I don't receive direct pressure from my family. Everybody knows in my family that I wanna be a lawyer on both sides. So if I tell them I don't want to do it anymore, it's gonna be like what do you mean? >> I just say resist it all cost man cuz it's your life. You have to tailor make things for yourself. And I'm not saying the exact way I did it was how you should do it. You have to figure out, you have to write down those sacrifices. And one of them you got to really think about is my family is going to be disappointed for x number of years or maybe disappointed ever. Do I care? How important is that to you? Some people that disappointment just kills them. Some people just love just making their parents happy. They go through their entire life just doing what their parents tell them. And hey that may be attaining your dream. I wanna do whatever the hell my parents tell me to do. I love that. That may not be your thing. If your thing is something else, on that yellow pad I would just write down that, what am I, what do I want to do? And then I just start writing down the negative parts, what are the positive parts, how do they play out? Make those decisions like that. Paper is great. It won't lie to you, it's just there, you can go back to it and reassess it all the time, look at at it. Another you'll find is when it comes time to have that discussion if you have to, you'll be much more prepared for the debate. 

Tailor Things For Yourself

I loved it. It's what I love. I had a passion for it. I could get up all day and listen to it. You know, listen to Miles Davis note by note and rewind the tape for six hours every day, seven days a week for six months, trying to learn one solo that he played. You know, I like that drive, I like being able to do it. And when I realized that that was my passion-- I loved it--I wasn't so much concerned about what everybody else thought about it. Or how I was going to make some money off of it. As a matter of fact, I really had made a decision to myself that whether I made money off of it or not, I was gonna do it. [playing trumpet] The quality of what I do is really high. Quality is priceless. When you have a quality experience, it's the one you remember. And what you're looking for in your life, with your careers, you're looking for that quality in yourself. You don't need those extra added things. You just can just be yourself and that's okay, because the quality of what you're doing is so high. 

Irvin Mayfield

Jazz Trumpeter/Founder

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Irvin Mayfield

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