Career Choices in Music beyond the Pandemic: Musical and Psychological Perspectives

"A must-read for musicians young and old as well as general readers." - Joseph W. Polisi, President Emeritus, The Juilliard School Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions we make in our lifetime. Career choice is more than just working to earn a living but also an important window into how we feel about ourselves. In this groundbreaking and provocative book, musician and psychologist Julie Jaffee Nagel explores how musicians' work beyond the COVID-19 pandemic casts a light upon the necessity of rethinking, rebuilding, and possibly redesigning our concept of careers and music education in the arts. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to a wide range of pressing topics such as career disillusionment, mental health in relation to lack of professional and personal security, the unavailability of jobs that reflect the depth of the musician's formal training and talent, and the healing role and value of musicians in a post-pandemic world. The pandemic was an unwelcome and sudden shock in the lives and careers of countless musicians, with many experiencing crises. Importantly, Nagel emphasizes that this trauma also has the potential to energize and expand horizons for rewarding, creative work. Musicians' gifts include resilience and discipline, and their art has important social value. Music has the power to be an aural antidote to some of society's ills-during trying times, it is vitally important to express and share the musician's artistic imagination and creativity in teaching studios, on stage, and through off stage interactions with others.

Author: Julie Jaffee Nagel
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 03/01/2023
Pages: 150
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.51lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.35d
ISBN: 9781538168394

About the Author
Julie Jaffee Nagel brings her unique, interdisciplinary background and education in mental health and music to understanding the personality of the musician, performance anxiety, the psychological impact of COVID-19 on music careers, and the value of music in mental life and in promoting social justice. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School, The University of Michigan, and The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and author of Melodies of the Mind, Managing Stage Fright, A Conversation Between Freud and Mozart, and Career Choices In Music Beyond the Pandemic. Equally at home on stage, in the consulting room, in presentations to a variety of audiences, and as a mentor, her expertise and warmth is recognized as exceptional. She is in private practice in Dexter, Michigan. Visit www.julienagel.net.