Selected reflections
Before every performance is a network of invisible labour: the teacher who found the repertoire, the administrator who booked the hall, the colleague who listened during rehearsal. None of this appears in the programme.
Musician and educatorHalifax, NS
Care is the most undervalued skill in musical life. The ability to hold a student's attention, to notice what they need, to adjust — this is not discussed in conservatory training, and it is not rewarded in any formal way.
Educator
The work of cultural continuity in music — passing things on, keeping traditions alive, translating across generations — is almost entirely uncompensated and unrecognized. And yet without it, everything stops.
Music professionalToronto, ON
Share a reflection on this question
What work in your musical life has gone unseen — by audiences, institutions, or colleagues?
Reflections may be shared anonymously. That said, we are always grateful when musicians and educators choose to attach their names to their thoughts.