Are You in the Clique?

Steve Raybine:

Blog #32:

Are You in the Clique?

 

Cliques (clicks), a select group of people, are by their very nature, often considered exclusionary, and perhaps snobbish and elitist. However, have you ever wanted to be a member of the "academic clique," the "sports clique," or the "music clique?" At some point in many peoples' lives, they've longed for being an accepted member in some clique, regardless of its perception by others. I'm not an advocate of cliques, because any group that potentially discriminates against anyone's admittance or participation within any organization is not my style. However, whether I like it or not, cliques exist.

In the professional world of music, there are most definitely cliques. The symphony musicians; jazzers; rappers; rockers; opera singers; funksters; folkies and academics all have their cliques. The operative question is, "Are you in or out of the clique?" Perhaps the underlying question really is, "How popular or unpopular are you as perceived by the clique?" You see, the people in the most popular music cliques get the majority of the available work, which means they make most of the money$$$. Many times, these individuals try to keep other musicians out of their "popular clique," because they don't like to share money, opportunities, prestige, etc. If you hope to become a member of the clique of your choosing one day, someone will have to let you in and accept you into their private musical club. You'll need to have the requisite skills, personality and luck in order to pass the initiation test(s), which could take months...years...or unfortunately, it may never happen. Becoming a member of the exclusive clique is really a 'crap shoot,' a very complex game with potentially high stakes--the success or failure of your career to some degree.

Whether you choose to play the "clique game" is up to you, but ignoring it, unfortunately, won't make it go away. Ultimately, the choice is up to you, so choose wisely as your career may depend upon it.

Copyright 2007 Steve Raybine

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