Professional isn't good enough

Seeing a clock on a stand for the Maestro's reference brought up a memory from rehearsals past. In 2004 I was a part of the All Virginia Orchestra conducted by Charles Peltz of the New England Conservatory. This weekend has always been one of my most treasured memories, despite the fact that I spent the majority of it unconscious thanks to a particularly bad sinus infection (an issue that used to be even worse for me when I was younger and persists to some extent now). One of the many moments from that weekend that remains with me to this day was a comment he made about about professional orchestral musicians.

"I don't want you all to aspire to be professional musicians. I've seen professional musicians. They sit in rehearsal bad mouthing other sections to members of their section, staring at the clock waiting for break. Then they go on break and complain about the members of their section to other members of the orchestra and staring at the clock dreading returning to rehearsal. Then they sit there staring at the clock waiting for rehearsal to end so they can collect their check and go home. Don't aspire to be like that. Aspire to be artists."