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i’ve a gathered a couple of masterposts for you!

001, 002, 003, 004 

Suicide Awareness for Musicians

Let me open with this: Suicide awareness is important for every group, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, occupation, ect.

However, this particular post is going to be about suicide awareness in musicians because that is near to my heart.

The suicide rate of musicians is about three times the national average. There are many different speculations as to why this is the case, and no one is exactly sure. Regardless, be it because of the chemical nature of musicians’ and other “fine arts oriented” brains or because of the competitive field of music, this is a huge problem. Obviously, when someone takes their own life it often times changes the lives of so many people in a negative way. When a band or orchestra or choir kid takes their own life it effects the lives of others in a whole new way.

One of the most common things to describe a band as is a family, and it is one. You have a group of kids who spend unnatural amounts of time together making music, one of the most emotionally bonding things for people. Sometimes they fight and don’t get along. However, after all is said and done, it is the band that they can go to when they need help, support, or love.

Love. Love is present in every band. You might not always be able to see it but it is always there. It is there during every rehearsal, every competition, every performance. It is also there in loss. But in loss, love is a strange thing. When a musician takes their own life, the dynamic of their ensemble is changed forever. Everyday their band mates will walk into class and see their empty chair and wonder, “why”. The director will go to cue them, but they won’t be there. He’ll go home that night and cry, thinking “if only I could have helped” The person who takes their spot will never be happy about moving up a chair. Their section will always feel and sound empty because they lost a member. The band will always sound and feel empty because they lost a family member.

Young Woman Holding a Rose

1) Turkeys are the syphilis of the bird world, everybody’s blaming them on some other country.