Celebrating Professionals

Amateurs are the best. Amateurs do something because they love it, not for remuneration. I am an amateur baker, cook, graphic designer, sketcher, and any number of other activities.

And I try to carry the spirit of the amateur into all the professional things I do, as a conductor, arranger, and writer.

But on tax day, I want to celebrate professionals. The gift of a professional is that her depth and breadth of knowledge will almost always lead to a superior finished product. Additionally, professionals are able to undertake services for which we are unsuited or uninterested.

I know that tax software is inexpensive and easy to use. I also know that I would be the most novice of amateurs every year for the rest of my life if I chose to prepare my tax returns myself. The professionals who prepare my taxes never fail to earn their fee.

It’s wonderful to give a student arranger the chance to write for your choir; but you will have an amateur result. It’s also vital to give your students the experiences only a professional can create. Hire Alice Parker, Jeff Cobb, Michael McGlynn to write a piece.

It will cost more because it is being prepared by a professional.

It is also far more likely to be the best possible result.

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