[Bob Olhsson]

The proverbial elephant in the room is that really good musicians haven't been assured of a middle-class living since the 1970s.

Another part of the story is that during WW2 the U.S. military provided lessons and instruments to thousands of people based on merit alone. We and Great Britain also hosted thousands of Europe's finest musicians who were fleeing the fascists. They played in our orchestras and taught our children music. My wife actually took her high school violin lessons from the former concertmaster of La Scala.

Unfortunately, music has turned into a hobby. There is as much talent as ever but not nearly as much performance experience.