Do You Know How Not To Get Fired? The Reality of Pro Survival

Talent gets you in the door, but professionalism keeps you working. In the freelance music world, gigs are rarely lost just to superior players. Instead, they are lost to avoidable mistakes, inflated egos, and basic failures in workplace etiquette.

Have you ever been fired? It happens to the best of us when lines get crossed. For example, I was once kicked out of a music festival orchestra in Maine while playing first horn under a famous conductor. The conductor was screaming at the flute players until they were all crying, so I stood up and told him exactly what I thought about that behavior. They promptly escorted me out of the festival. Standing up for your peers is admirable, but in the cold reality of the professional music business, politics and hierarchy always carry weight.

Whether you play the French horn, guitar, bass, or clarinet, your reputation is your primary asset. Contractors and ensemble leaders remember who shows up prepared, respects the musical hierarchy, and avoids unnecessary drama, and they certainly remember who does not.

Watch the full video breakdown below on the unwritten rules of professional survival, why maintaining your fundamentals matters at every stage of your career, and the critical missteps that will cause a contractor to stop calling you for work. Oh by the way this interview is with James Thacher one of my favorite  LA horn studio players.

• 00:18 🎺 The biggest career risks are often basic professionalism failures, especially when ego or childish behavior gets in the way.
• 01:18 ⚠️ Freelance musicians can lose future work for surprisingly small mistakes because nearly anything can affect whether a contractor calls them again.
• 01:31 🎒 Common avoidable mistakes include forgetting essential equipment, accepting work beyond your abilities, agreeing to unfamiliar doubling, and double-booking.
• 02:12 🎼 Respect the musical hierarchy: avoid publicly criticizing or contradicting principals, playing someone else’s part, or unnecessarily asserting yourself.
• 02:47 📱 Distracting behavior—such as excessive playing before rehearsal, ignoring your responsibilities, using your phone, or playing games during performances—can damage your reputation.
• 03:32 ⏰ Consistent lateness, especially caused by unrealistic scheduling or dishonesty about where you were, can cost you work.
• 03:59 🤝 Being a good colleague means paying attention, respecting personal boundaries, following instructions, maintaining hygiene, and avoiding arrogance or unnecessary workplace drama.
• 05:11 🍫 Excessive sucking up to composers, conductors, or principals can alienate colleagues, while openly bragging about money or acting like the class clown can also hurt a musician’s standing.
• 05:40 🗣️ Talking badly about colleagues is especially dangerous because they may hear about it—or hear it directly.
• 06:19 🏋️ Maintaining a professional career requires continuously maintaining your playing; experience and past success do not eliminate the need for practice.
• 06:47 🎯 The “magic secret” to staying at a high level is mastering fundamentals, maintaining good technique, and continuing to pursue excellence—there are no shortcuts.
• 07:28 🪞 Musicians’ abilities can change with age, so being honest about weaknesses and returning to focused practice is essential to adapting.
• 07:40 🔥 Musicians are like athletes: skills require ongoing training, and complacency can cause performance to decline.
• 08:08 📄 Real-world mistakes can have consequences: forgetting music caused a missed performance, while taking another job caused a contractor to stop calling.
• 08:36 📧 A particularly costly mistake was accidentally emailing a contractor a negative comment about their job offer—the contractor was included in the reply and stopped offering work.

⚖️ What to Do If You Get Fired

Even when you handle yourself with complete professionalism, sudden terminations and broken contracts happen in this business. When the worst occurs, you do not have to navigate it alone.

Musicians Guild International is building practical support systems to help members fight back and protect their livelihoods. Once our doors open, members will have access to:

• A curated directory of specialized lawyers who understand independent performance contracts and wrongful termination.

• Proven email templates and outreach strategies designed to appeal to contractors, clear up misunderstandings, and win your job back.

• Step by step guidance on how to evaluate a dispute and protect your professional reputation moving forward.

✉️ Get on the Insider List

Do not wait until a crisis hits your career to find the support you need. Sign up for our newsletter today to stay updated on launch dates, member resources, and early access opportunities. Be sure to join early because the first 100 sign ups secure a free Lifetime Membership when our platform officially opens.