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> people are smart enough to ask why should new pianists be churned out and is there something more valuable these people could do with their time.

Being a classical pianist would have been a dream career for me if I had started early enough

Some of the deepest fulfillment I have gotten was teaching myself how to play Bach

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Yes. The problem is that the field is insanely competitive, as in there are so many beginner pianists and so few paying gigs. Yes, there are many people who have made it as concert pianists, but concerning childhood dream careers, it is far easier to become an astronaut or formula 1 driver instead. Even the fallback jobs playing bars or accompanying when full orchestra is not available are going away.

Perhaps there's too much of an obsession on stardom and fame rather than talent? And hence the number of "openings" for concert pianists is reduced, while the demand on the stars is increased

And thus those who are equally talented simply didn't get their chance to shine as well as learn and grow from opportunities

I believe if Martha Argerich hadn't been absent from a concert, Yuja Wang (now famous) who replaced her that time wouldn't have had her big break

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