When Musicians Contact started in 1969 the average age of our members was TWENTY.  (A keyboardist registered who was 29 and everyone thought he was so OLD!).  But ten years later the average age had increased to THIRTY and by 1990 it was about FORTY.  Then it leveled off a bit as the next 20 years rolled by.  And now it’s even older.  Where will it be in another ten years?

Some players never stopped, but many are picking up their instrument after years of non-activity.  I guess music never leaves you; it just waits for you to come back.  Careers get in the way, kids grow up, gear gets sold, and time slips away.  Musicians hit pause, and that pause might last for decades.

And when they return, it is with a sense of purpose, since they finally have TIME again.  And now, hopefully, they are more mature and reliable with less ego.  Most are not chasing trends or trying to be stars.  They just wanna play again!  But….

After not riding a bike for 20 years you can jump on one and take off and within a few minutes it’s like the 20 year absence never happened.  Not the same with an instrument!  All of the knowledge is still there but it may take weeks or months to get back to where you were before.  Amazingly, many players tell us that their skill level then INCREASES, just as if they never stopped playing,

What about the big band musicians of the 1930’s and 40’s?  Most of them retired by their early 50’s.  So you can see, musicians are playing 15 or 20 years longer today.  Then again, folks in general are living longer too, so that shouldn’t be surprising.

If YOU stepped away from performing at some point, what brought you back? We’d love to hear your story.