Sticking It Out : From Juilliard to the Orchestra Pit: A Percussionists's Memoir

A vivid look inside the elite and cutthroat classical music world When Patti Niemi was 10 years old, all the children in her school music class lined up to choose their instruments. Boy after boy chose drums, and girl after girl chose flute — that is, until it was Patti’s turn. From that point onward, Niemi devoted her life to mastering the percussive arts. Cymbals, snare drum, marimba, timpani, chimes: she practised them all, and in 1983, she entered Juilliard, the most prestigious music conservatory in the world. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing New York City in the 1980s, Sticking It Out recounts Niemi’s years mastering her craft and struggling to make it in a cutthroat race to a coveted job in an orchestra. Along the way, she has to compete with friends, and face her own crippling anxiety and reliance on prescription medication, while confronting the delicate, and sometimes perilous, balance of power between teachers and their students. Niemi’s memoir brings us inside a world that most of us never get to see: gruelling practise schedules, intimate musical relationships, and long moments at the back of an orchestra spent sweating and counting before a big cymbal crash. Sticking It Out is a humbling account of the work that leads to a dazzling moment of perfection, and of the dogged persistence it takes to follow a dream. “By turns reflective and dramatic, poignant and hilarious, Sticking It Out offers an irresistible portrait of the artist as a young percussionist” ( San Francisco Chronicle ). When Patti Niemi was ten years old, all the children in her school music class lined up to choose their instruments. Boy after boy chose drums, and girl after girl chose flute—that is, until it was Patti’s turn. From that point onward, Patti devoted her life to mastering the percussive arts. Cymbals, snare drum, marimba, timpani, chimes: she practiced them all, and in 1983, she entered Juilliard, the most prestigious music conservatory in in the world. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing New York City in the 1980s, Sticking It Out recounts Patti’s years mastering her craft and struggling to make it in a cutthroat race to a coveted job in an orchestra. Along the way, she has to compete with friends, face her own crippling anxiety, and confront the delicate, and sometimes perilous, balance of power between teachers and their students. Bringing us inside a world that most of us never get to see, Patti’s vivid memoir is “an eye-opening tale of demanding teachers, grueling practice schedules, severe performance anxiety and bias against ‘girl drummers’—a funny, poignant first-person account of the fierce commitment it takes to succeed in classical music” ( San Jose Mercury News ). “One of the funniest-ever classical-music books . . . and certainly among the best written.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer “A shattered-mirror insight into the bizarre world of hitting things with sticks.” —Neil Peart, bestselling author, lyricist, and drummer for Rush "When Patti Niemi was 10 years old, all the children in her school music class lined up to choose their instruments. Boy after boy chose drums, and girl after girl chose flute -- that is, until it was Patti's turn. From that point onward, Niemi devoted her life to mastering the percussive arts. Cymbals, snare drum, marimba, timpani, chimes: she practiced them all, and in 1983, she entered Juilliard, the most prestigious music conservatory in in the world. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly-changing New York City in the 1980s, Sticking It Out recounts Niemi' years mastering her craft and struggling to make it in a cutthroat race to a coveted job in an orchestra. Along the way, she has to compete with friends, face her own crippling anxiety, and confront the delicate, and sometimes perilous, balance of power between teachers and their students. Niemi's vivid memoir brings us inside a world that most of us never get to see: grueling practice schedules, intimate musical relationships, and long moments at the back of an orchestra spent sweating and counting before a big cymbal crash. Sticking It Out is a humbling account of the work that leads to a dazzling moment of perfection, and of the dogged persistence it takes to follow a dream."--Publisher's description "When Patti Niemi was 10 years old, all the children in her school music class lined up to choose their instruments. Boy after boy chose drums, and girl after girl chose flute -- that is, until it was Patti's turn. From that point onward, Niemi devoted her life to mastering the percussive arts. Cymbals, snare drum, marimba, timpani, chimes: she practiced them all, and in 1983, she entered Juilliard, the most prestigious music conservatory in the world. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly-changing New York City in the 1980s, Sticking It Out recounts Niemi's years mastering her craft and struggling to make it in a cutthroat race to a coveted job in an orchestra. Along the way, she has to compete with friends, face her own crippling anxiety, and confront the delicate, and sometimes perilous, balance of power between teachers and their students. Niemi's vivid memoir brings us inside a world that most of us never get to see: grueling practice schedules, intimate musical relationships, and long moments at the back of an orchestra spent sweating and counting before a big cymbal crash. Sticking It Out is a humbling account of the work that leads to a dazzling moment of perfection, and of the dogged persistence it takes to follow a dream."--Publisher's description ...there was practicing In the beginning... The peculiar institution Stage fright, part I: The seeds Competition and the tribe Stage fright, part II: Full-blown flower Real pretend job Girl drummer Perfection Petty tyrants Learning to fail (aka Audition #1) Lesson Stage fright, part III: Constant low-grade fear (with acute flare-ups) Tribal breakup Summer Quitting Deliverance Brave new world Waiting for auditions Boston Losing it I believe Winning Coda. **__A vivid look inside the elite and cutthroat classical music world__**__Sticking It Out____Sticking It Out__