AM 7.0 - The Measure of a Man / Morrison Shouts in my Ear

[Ampersnd]

Stage 0, Day 7,

I feel the same elevated confidence and esteem, but I'm teary-eyed and a bit shaky.
I realized that it's the death anniversary of my grandfather; this happened a few years ago.
That may or may not relate

[Ampersnd]

I'm starting to get blackpilled on people's competency levels.
I'm working in a musical, and the leads not only can't read music, but they don't know music! What the fuck!
I used to think that it would be manageable if you couldn't read/write sheet music as an instrumentalist, but what if you didn't understand chords, keys, tempo?
One of the leads suggested that she didn't want to sing a certain line from a song, ending the song prematurely; I'm thinking: "excuse me?" You were chosen to do a job, so do the damn job.

Even my bandmates are exhibiting a lack of knowledge toward the tempo and the order of chords; they're a decade older than me and have apparently been in a band for decades. There is a jumping the gun on songs where the chord changes are finicky.
At least I can catch myself when I'm making a mistake.

[Have at ye]

Welcome to show business.

A great many *professional opera singers* can't read music and are the village idiots of the musical world. They learn repertoire either by ear, based on recordings, or through being coached by a coaching pianist. They also tend to be a bunch of divas.

F. in. last project I worked in we were contracted to sing an octet. It was about 5 minutes of music as an octet, and then 15 minutes together with the choir. The divas were hell-bent on *not even trying to learn* the parts to be performed with the chorus (and it wasn't a rush job. We had several months to prepare. Personally, it took me two weeks and two sessions with a pianist to learn the entire thing by heart). They came to rehearsal completely unprepared. As far as I[m concerned, they should have been all sacked. But noooo. Friggin' nepotism.