Work-life balance as a musician
In recent years, working models have changed considerably, the home office with its advantages and disadvantages has become established in many contexts, and there is also increasing discussion about reducing working hours and more paid time for care work, housework, leisure, creative activities and social commitment.
Kalaidos Musikhochschule asks an employee how she organizes her everyday life and what would have to change to make it easier to reconcile her professional and private life.
Annette Kappeler, musicians in particular often have too little free time. How would you describe your satisfaction in terms of your work-life balance?
Not quite ideal: as a musician, I'm often busy at the weekend, and during the week I work for the Kalaidos University of Music and the Bern University of the Arts, so sometimes I don't have a day off. At the same time, I have the great privilege of being able to organize my time freely.
You had a child five months ago, which we are extremely happy about! How do you combine everyday life with your partner and child with your professional activities?
We share work, care and housework equally. Our employers are very cooperative and flexible when it comes to planning our return to work.
When do you spend time with your partner and your child?
For example, I try to take Mondays off after concert weekends and then really enjoy the tent at home. During the week, I try not to have too long working days so that I have time from 4pm onwards.
What forms of childcare do you have experience with? How satisfied are you with them?
Our child is now five months old and goes to daycare for two and a half days. We also have friends who enjoy spending time with him. We are very happy with both forms of childcare, and I also think that they complement each other perfectly - with one-to-one childcare, you can give your child unlimited attention, and in a group of children, an enormous learning process takes place in terms of social behavior.
What needs to change in Switzerland with regard to parenthood so that working life and care work are more compatible?
There's a lot to do, to name just a few points: Paid parental leave of a few months, freely divisible between both parents - or preferably even more flexible - freely divisible between the people who want to take intensive care of a child, i.e. also grandparents or other caregivers! Part-time work for parents (or caregivers) and affordable childcare for everyone!
What would you do about the weekly working hours?
A reduction in working hours would certainly be desirable - nobody is creative and productive over forty hours a week, and most people are sick more often and more dissatisfied when they work so much. We are in the privileged position of being able to afford to work less than 100%, but this is by no means possible for everyone. Ultimately, a basic income would probably be the best option to enable everyone to achieve a good balance between leisure time, work for a community, further education and care work.
And what would you improve with regard to the working situation of musicians?
There should be a binding minimum wage for the work of musicians, they should be covered by social insurance for every engagement. At the moment, we are often not paid when we are ill, and many ensembles do not pay pension insurance for their employees.
Art is often described as an expensive luxury, but at the same time we have experienced during the lockdown that it is one of the first things we miss. At one of my first concerts after the lockdowns, people in the audience cried with joy at being able to hear a live concert again in a country where people usually only cry in the movies and at football stadiums!
I think this kind of luxury should be worth fair wages and working conditions!
