Driving for Dollars

I am Christine Coyle, a cellist. I perform with with at least 5 different groups regularly, plus two different teaching jobs and a wedding gig group which does over 100 weddings a year. My shortest commute is 20 miles and my longest is 225. Of course the 225 group is my favorite to perform with. I have been driving forever it seems.

Back in 1985 I decided that I needed a car to get to the gigs rather than a bow to actually sound better. It was a practical decision. My all-time high for mileage was 38,000 in one year. I would drive 150 miles a day every night for up to 14 days in a row, and then have to drive to other gigs squeezed in between.

My biggest problems are falling asleep while driving, struggling to arrange carpools, car maintenance costs, gas prices, driving in bad weather, lack of parking provided for musicians, bad traffic, getting claustrophobic in the car in traffic jams, and staying calm when I am running late. I could go on … The driving is the only thing that makes freelancing so difficult.