Quite some time ago, the eldest hoodlum was talking about becoming a professional musician and asked how she should go about accomplishing that task. I wish I remembered my exact response, but it was like this. "Make a bunch of bad life-choices, develop a crippling addiction, and resign yourself to being impoverished. Then, just add music." Anyone that plays, regardless of skill level, is a musician. I admire the trait, regardless of where they are in their learning process or their ultimate goals for their musicianship.