The musicians of State Street perform in public for various reasons, according to one local street violinist.

“Some do it for money, while others do it because they love music,” said Foreman who performs with the violin on State Street. She said she plays because she loves music.

Unlike Tom Ryan, who at the age of 50 plays the piccolo on Library Mall and lives out of his car, Foreman is a student at the University of Wisconsin and takes residence in an apartment with friends. This is her first year at the university; in fact, this is her first year living in Wisconsin.

Erin Foreman is originally from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, which makes up the northern border to Montana and North Dakota.

According to Foreman, taking up the violin was a hard thing to do where she lived, due to the fact that the closest violin instructor was over one-and-a-half hours away.

“For me, when I was growing up, there was no place to learn the violin close to me, but I wanted to learn how to play so bad,” Foreman said.

Her eagerness to learn the violin compelled her to work hard, she said. Foreman said although she spent three hours in the car every time she had a lesson, even more dedication was required to put in the amount of time and determination the art of the violin requires.

After graduating from high school, Foreman attended college at the University of Saskatoon, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. After graduating from the university with a degree in music education, she moved to Alberta, Canada to teach music.

Foreman, who left her teaching job to attend graduate school in Wisconsin, said playing music on the streets, specifically State Street, is a very different experience.

“I first started playing on the streets by going out with some of my hippie friends,” she said.

Foreman chooses her own hours of work, has no boss and gets to do what loves. Beyond that, she receives generous payment for the time she gives.

“I make anywhere between five and 40 bucks an hour,” Foreman said.

According to Foreman, money is not the only thing to be found in her violin case. Peaches, phone numbers and the occasional gourd of garlic have been found among the dollar bills when the day is over, said Foreman.

“I get cigarettes all the time too, and I don’t even smoke,” Foreman said.

Foreman said street performing is a job like no other. Not only does the money earned and time spent pay for all her school books and hone her skills as a musician, but Foreman said being a street musician gives her joy of observing unsuspecting individuals. “It’s a great way to people watch,” she said.