5 pieces of advice I would tell my younger self going into music school.
🏫 Wait a minute, Doc. You're telling me...you built a time machine...? Out of a DeLorean?!
Fine, that's all fiction, BUT I was thinking as I see back to school commercials everywhere - what kind of advice would I tell my younger self just starting music school?
I mean...if the universe didn't collapse as a result of me meeting my younger self (or just fainting at the "I'm young!" "I'm old!" shock like Jennifer)
Time travel logistics aside, here are 5 things I would tell myself going into a music program.
1️⃣ GO TO THAT CONCERT/MASTERCLASS. JUST GO TO IT. GO. One of my schools always told us to go to the concert if we have to choose between that or homework. I'm not endorsing skipping class, but talk to your professors - they're musicians too. They'll probably understand. I didn't talk to my professor about going to a masterclass that was during her class (big mistake), and because I worried about failing constantly back then (it's a long story but the syllabus said the stuff we were covering that day was mandatory to pass, but the prof decided to cover it the next week instead), I missed out on seeing Emmanuel Pahud in Toronto, and I am filled with ✨THE BIG REGRET✨ Talk to your teachers if there’s a really important thing that conflicts with a class - they’re musicians too, they’ll probably understand.
2️⃣ Schedule out EVERYTHING - including meal breaks. I have had days where I had class and rehearsals from 8 am until 10 pm, and took ALL of my free time for practicing. I forgot to eat sometimes, and wondered why I had a headache later. Also over-practicing is a thing. I gave myself repetitive strain injuries from over-practicing, and OH BOY that takes a long time, and a lot of changes to manage and recover. Make the time for breaks, because your body is part of your instrument: keep it nourished.
3️⃣ Your tastes and vision will change. Allow that to happen. Dream big. I changed my mind SO MANY TIMES on what I wanted my life to look like in post-school career-land. I still love all of the things I’ve cycled through as my main goal, and actually still do a lot of them too, but your focus of what is important for you will evolve, and that’s perfectly okay.
4️⃣ Don't let the stress of school kill your love of music, because it will take much longer to rebuild. Find the joy in what you do and cling to it for dear life. I had to rebuild some of that working through of some of my own past experiences, and through that I was able to shed the I need to have a concert/external goal to want to practice feelings. I love music so much I realized I could commit to playing what ✨I want✨ and do what lights my fire.
5️⃣ No matter how "out there" your artistic interests are, there are people somewhere that are just as enthusiastic about it as you are, and they are making a career out of it (and you can too!) It might take time, your teachers are likely part of this crowd (many of mine were!) but don’t give up your love of the thing if you haven’t found them yet. They are out there, and when you find them make friends or connect with them because they are full of advice, and are probably going to be secretly or not so secretly super jazzed that there are new people also interested in their research interest as well!
Do any of these resonate with you?
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