10 Things They Don't Teach You in Music School
Real talk about what really goes into being a musician.
We all get into this whole music thing because we love it, right?
There are just a couple details they don't emphasize in music school while you're working hard, practicing around the clock, and safely hidden away, nurturing your hard earned talents. Then BAM! welcome to the real world where you realize being good at your instrument is only a teeny tiny bit of what it takes to succeed in this business.
Here are 10 lessons I learned in the real world of music making, playing, and teaching.
1. Kiss your nights and weekends goodbye.
2. You’ll be ready for dinner at 9:30 or 10 when rehearsals/performances are over and most normal people are getting ready to call it a night.
3. Those people who wave a stick around, make no actual sound, and are always begging you to play on their recitals end up making the most money. Be nice to them.
4. Taxes are a mess. Seriously. Good Luck and Save Your Receipts.
5. Have you seen this meme? 100% accurate.
6. You will get just as much work being nice, fun, and social as you will practicing your butt off.
7. Black clothes. Forever. You will never have enough.
8. When you’re a teacher you will hear the same terrible excuses from your students that you used to use. And you will cringe with embarrassment for them…and also for yourself.
9. But first Coffee! A personal mantra that also functions as an excuse to delay practicing for just a few more minutes.
10. Practicing is probably only 15% of what you actually need to be doing in order to make money. Don’t forget about juggling rehearsals, getting to the gig, teaching, shameless self promotion, “networking”, organizing, planning, prepping parts, doing your markings, emailing (forever), watching hilarious youtube videos….and more coffee.
If someone had told me any of this when I was younger I may never have believed them. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
But seriously.....What did I miss?
Some Not-So-Obvious Adult Life Lessons
~A few of the unlikely "Oh Duh"s of being an adult and also sometimes a musician.~
Never mix the oil into peanut butter while wearing ‘professional’ clothes.
Good posture is more attractive than a fancy new hair cut.
Answer emails ASAP or suffer the hiring freeze.
Don’t eat popcorn while driving. Trust Me.
Just because somebody offers their advice/opinion/approach does not mean they are more right than you are.
I still eat Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches for dinner.
Iron fancy clothes before the very last minute.
I have yet to get sick from eating raw cookie dough.
Telling your teacher you didn’t practice this week will guarantee you a failing grade for that lesson.
Don’t walk to a gig in your concert shoes no matter how close it is. Just don’t.
It is not your job to police your standpartner.
Always have a friend or 2 who are more than proficient at doing hair and makeup. They will come in so handy at recital time – BELIEVE ME!
Strapless performance gown? Toupé tape is your best friend.
What else? The seemingly simple and silly things that you figure out as an adult. Share yours below!
The Spring Break Slow Down
GO BIG.
LIVE LARGE.
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE.
GO THE DISTANCE.
NEVER STOP HUSTLING.
GIVE IT YOUR ALL.
These Ra-Ra sayings are meant to fire you up and get you out there achieving, accomplishing, winning, conquering, and succeeding! Yes! Do it all!
But it is really hard to wake up and win every single day and not feel burned out at some point, or let things fall through the cracks, and ignore important life needs in the quest for awesomeness.
I’ll be honest; I’m tired! Everyday during school semesters I scramble around trying to stay on top of assignments, making sure I’m ready for all of my lessons, practicing for rehearsals at, night, studying, and prepping content for this site. I haven’t had a weekend off since the beginning of January and I barely have time to invest in what I’m doing – let alone do anything extra. And I’m the teacher!!
This year I am devoting my spring break to slowing down.
I’m calling it the Spring Break Slow Down.
Some people go on epic spring break adventures, some people stay home and do homework, and some people just hang out and do nothing. This is not what the Spring Break Slow Down is all about.
I am encouraging all of my students to do the same. If I was smart and savvy about it I would have started some Instagram challenge and given out prizes, crowned winners, and made it a real thing. Bit it is so not about that. It is the opposite. You can’t win this competition.
So what is the Spring Break Slow Down?
It is:
A return to the process.
An opportunity to check in with yourself, to listen, and improve without an imaginary finish line.
A return to feeling like things are back under control, in their right place, healthy and whole.
My spring break to do list is limited to a few PROCESS driven activities; practice technique, work on my dissertation, file my taxes (sometimes being an adult just has to get done), and workout everyday. Nice and simple – mind, body, and soul are being tended to and nurtured. Slowly.
I’m back to my tried and true technique regime, I bookend my days with a vigorous 20 minute workout in the morning and a low, slow yoga session at night. I’m giving myself permission have non-social media surfing free time to fill with reading and sunshine. I’m using my dissertation work now to start making connections between readings, and my thoughts by finally putting them down on paper…or a computer screen.
I’m encouraging all of my students to relax, take some time to sleep, recover, and recharge. No, this is not a license to put their instrument away and not open the case for a week. It is an opportunity to practice slowly, to listen to those shifts, the steadiness of spiccato, the length of a phrase and not just frantically scrape away at your violin homework in hopes of passing on to the next etude, scale, or whatever.
I gave all of my students purposely slow tempo markings. I don’t even want them trying to play fast. I just want them to focus on doing it right. The process. If you’ve read any of this post (or my previous posts) you know I am a big fan of the process.
There is simplicity and joy when life isn’t so goal oriented. You have the chance to find the cracks and crevices where dust has built up in life and clean them out. I’m talking mentally, physically, emotionally, violinistically, musically, and intellectually; all of it. There are always little cobwebs growing in the corners of our lives that a good spring-cleaning. Cracks that need attention. Aches that need stretching, and sleep that needs sleeping.
Welcome to the Spring Break Slow Down; An annual tradition from now until forever.