Successful Musicians' Secrets! (aren't really secret)
What's the difference between a street musician and a successful musician?
It's not necessarily talent. I have met incredible musicians who struggle to find 10-20 person audiences, and I have heard novices perform for thousands. Nowadays, developing your talent is only half the battle, and this is what scared me away from pursuing a music career-- though it has been my lifelong dream, the whole process just always seemed so chaotic and unpredictable.
There are thousands of free music lesson websites throughout the internet, hundreds of music schools in the US, private teachers in just about every county; I am thoroughly convinced that anyone who wants to learn music can do it. But if someone wants to succeed in music, it's a whole different ball game.
This is where Musicians-Make-It.com comes in. When I decided I wanted to pursue a music career, I stopped worrying so much about learning theory, developing an ear, writing songs. Obviously, these are massively important things, but I wasn't intimidated by them. What worried me was this:
- "What am I going to tell my parents?"
- "What if I fail?"
- "Am I throwing away my future?"
- "Isn't music an unstable profession?"
- "Should I go to music school?"
- "What do they even do in music school?"
My list went on and on from there, but as you will come notice, it's not just a list anymore. I have turned each one of those questions into a full article, and now my "worry list" has turned into Musicians-Make-It.com. Musicians have to deal with much more than just music, but they usually get blind-sided by all their worries because they never see them coming, too distracted by all the hype.
Most websites for serious musicians will tell you the same old spiel: "Music lessons from teachers all over the world! Access to great professionals! Theory lessons made easy!" I have even used some of these web sites, and I think they are great, but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder, "where is the advice?"-- advice on what it really takes to make a successful living through music.
It was really tough, deciding to pursue a career in music when many of my friends were pre-med, engineering, or business majors, and to be honest, it gets really lonely at times.
But I know there are hundreds, thousands of others just like me, who have the same concerns, the same ambitions, and Musicians-Make-It.com is a ground for them to come together, to explore a greater side of being a musician. Music schools can only teach you so much, and most teachers won't have time to share with you their experiences as a musician (unless you want to pay $32 an hour to hear them talk).
I don't claim to be an expert-- as a college music student, I am still just beginning to build my life through music, but at the very least, I know one thing:
Musicians Make It.
Every day, dreamers make it to the top. And I think we can do it too, with the right mindset, the right support, and the right motivation.
That's why Musicians-Make-It.com takes musicianship to a whole new level, a much more personal one. I think it's the change in mindset that could make someone go from "I don't think I can do this", to "I know I can", and I believe this because that's what happened to me when I began to change my perspective, to look for answers to my questions.
If you'd like to know more about me and this website, click here. Otherwise, everything you need to know can be found by using the buttons on the left-hand side of the page.
Thanks for visiting!
-Nehal Parikh
|
