What Music School Won't Do For You.

As I began to research different music schools around the nation, I noticed a vast number of negative reviews claiming something like, "Berklee (Just an example) is such a bad school! They didn't teach me anything and now I don't have a job!"

A vast majority of aspiring musicians seems to have developed this misconception that after 4 years of music school, or hours of lessons with a private instructor, they will become good musicians.

False.

The problem with this is, these musicians have come to think that their instructors are going to teach them music, and by sitting in the presence of a music educator they will magically become better.

The Truth:

Music schools don't teach you. Music lessons don't make you better. There are no magic tricks, no shortcuts. You are your own teacher, and if you want to be any good you must take your education into your own hands. A lot of people can't handle this, which explains the majority of these bad reviews, as well as the high drop rates. Truth is, a lot of these music students are just too damn lazy.

There are two types of music students-- active learners and passive learners. An active learner takes the initiative to explore new concepts on his/her own time, constantly reviews material from classes, and overachieves. The passive learner is merely present in class, completing the work s/he is given, and nothing more. The big difference is, a passive learner is a student, whereas the active learner is a teacher to him/herself.

The path for musicians is marked with intense competition, and you will encounter hundreds of amazing players throughout your career. To become your very best, you need to be active about your education. This doesn't mean get stressed out and work all the time, it just means that you need to take it into your own hands, and assume full responsibility. Don't blame your teacher because you don't understand something-- find a way to understand it, seek out help if you need to, but don't get lazy and become one of the many music school dropouts.

Realize this:

Your music education merely provides you with the tools for learning, it shows you what to learn. It is up to you to actually do the learning, to really experiment and find out how it works for you.

An analogy:

Your music education is the equivalent of someone handing you a pile of wood, some nails, a hammer, and instructions on how to build a birdhouse-- you can stare at it all you want, but unless you actually get to working, the birdhouse wont get built. Some people might just put the wood together without much thought, while others may take the time to create intricate designs, or even a whole new model. If you are truly passionate about your music career, this desire to rise above expectations will come naturally to you. You will get excited to learn new material every day and to achieve as much as you feel you can.

The Expectations:

Music schools create their courses for the average student, and let's face it, if you are an average musician, you don't need to be a musician at all. For this reason, you should rise above what is expected from your teachers, and instead create your own expectations based on how you value yourself.

The right mindset:

I finally figured it out a few months ago. It's not enough to work hard, or complete all the materials. I was looking at my friends all around me, who were pre-med, or engineering, or biology majors, spending late nights studying and absorbing material. I made it my mission to work just as hard as any of them in my music education. So every time they cracked open their textbooks, I stepped into the practice rooms; every time they wrote a paper, I wrote a song. I was, and still am determined to be the hardest working musician I can be.

My rationale for this was simple: I see so many students who seem to get absolutely no enjoyment or satisfaction out of their career path, yet they spend hours and hours a day working towards it. On the other hand, I am so incredibly passionate about music, and I love every minute of it, so I really have no reason to work any less than them!

Don't get caught up in this misconception that music is just a "fun, easy major." If it's ever easy, you aren't working hard enough. You should push your limits every chance you get.

It really is in your own hands. At most, you will spend about an hour a week with your private lesson teacher, and a few hours in class. Every other minute of the day, you are your own teacher, you are the one who needs to find a way to master the material you have been shown.

Before you get too stressed out about this whole process, remember that all that matters is that you are working to your potential. Don't get caught up in numbers, it doesn't matter if you practice 6 hours a day or 30 minutes, it only matters what you get out of it. But be warned that success does not come to passive musicians, you must actively reach for your goals and strive to become the best possible musician you can be.

Feedback? Questions? Don't hesitate to email me! Nehal@Musicians-Make-It.com