From the standpoint of a musician, how you can approach your final choice of a university, college or conservatory?
Musicians come from many backgrounds, hold many interests and wear many hats. Let’s face it, every musician I know is a student and a teacher of life. We are naturally curious people and tend to gravitate towards many different subjects and then happily go on to share that knowledge with others.
Maybe it is the challenge of learning that inspires all artists.
Maybe this is why we as musicians sometimes find focusing on one major subject such a challenge. College suddenly becomes a candy store where we find ourselves standing at the counter with so many choices. It can become paralyzing!
So, here you are at this new fork in the road and it is time to make a decision. For a lot of young and serious musicians it comes down to a major life choice. Do you continue as a musician or do you drop all of the music you have worked on for the past 5 to 13 years and continue onto another completely different path?
I guess the bigger question for young musicians who really can't live without playing their instrument could be: Can you make money being a musician? ~ Yes you can, but I will save that topic for my next blog.
The other great challenge is being the parent of a musical teen. I do believe that parents have to remain involved while allowing their teens to lead the way. Parents are the ultimate training wheels when it comes to their kids and only you as a parent know when to take those training wheels off and put them back on again as your teen grows into an adult.
So stepping back and allowing your teen to take the reins can be fun and a bit scary at the same time. This is true especially since we as parents want the absolute best for our children. You started your children in music because you saw the possibilities and strengths that music creates. You knew that music was great for them! This was a huge investment of money and years of work and practice and I commend you for that!
So, let's reflect back a bit and create a base from which to move forward.
Follow your bliss.
~ Remember what makes you happy. What activities do you do now or in the past that make you focus so well it creates a loss of time or Being in the Zone? Maybe it is practicing your instrument, maybe not.
That you are already enough.
~ You really are and when you realize this, you will feel better about the decisions you make. You are on a journey. Just because you are not at the end of this journey, doesn’t mean that you don’t have what it takes to get there.
That you already have everything inside you to move forward confidently. Think about it.
~ You have made it through kindergarten, elementary school, middle school and high school. You can make it through college, trust me.
That this process takes time.
~ Maybe you will figure out what you want to do before you start college, maybe you won’t. That is okay too. Just create a type of road map to follow by coming up with ideas and recognizing your strengths. Go for your strengths first as it is easier to move forward and face new challenges. As you start down this path, give yourself permission to change and grow as needed. Changing your mind is not failure. Changing your mind is a part of life.
I hope this helps!
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