Comments on: What! More Practicing? Key Questions https://majoringinmusic.com/music-majors-practicing/ Music school, Music major, Music career Thu, 05 Jul 2018 13:07:05 +0000 hourly 1 By: HLT https://majoringinmusic.com/music-majors-practicing/#comment-114880 Thu, 05 Jul 2018 13:07:05 +0000 http://majoringinmusic.com/?p=395#comment-114880 I agree with the previous comment. Unless you come from a wealthy family or someone who supports you financially giving you time to devote solely to practice and study and daily living, it’s very difficult to pursue one’s art without acquiring decades of debt. Even in the early 1990s when tuition wasn’t as much as today, I was working to put myself through school in addition to paying my mother rent (tough love, i guess), my car, insurance, etc. I lived frugally, didn’t go out much, had a used car, didn’t put my money in frivolous places and gave up on music to pursue a more lucrative career. It paid off and though money does not buy happiness all the time, it sure makes life a little easier. It is important to follow one’s dream but you can make other dreams or put one off to another time in your life. I am now 48 and re-discovering music after years of raising family and working, and with grown children I NOW have the time to practice and really enjoy it. I think the above writer was correct that you begin to resent your art when all other areas of life are pressing in.

]]> By: Mark https://majoringinmusic.com/music-majors-practicing/#comment-88059 Fri, 22 Sep 2017 17:46:15 +0000 http://majoringinmusic.com/?p=395#comment-88059 Why I will never recommend music as a major to a student that must keep a job while in school, and why I will never recommend going to a liberal arts university.

Between classes , the recommended 3 hours of practice for primary instrument, the hour of piano profencincy practice, one hour need led for ensemble practice, the three hours needed to study for general education classes, the 2 hours needed to write drafts of one paper… you’re now at 9 hours of practice and study. Classes will take 5 hours a day..You’re now at 14 hours.

Walking to classes or commuting… add 90 minutes.

15.5 hours

Lunch/Dinner – if you’re fast, you can do this in 1/2 hour max, if you always eat on campus or eat out.

16 hours

Laundry/cleaning/household chores- 30 minutes

16.5 hours

Showering/bathroom breaks/getting dressed/brushing teeth/etc…. 30 minutes

17 hours

Medically recommend sleep-

7.5 hours

Total…

24.5 hours… let’s make that 7 hours of sleep for 24 hours.

Didn’t mention work, or making enough money to pay the bills, but if you work weekends you might can get in 8-12 hours at $10-15 per hour. Oh… wait, marching band on Saturdays; there goes one day!

This is exactly what my time log showed for one semseter; it is not an exaggeration. This was also a compromise because if I followed all the minimum study/practice recommendations, I would be at 12 hours, not 9. I somehow managed to keep a 3.38 GPA.

At the mid-term point of the semester, I was told the solution was to get a private loan. I’ve stockpiled enough debt, I’ll pass.

The result was extreme anxiety and a unhealthy case of imposters syndrome. No wonder the music world is filled with divorces, and drug use. I’m not surprised that public schools are seeing a reduction in music students.

Beco

It’s a joke. Instead of enjoying the art, you become a slave too it.

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