We can’t tell whether you’re a prodigy but it sure sounds like you’re passionate about music! That is a much more important quality for successfully pursuing music on a more serious level. Professional music requires a lot of hard work and those who learn how to work efficiently and effectively at it tend to do better than those for whom it comes easy.

We assume you are taking private lessons – if not, that’s a great way to improve your proficiency. And once you get to high school, look for summer music camps and programs to take you even farther. These will help when it comes time to apply and audition for a college-level music program, if that’s the direction you want to take when it’s time. And spend time reading about different careers on MajoringInMusic.com.

First of all, we encourage you to give up the idea of becoming a prodigy – it’s a waste of your time.

Instead, focus on how much you love playing the piano. Take lessons to improve your proficiency and to learn how to practice and play without injury that often comes from incorrect posture and repetitive motion activity. Create for yourself a strong practice schedule that includes playing scales. Learn some music theory to help you better understand piano. And listen to lots of music from different genres and on different instruments. For next summer, consider summer music programs where you can learn even more.

Regardless of what you do with music, you’ll be developing a lifelong love and appreciation that will enrich your life forever.

Perfect pitch (also known as absolute pitch), the ability to identify pitch, tone and key signature or sing a specific pitch without a reference, is a rare talent. While often thought of as genetic, it has also been known to develop through early and extensive musical training. It is not a prerequisite for being a successful musician.

You have plenty of time before having to make a decision about your college major. So take this time to explore! Learn about different areas of music as well as about medicine. Take violin lessons and practice and perform regularly. And take summer music programs over the next few years to improve your proficiency, learn music theory, improve your sight reading, determine whether majoring or double majoring in music is the right path to pursue, and prepare in case you do decide to audition for a college music program.

We encourage you to read this article and share it with your parents: Music or Medicine? Great Tips for Doing Both. Note that we also offer fee-based consulting for students who don’t find what they need on MajoringInMusic.com. This may be of interest to you and your parents at some point.

If there’s still time before you need to apply, take a summer music program. Beside improving your proficiency technique and musicianship, you’ll learn a lot about whether majoring in music is right for you. You’ll also gain wonderful music mentors who can help you look to the future regarding majors and careers. And you’ll meet other students who are passionate about music and who also dream of performing in a symphony – it will give you a sense of what the competition might look like as well as inspire you to practice more efficiently and effectively.

Note that you can continue playing and performing regardless of whether you actually major in music. And if you major in music and decide to pursue a different path career-wise, the good news is that you’ll have gained skills in addition to technique that transfer to any profession. If you are a strong academic student, consider liberal arts schools with strong music programs where you don’t have to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year. You can take lessons and theory right from the start but will have more time to explore other areas as well.

Schools that require auditions will expect you to audition in your senior year on the instrument you’re strongest on (your “primary instrument”). This is the instrument you would focus on as a music major. From your comment, it sounds like that would be tuba. Many schools allow you or even expect you to take lessons on a second instrument and all schools will want you to have keyboard skills – especially important for composing and music theory.

Ask your music teacher for feedback on your performance skills and then look at the websites of schools where you may want to apply next year. See what the audition requirements are and whether you’ll be ready to start getting your repertoire together this summer so that you can audition well. Also see which schools offer music as a minor and, if so, see whether minoring in music could meet your needs. It’s easy to find out this information and much more from the Participating Schools section on MajoringInMusic.com.

Great question. We suggest you start by getting a lesson from one or more of the schools you’re interested in applying to – and getting feedback on your proficiency. If that’s not possible, ask your current music teacher(s) for feedback. Know that if you audition and are not accepted, you may still be able to take lessons and perform in ensembles that you would audition for once you got to school. Also consider minoring in music, or applying for a BA rather than a BM degree. If you are a strong academic student, liberal arts colleges are another way to go – you wouldn’t have to declare your major until your sophomore year.

With good technical voice and aural skills training and a lot of hard work, you have a great shot at being able to develop your voice. It’s also important to define “success” for yourself. Read the articles on MajoringInMusic.com about what it takes to work as a musician – and you’ll see that it’s more than just technique. We also highly suggest attending summer music programs where you can learn so much more about being a musician without having to juggle school work at the same time (see our Summer Music Camps & Programs section for ideas).

One lesson a month is probably not enough to make the kind of progress you’d like. We suggest you try weekly lessons if at all possible, to jumpstart your progress. We also think you would really benefit from taking a summer music program. You’d get lessons, music theory, practice time, opportunities to perform with others – without the burden of school. It’s a great way to boost your proficiency and also see whether you are able and willing to put as much time into your instrument as you’ll need to if you want to go on to major in music in college and want a career in music. Check out our Summer Music Camps & Programs section to start your search for a good summer program.

We encourage you to start taking private cello lessons as soon as possible and also plan on taking a summer music program so you can be well prepared for auditions when you’re a senior. Each school determines who it will give merit-based scholarships to based on the audition as well as how much they need what you can offer for their program. Your family will also want to fill out the FAFSA form when you’re a senior to be considered for need-based aid as well. See our Scholarships section to learn more about FAFSA on the right side of the page. Note that on the Scholarships section there are also other kinds of scholarships that are open to high school students – check each one carefully. Good luck to you!