Life and Times of a Music Major 2.0

Freshman year of college is a huge transition. It is the student's first real experience of life on their own. The student makes his/her own schedule, chooses whether or not to attend class, decides when to clean their dorm room, when to do laundry, if he/she should stay up with friends and watch another movie or go to sleep to be well-rested for that 8:00 a.m. lecture. College is a huge life adjustment! I believe, at least in my case, that it is every parent's wish that they have prepared their child and equipped him/her with the skills to make the appropriate choices that will lead the student to a successful college career and ultimately a successful professional career.

In my opinion, music majors don't receive enough credit for that actual time it takes to be successful. What I mean by that, is most schools list ensembles (i.e. wind bands, orchestras, marching bands, jazz bands, choirs) with 1 credit hour, however, the amount of time that the student actually spends in rehearsal, not to mention out of rehearsal preparation, is definitely not proportionate. Furthermore, for music majors, their private instruction with their major professor is their most important class. Although it meets once a week for an hour, the preparation needed to be successful is not always factored in. 

For the small percentage of students that are extremely type A and love organizing their time and making lists (ahem-my sister), there is really no issue. However, for the majority of students I've met and taught, it seems to be a harsh reality to discover their 30 minute cramming for their private lesson was not as effective as it was for their history exam.

 How do we combat our inherent ability to procrastinate and ensure productivity?

It's all about scheduling, my friends!


At the beginning of the semester I have all of my students bring their class schedules and work schedules to their lessons and together we map out a typical week including all rehearsals, classes, and jobs. The next thing I add is 1 hour of practice each day. In my opinion, that is the absolute BARE MINIMUM acceptable for anyone seeking to be a professional musician. That being said, I'd rather have 20 minutes of focused practice, than 4 hours of nonproductive playing - but alas, that is another blog topic!

The next step is to add the essentials: meal times, mental health time, physical health time, study time. To be honest, it wasn't until graduate school that I realized the importance of mental and physical health and how they aided or deterred from my productivity. 

While it is up to each individual to be the keeper of their schedule, I find that having this conversation from the very beginning of the semester helps set the student up for success. In addition, the student is then made aware of the importance and the expectation of individual practice within the collegiate world.

Hope this tidbit helps and stay tuned for more!