Student Blog: For Future Students of the Arts

Hello!

I'm very happy to say that I finished my studies in Music Performance earlier this month. Throughout the last three years, I have learned many valuable lessons that can be applied to being a student, building a career, or just navigating your personal life. Whether you're about to enter your first year as an arts student, or you already have many years under your belt, I hope you can take some inspiration from these lessons that I have to share. 

Starting with some practical advice: it is never too early to start planning. I was given a list of all the courses I had to take, and I would look at it frequently when planning for future semesters. It's normal for confusion to arise when you are trying to make sense of your required classes. For example, you may be exempt from a class, whether that be through placement testing, or previous test scores from high school, and not even know it! As such, it's helpful to find a professor you can go to with any questions, even if it's not the advisor you are assigned.

One mindset that I try to maintain is to never be afraid of the word "next". I think it's possible to get overwhelmed by this idea that whatever fun project you're working on will soon be a thing of the past, and that you have to be constantly planning for what's to come. When you get closer to graduating, it especially seems that more and more people start asking what your plans are for the future. Just remember that there are opportunities everywhere, and they all come in different forms. The opportunity to write for this blog just jumped at me while scrolling on Instagram. It really can be as simple as that. On the other hand, I was able to find work at my school's library by just asking if there was an open position. All this is to say that there will be opportunities that you just have to carve out for yourself. 

Finally, the single most important thing you need is to be your own biggest cheerleader. There really is no wrong way to be a student, but you will be faced with a lot of decisions: what you wear, who you hang out with, what clubs you end up joining, what you do outside of school, and plenty of others. You may end up getting involved in a ton of things, or none at all. You may work faster or slower than those around you.

Look back on your work every now and then, and celebrate the little victories that you have achieved along the way. There will be plenty of opinions on what you do, whether that be from family, teachers, and other students. You must be able to stand by yourself in every decision that you make.

Overall, I genuinely believe that these past three years have gone exactly as they were meant to, and I wouldn't change a thing. I look forward to growing my skills as a musician outside of the classroom, and I look forward to what comes next. For everyone starting at a new school soon, I hope you have a wonderful time and that you end up doing what you love, whether there are changes to your plans along the way or not.