What are the chances for me 2

[persona]

A few days ago kghayesh posted a topic asking wether he should start a musical carrer or not. I find myself in a very similar situation, but with a few differences, so I'd like your opinions aside.

I'm 19 and I started playing the piano a year ago. I practice quite a lot, and my repertoire is: Haydn's Piano Sonata N 42 (3rd movement), Mozart's Piano Sonata in G (K311, 1st movement), Handel's Allegro form the Aylesford Pieces, CPE Bach's Solfegietto (with some effort) and Beethoven's Sonatina in F (anh 5/2, movements 1 & 2), among other easier pieces.
(PS: all these pieces can be found (along with their midi's) on either www.mutopiaproject.org or www.music-scores.com, except from Haydn's 42nd, which is played on both sites much slower than it should)

Now, here are the differences between the other fellow and me:

I just started my engeneering career this year, I have 5 more left (and I don't like it one bit already).

From my personal experience, I can tell you it's impossible for me to dedicate fully to both music and engeneering.

I'm not concerned about social prestige at all, as long as I can make a living.

And finally, my goal is not to be an internationally respected performer (since I know it's impossible), but rather to be able to make a living out of teaching, or anything else I can do.

So, I have two questions:
Should I start a musical career now in spite of my limited one year experience, or is it going to be impossible for me to keep up with the rest of the students? And, if I manage to graduate, will I be able to make a living out of teaching, accompanying, and so on, or will I starve?

[canardroti]

I will  answer your post just as i answered kghayesh's, since you're in a different situation and you're still really young, I would say to go for it.
I started playing piano at the age of 20. I've been playing for 3 years now, I've worked really hard and am really enjoying what i'm doing.
I used to study biology to be a physical therapist and I never felt comfortable in class , I'd always sit and tell myself " what am i doing here ?" , despite the fact that i still did good in class, I spent my time practicing and learning music rather than bio.
Being in University is such an eye opener, You meet so many people going back to school because they coudln't do or were afraid to do what they REALLY wanted to do because LIFE itself is a Risk and we're just trying to be as secure as possible.

To answer your question about keeping up with the other students, here's my answer: THere will always be someone better at music than you, you will face kids of 15 years of age being able to play all of Chopin's etudes to performance level .  There's alot of things to do in music and being to make a living out of it , I've noticed that the professor at my school teaching Music history, Music theory, Jazz, Band director, Etc are not virtuoso in their instrument, THEY are good, but I can name some of the students there that are better than them. THey also make a very good living teaching in universities, accompanying, teaching privately. Musicians are very versatile! Keep working hard and smart and money will follow.
I hope it helps , take care.

[persona]

Thanx man! That's exacly what I was looking forward to reading. You used to study biology, I study chemistry, but the question I keep asking myself is the same "what am I doing here?". And I'm also doing pretty good in class, but it's just not my thing.

[kau]

I just have some questions for you, sorry if they're not encouraging (maybe they are  ).  What level of playing is needed to get into a music conservatory or to become a music major in the university in your country?  It could be a pretty high level, check it out. It might take another 4 (depends on the level) years to reach that level (with hard practising). When practsising hard its quite a challenge to work at the same time - so do you have parents or someone with home you can live with so you wouldn't have to work. Then add college years to it.  If you have a place to live for free then its much more likely to achive your goal.
Just my 2 cents.

[kghayesh]

A few days ago kghayesh posted a topic asking wether he should start a musical carrer or not. I find myself in a very similar situation, but with a few differences, so I'd like your opinions aside.

Yayy! It seems I have company here 

You started piano and Engineering both 1 year ago. I started both 4 years ago, so i'll tell u my experience. Engineering is such a thing that is so demanding and you are always continuously asked to finish some work or study something. You don't rest until you finished the term, especially if you are studying in a reputable college.

Despite all my busy time, I always kept the habit of practicing everyday to keep my level of playing up to a proper level. I have improved a lot in these college years although I am doing Engineering. I went to concerts and to lessons during exam days and I was always kept under stress.

So, what I mean is that you can do well in both music and engineering if u are willing to. Of course it will need much hard work, but in the end it will feel rewarding to be a multi-talented person.

And, I understood from your post that you are ok doing anything in music (teaching, accompanying) that's great coz u have a greater and greater possibility of making a career in music. That's not the case for me, because I don't wanna go for anything in music I just want what I aspire to be, otherwise I'd stick to Engineering.

Cheers, and I'll be glad to hear more about what you do later.

[monsieurrenard]

Persona,

I'm going to be honest with you (ugh, who likes the sound of that).

You may feel miserable in class, but there is a large chance that you are going to feel miserable the rest of your life if you choose a career in music with so little experience right now. I'm not saying that you should completely abandon that thought, but that you should seriously consider what you would be doing. Most students play Solfeggietto when they are 9-12 years old and even if they love music, don't even think twice about a career. The musicians I know all went to some conservatory when they were 16.

If you want to take the risk, realize that it is a gargantuan risk, and you will need to work really, really, really hard.

Music is such a beautiful thing that it's easy to get passionate about, but passion is a fire that goes out as fast as it comes.

"Judgement, not passion should prevail."

-Epicharmus


-Monsieur Le Renard

[tac-tics]

I don't have a lot of experience (being 21 and having just started about a year ago myself), but it seems to me, music isn't really something that requires a degree. A "college educated musician" is somehow not as impressive as a "college educated engineer." The kind of studying you do for piano is something you need minimal guidance in (which classical master was it that had four different piano teachers every 18 weeks?). You should get your degree from school, but practice your heart out between and after classes. By the time you graduate, you'll have the choice of which job to look for.

[kghayesh]

The kind of studying you do for piano is something you need minimal guidance in (which classical master was it that had four different piano teachers every 18 weeks?).

You mean that studying piano involves minimal guidance from a teacher and so much work from a student or what ??

[tac-tics]

You mean that studying piano involves minimal guidance from a teacher and so much work from a student or what ??

Take what I wrote to mean whatever, but at the very least, gen eds are a honkin' big waste of time. I got a B in my music appreciation class, yet I know for a fact I found it more interesting than 90% of the 400 student class X-(