Choice.

[theoperator]

I need your guys' help.
I've been playing piano for about 11 years now. Up until now, I've played RCM. I was forced into it at a very young age and I've been doing it up until about the start of 2010, where I finally convinced my mom to let me quit RCM and move on.

I love playing the piano, but RCM I cannot stand. I hate classical music (at least the selection that RCM provides) and I despise it and it makes me want to kill myself being forced to play it. But, I love jazz. I want to learn how to improvise and play jazz. I struggled and tried to play jazz instead of RCM for about 5 months after I quit RCM. But my schoolwork and such got in the way, so I took some time off lessons.

It has now been about 3 months since I've last played piano and I am faced with a choice. I can either go back and finish RCM (I quit at the start of grade 9, so I would have t complete grade 9 and 10), or I can pursue jazz. I really love jazz, I feel like I've wasted my life not playing it, but I am under constant pressure from my mom to complete RCM. I hate RCM, and I feel extremely depressed when I am forced to play it, but at the same time, I feel as though it might be a waste to go all the way to grade 9 and quit.

Still, I have quit RCM before, and returned to it, and quit it yet again. I always am motivated to finish the last grades so that I can finally pass grade 10. About 2 weeks later, that motivation is replaced by regret, depression and frustration. And then I quit. And later, I get that same motivation to just finish it. Its a vicious cycle.

I am now faced with a choice. I have not much time left for piano, since I'm going to graduate high school soon and move onto university where I suspect I won't have as much time for piano. What should I do? Finish up RCM and THEN pursue jazz? Or just give up on RCM? I've wrestled with this question for the past year and whenever I think about it, I get depressed. This is a serious issue for me and I need opinions from those who have been in the same boat as me. Was it worth it to pass grade 10? or was it not?

[brogers70]

First, life is long and, with luck, continues for a year or two after college. If you love jazz, do jazz. If you aren't inspired by classical music, that's too bad, there's a lot in there that ranges from happy to funny to melancholy to cynical to unbelievably clever. I really like reading this guy's take on music and playing the piano and find it inspiring, maybe you will, too. In any case, there's lots of time for music in your life.

https://jeremydenk.net/blog/

[theoperator]

First, life is long and, with luck, continues for a year or two after college. If you love jazz, do jazz. If you aren't inspired by classical music, that's too bad, there's a lot in there that ranges from happy to funny to melancholy to cynical to unbelievably clever. I really like reading this guy's take on music and playing the piano and find it inspiring, maybe you will, too. In any case, there's lots of time for music in your life.

https://jeremydenk.net/blog/

so what would your suggestion? finish RCM? or quit?

[brogers70]

so what would your suggestion? finish RCM? or quit?

The only reason to finish RCM would be if you decided you liked classical music and you wanted the credentials of having finished RCM. If you don't like it you might not like it because (1) you really don't like or (2) you've been under such pressure over RCM that it's been impossible to see anything good in it. If the answer is (1) then quit RCM, go to jazz and never look back. If the answer is (2), then you should still probably quit RCM, but later you might want to go back and look at classical music again. You can play lots of classical music without doing RCM.

[theoperator]

every time I quit RCM I feel good about it for the couple of weeks after. After that I feel regret and worry that I may regret not finishing it in the future

[brogers70]

every time I quit RCM I feel good about it for the couple of weeks after. After that I feel regret and worry that I may regret not finishing it in the future

Why would you regret it? Are you planning a career in which RCM10 is important? Would you feel like you had weaseled out of a commitment you made to yourself (or to someone else)? Do you feel like not finishing it would shut off opportunities to play classical piano in the future?

It's hard to give advice without knowing what you want. I think that if RCM10 is a goal that you truly want for yourself or if it is a necessary step towards something else which is a goal that you want, then you should finish it. But if it is neither something you value for itself nor something that you need in order to get something else that you do value. then I think you can drop it and play all the jazz you want, without looking back. The answer you want depends on you figuring out really clearly what you want and whether you need RCM to get i.

[jimbo320]

Why do people place so much importance on labels? It's not whether you finish or not that counts. What you walk away with that does. Classical has much to offer and so does Jazz. If you're at such a crossroad you must be accomplished in someway. Do what you feel is right for you. The man in the mirror is the only one to please here.

Jimbo

[becky8898]

Hi - cute handle - theoperator.  I have no idea what RCM is, but it seems to me that no matter if its classical piano or Jazz, you can always use more technique. So whatever course of action will help you with your technical mastery of the keyboad seems like the way to go. 


Adios, Becky.

[theoperator]

Why would you regret it? Are you planning a career in which RCM10 is important? Would you feel like you had weaseled out of a commitment you made to yourself (or to someone else)? Do you feel like not finishing it would shut off opportunities to play classical piano in the future?

It's hard to give advice without knowing what you want. I think that if RCM10 is a goal that you truly want for yourself or if it is a necessary step towards something else which is a goal that you want, then you should finish it. But if it is neither something you value for itself nor something that you need in order to get something else that you do value. then I think you can drop it and play all the jazz you want, without looking back. The answer you want depends on you figuring out really clearly what you want and whether you need RCM to get i.

I regret it because I spent 10 years of my life playing RCM, with the intention of completing RCM10. I have also been under relentless, constant pressure by my mom to finish. I promised her I'd finish RCM10. That is why I regret quitting.

[jimbo320]

If you made a promise, honor it. A person's word should be their bond. Just be careful what you promise in the future. Ah, completing any education can't be all bad. You're going to walk away with something of value.
You remind me a lot of a good friend of mine who hated being pressured in to playing the violin. Hated lessons and being forced to learn classical music and theory. But all that stuff he muddled through helped him play for the Chicago Symphony.
Just use this as a learning experience.....

Musically, Jimbo

[theoperator]

If you made a promise, honor it. A person's word should be their bond. Just be careful what you promise in the future. Ah, completing any education can't be all bad. You're going to walk away with something of value.
You remind me a lot of a good friend of mine who hated being pressured in to playing the violin. Hated lessons and being forced to learn classical music and theory. But all that stuff he muddled through helped him play for the Chicago Symphony.
Just use this as a learning experience.....

Musically, Jimbo

The thing is, I'm definitely not going into music as a career, its just for myself to enjoy.

[jimbo320]

So?

[theoperator]

So?

So I'm saying I might not need it.

[brogers70]

I regret it because I spent 10 years of my life playing RCM, with the intention of completing RCM10. I have also been under relentless, constant pressure by my mom to finish. I promised her I'd finish RCM10. That is why I regret quitting.

Now it makes more sense. I wouldn't worry about the 10 years you already spent - you learned techniques that will help you in any music you do. Nothing you learn is ever wasted.

I also understand wanting to stick to your promises, that's always a good thing to do. On the other hand, if your Mom had to waterboard you to get you to promise, many people would give you a pass on not keeping that particular promise.

If, independent of a promise, which might have been mercilessly squeezed out of you, you still think you'd be disappointed in yourself if you didn't finish, then I'd say just suck it up and finish.

No matter what you do, you can do it in a healthy way; you can (1) decide that you're going to stick it out because you made a commitment and you stick to your commitments - that's what you tell your jazz playing friends about why you "wasted your time doing RCM10" or you (2) decide to drop RCM because you felt you were wasting time and energy on something that wasn't taking you where you wanted to go musically - you can tell that to people who say "but how could you drop RCM, you were almost there?"

In any case I doubt that if you dropped RCM it would be out of laziness.