Where do I go?

[rob_ze]

Hey everyone at Pianostreet,
I haven't been a member long but I could use some advice if anyone could spare a little time about career direction with music.

I am 23 and I really enjoy music. I play guitar and learn a lot of basic songs by ear, finding the key and playing along with extra notes/skills.

Its not untill recently in my life I have decided to start taking lessons in Music. Everyday I have ideas, melodies or lyrics in my head in which I write down. I want to learn theory and piano to start producing my own music. However this is the problem.

I live in a small town south of England. I would travel to London to study but I really do not know the direction I need to take to start my career. I have no music GCSE (school grades) and my other grades are pretty basic.

Is being 23 too late to start music for a career? My ideal job would be writing songs for someone.

Would it be best to search for a course at a college or find a private tutor? However to start a course I would need basic qualifications like GCSE music.

In short: Where do you start a career in Music Writing/Producing at the age of 23?

Its frustrating because just a couple of minutes ago I found out there's a school in London of Arts for aged 13+ through government funding. If I had my mind from this age back then I would of signed my life away without hesitation and studied at that school. But right now I am thinking you are only lucky to have your eyes open to a direction like that.

Thanks in advance.
Rob.

[m1469]

Is being 23 too late to start music for a career?

I would say, no, it's not too late.

Would it be best to search for a course at a college or find a private tutor? However to start a course I would need basic qualifications like GCSE music.

In short: Where do you start a career in Music Writing/Producing at the age of 23?

Ultimately, I still believe in formal education and aside from its professional uses and what it can communicate to your audience, I do believe in the actual education you can get, the friends you can make, and the connections you can find.  I also think there are huge benefits to having a private teacher, too.  In your case, I think you would benefit from private instruction from somebody who has a good understanding of the business and formal education, and can help you prepare for formal courses.  At this point, private instruction will give you the attention you need to help point you in the right direction.

However, it's also possible to just write your stuff down, get it going on your guitar, and start building an audience in person and online.  There is nothing saying you can't do that!    

Its frustrating because just a couple of minutes ago I found out there's a school in London of Arts for aged 13+ through government funding. If I had my mind from this age back then I would of signed my life away without hesitation and studied at that school. But right now I am thinking you are only lucky to have your eyes open to a direction like that.

Thanks in advance.
Rob.

You know, I used to get deeply upset over this and it's taken me a really long time to come to terms with all of it (I do need to keep progressing, though).  Part of my coming to terms with it involves finding the teachers that I have, and to be learning what I am learning.  I started playing when I was really young, I've been musical all my life, I decided when I was about 7 that I wanted to learn everything there is to know about the piano, and when I was 10 I wanted to be a teacher (though, I didn't think specifically about being a piano teacher at that time).  I had a couple years of private study in my adolescense, but that's it and didn't formally start again until I reached University.  Starting off in formal ways when you are young, getting pointed in "the right direction" when you are young isn't just about having talent, or having the desire.  It takes other people to recognize the right things and help you get what you need, too.  

The world of music has changed A LOT (from my perspective) during these decades.  Lately, I even wonder if there are some ways in which I am actually better off the way my life has gone, as though something about what music means to me was meant for the right people and the right time, and that just wasn't actually in my younger years.

Depending on what level of writing you'd like to do, there can be so much to learn and time is always of the essence.  But, I think the only time it's actually too late is the moment you decide it is.  That doesn't mean it's going to be easy, though, but there will be people and places with open doors, too.

[bleicher]

I think Access to Music is worth investigating. It specialises in popular music and its courses also have a very strong element of learning about how to get on in the music business. Here's its website: https://www.accesstomusic.co.uk/courses/

Other places to look are Morley College and City Lit, both adult education courses with excellent music departments.