Learning how to play an instrument is one thing. Having the dedication and the drive to turn your love for music into a professional career and attending music school is a whole new level of commitment. If you’ve made it this far: Congrats! You’ve gotten further than many other passionate musicians.
Music school is a learning opportunity for students and should never be taken for granted. As a new college student ready to make the most out of the experience, here are five costly mistakes you should avoid.
Not making connections
School is more than just assignments and practice. It’s also about the connections you make and the people you meet throughout the years. Organized events, clubs, and other school-sponsored activities are great opportunities for engaging with like-minded individuals and building friendships that will last for years to come.
Once you graduate and start to look for ways to get your foot in the door and further your career, you’ll have a network of connections you can count on to help! At a music school like Musicians Institute, making connections on campus can mean graduating with a solid band, and meeting your future manager or recording engineer.
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Learning to play too fast
When you’re first learning how to play an instrument, it can be easy to feel like you need to play faster or pick up the pace after learning a song. While learning to play faster may sound like a natural progression once you’ve successfully mastered a melody, that’s not always the case.
This can dramatically impact your muscle memory in the long run. Take some time to enjoy the natural progression of learning how to play a song. Slow down, enjoy the tune, and focus on finetuning your skills rather than learning how to play faster. Speed will come with experience.
Playing without purpose
You decided to go to music school for a reason: Don’t forget that! When you sit down and practice, make sure you eliminate all distractions and try your best to focus on building your muscle memory and improving your current skill set. Take your practice seriously, and always remember the reason you started playing.
Not asking for help
When you go to music school, you’re going there to learn. Underutilizing your resources and being too afraid to reach out for help when you need it, can take away from your learning experience.
Many music students fail to ask their instructors or peers for guidance because they’re afraid to admit they don’t know how to do something. It’s okay if you don’t know everything! Let your teacher guide you to be the best version of yourself, so you can get the most out of your time at music school. If you don’t, this can negatively impact your growth and cause you to progress slower than you originally intended.
Make time for daily practice
Just because you spend countless hours in class focusing on music now doesn’t mean you should cut out practice. In fact, for some individuals, it makes sense to practice more now! Make sure you’re still making time for your daily practice so you can see progress and grow as a musician.
Not living on campus
There’s a reason many college campuses require first-year students to live on campus their first year. This is because living on campus can enhance your college experience and encourage engagement among classmates. Even if your college doesn’t offer on-campus living, reach out to see what other options they have! That way, you can live with people going through the same experiences.
Further your music career with MI
At MI, we want to help you take your career to the next level. We help students sharpen their skill sets and take full advantage of the music school experience. If you’re passionate about playing an instrument and ready to take the next step in your music career, you’ve come to the right place.
Request more information today to see if our programs are a good fit for you.