How to Survive Music School

behindthebridgeblog

Five Things Every Student Should Know

by Mahaliah Edwards

As a second year undergraduate, I’m half-way through my BMus course – the English equivalent to a Bachelor of Music. I like to think I’ve learned a few things about surviving as a music student. Without further ado:

Make the most of every opportunity

Take advantage of your student status! Many stores, online retailers and concert venues offer some sort of student discount or concession - find out what is available to you. My local concert venues offer tickets for students at a very low price for any seat in the hall, so there is no excuse for me to turn down the chance to see exciting concerts. Last semester, I saw the world-renowned violinist James Ehnes for £5 ($6)! Any student will be aware that studying is expensive and any way of saving can only be a good thing.

(Even when that opportunity is free time.)

Additionally, after speaking to my various tutors, coaches and mentors, it has become clear that life as a student accommodates the most time for practice. and When you launch into the profession, time for practicing is drastically reduced. This little word of advice has really made me appreciate the fact that as a violin student at conservatoire, I have excellent facilities to enhance my practice. I urge any music student to treasure the practice rooms and other facilities at your institution, and to make as much use of them as you can.

Organization!

Diaries, journals, and calendar are your best friends. Without these things your life will surely be very difficult, unless you possess a really gifted memory. Life at any college or university is very busy and even more so for musicians. I know from personal experience that along with my weekly timetable, numerous projects, and rehearsals with different ensembles, I would not be able to function without my planner. I like the fact that I can clearly see every class or event for the coming week. Whether your preference is the calendar on a portable device or a tangible diary or calendar, it is an essential for every student musician.

Find an equilibrium in life & Know your limits!

It is important to have a balanced life. Studying and practice can often take up most of our time, leaving little time to do other things we enjoy. I’ve learnt that as much as I want to work hard and see the results of my hard work, it is impossible and impractical to constantly be in work mode. Having down time, enjoying life is a good antidote. For me, doing things that are completely unrelated to music help refresh myself. On the other hand, the highlight of some students’ lives might be going out. Indulging in too much partying is impractical and doesn’t reap great results. Although it’s not always easy, finding a healthy balance is a sure-fire way to be on top op everything and makes life a little less stressful.

Establish yourself

During your time at a music college or conservatory, you should have an idea about your career goals. It’s never too early to envision yourself as an artist in the industry. Try to figure out your place in the music world. For me having career aspirations is my main driving force through music college. The fact that I have an idea of where I want to be in the future makes the everyday struggles of studying and practicing easier. Don’t let your status as a student deter you from going for what you want. If you want to be an orchestral musician, go on orchestral courses. Many institutions have partnerships with local orchestras where they have side-by-side schemes and students can rehearse alongside the professionals. If you want to be a music journalist or critic, why not start a blog now and publish your own writing? Whether you want to be a soloist or session musician you should definitely launch your website, Youtube Channel, SoundCloud account in addition to other social media. Start putting yourself out there whilst you’re a student and you’ll have good prospects for when you graduate.

New York, By The Way: Urban Photography by Ludwig Favre

Surreal neon and pastel colors photos of New York by Ludwig Favre, talented 42-year-old photographer, artist, filmmaker and Panasonic Lumix Ambassador from Paris, France. Ludwig specializes in major cities and urban landscapes. His latest series “New York, By The Way” shows the New York City in amazing pastel and neon colors.

klanstbite

The other day my mom said something that i found really insulting to the 2d animation movies, she said that they stopped doing those because they were no longer appealing to the audience and that they were supposed to be discontinued, and i just thought how bullshit of an argument that is.

Comparing 2d animation with 3d and saying one is superior is like saying that digital art is better than traditional art, better than the fucking Mona Lisa, The creation of Adam, in fact, is a pretty ignorant comparation to do because one does not suprass the other, but new techniques are getting invented and we invest in those more.

Is just another way of animation, in fact, the shitty move all those studios did by closing their 2d animation studios eas pointless and it´s gonna cost them greatly, because someday people are gonna want to go back to the 2d animation and studios like Disney or Dreamworks will be too scared to do that, that will be the day that other studios will take upon them and give us what we want.

2D animation has the most beautiful animation i´ve ever seen, there´s something in it that i can´t explain that makes a big difference from watching cgi, and what i think would make a great combination is the great amount of details that you see in CGI and 3D movies into 2D techniques so you could expect to see shit like this

Atlantis (2001)