Musicians are always learning. That is a fact! Through our first private lessons to high school ensembles to jamming with friends, there will always be hidden parts of music for us to unlock and explore. I have had many amazing mentors and a variety of experiences that have made me the musician I am today, but in this blog I would like to share a mere 3 things about my time at University that made me a better musician.
How we play it is as important as what we play. I came from a background in marching percussion which is a very precise and technical style of drumming. The real thing I was missing was my ability to play the drums musically. I learned how to create the smallest of changes and intonations in my sound that I didn’t even know existed. It opened up a whole new world of percussion that I have now taken into my marching percussion.
Community is better than competition. The percussion studio at Laurier was always so helpful. My theory with percussionists is that because we have to play so many different instruments in so many different styles, not one of us could possibly be the best at everything. Therefore we would often talk to each other about our strengths and weaknesses and would always help out each other where we could. We wanted the section to succeed and that meant sharing our intellectual resources.
You do not need a degree to make music. When you are in High School the thought is that you need a music degree to make music. Although it definitely helps, I know now that there is a lot more to someone’s credibility of a musician that receiving a piece of paper. Talent, education, expression, creativity, teamwork and performance are not always learned through an institution. I learned a lot at university and I would not change that, however I also learned not to look down on those who are creating meaningful awesome music just because they don’t have a music degree.
There are many other things I learned at University but these are the main three that changed the way I view music. Education is important, but so is creating and exploring without limitations.
P.s. I dedicate this post to my parents for supporting me and assisting in funding me through school. They are proud of me and I have a new respect for their level of patience!
Hilary