i love music but...

[blink_guy]

well firsti off, i LOVE music...gutiar to be exact...any type or any genre i just love it, i study jazz, classical, an acoustic spend about 40 hrs a week on it on top of my school work...

the bad tihng is though i want to go to music school and become a musican when im older but my parents wont alow it. they want me to be a dentist or sothming trhat will make money...i realize that music isnt the easiest course to suceed wit but i love it...an i fear that if i do somthing that i dont want to and give up music i fear that il regret it for the rest of my life...but waht do i do???with my parents and reality and all that

[MetallicAguy]

Try to convince them that a job that makes money isn't what makes you happy, and what makes you happy is more fulfilling than earning a big salary in life.

[Cynder]

Ooo, this is a tough spot. I have been there.

 

I will say that I love music too. I play the guitar, keyboards, and most recently the Violin. I was in a band the beginning of this year, but things just didn't work out with that.

 

But when I was in school I was like you, but with art. My parent s were the same way. They talked me into going to vocational school to be a Hairstylist. Which I did, I got my license, but I don't worrt as a hair stylist. I cuurenlt work as a graphic designer. I ended up going on to get my art degree anyway. My parents couldn't be prouder.

 

My advice to you is continue working hard. Eventually they will see you have the drive in you. Persue what makes you happy. I know it doesn't seem that easy now, but things will work out.

 

Also, keep something else in mind though, just in case music doesn't work out for you you have something to fall back on. And when you are trying to make it as a musician you can get a decent day job. I would suggest going to a university, Majoring in music, and minoring in something like business.

 

But, that is just my opinion.

[Batya33]

Do both. Get a license in something that is marketable and will help you make ends meet - such as teaching, for example - and work on your music part time.

[Dako]

You could drop out of school and follow your muse without giving a fig about security, and be your own person. Have faith that your artistic talent will carry you.

 

I did that and regret it every day.

Stay in school and get into a field that'll feed you well.

Play at night, or quit the day job when you land a supergig.

[skyjuice]

Hi

 

Yes, I agree with other posters.

 

You should follow your dreams.

 

I had a friend who family want her to study business degree. She failed in level 1 and not able to complete her business diploma. She struggled and stand up against her family in order to study her diploma in design. She work full time to finance her part time study. She eventually graduated and currently a designer.

 

I am very happy for her. I hope you would achieve your dream. Don't let others decide what your life should be. It is a sad thing to follow the crowd blindly. At the end, you will lost yourself.

[Clementine orange]

Follow your dreams but have a safety net.

 

Dako - I hear you!! There should be support group for people whose dreams died the hard way. The day I pawned my instruments to pay debts and rent was one of the hardest in my life. Face it, some, most people's dreams don't come true. That's life and sometimes it sucks. I bounced back though, got a career and now do music for fun only. Less stress and healthier lifestyle though every once in a while I think "I coulda been a contender".

 

Fight club: "sometimes giving up all hope is a form of freedom".

[Batya33]

You could drop out of school and follow your muse without giving a fig about security, and be your own person. Have faith that your artistic talent will carry you.

 

I did that and regret it every day.

Stay in school and get into a field that'll feed you well.

Play at night, or quit the day job when you land a supergig.

 

Yes, that's fine if you prioritize your art over having a family or a decent place to live. It all depends on how many years you choose to devote to it before taking a more practical path if it doesn't work out.

[Dako]

Somehow I suspect my second paragraph is easily overlooked.

[Mrs Elliott Smith]

Here's when you declare a double-major.

 

I play guitar as well, and wish I had started learning much younger than I had. I would've gotten into the music scene and all that, but only as a side thing (playing gigs).

 

Go for music, but do something else as a backup method!

[lusitana]

I'm with Batya and Dako - get a day job so you can quit it when you become famous! My boss is in a rock band with his wife (she's a music major who does computer stuff now) and they jam all the time and play a few gigs and have a lot of fun with it. They have a rudimentary music studio in their house. Likewise, a coworker has a colleague in our field whose band has won Grammy-like awards. I know a lot of people in music through my boyfriend and even with advanced degrees, most of them don't have jobs in their field.

 

I don't believe there's only one thing in life that can make a person happy. I think people like Guest's friend subliminally set themselves up for failure by picking something they're sure to hate. Don't be a dentist if you don't want to - there's a lot of pressure and many of them commit suicide. But would you be interested in getting a marketing degree and using it to help promote bands or concerts, or perhaps getting into public relations? Would you like to be a lawyer and specialize in copyright infringement or negotiating the terms of a rapper ripping off someone else's song and setting it to new lyrics? Becoming a journalist and reviewing music and concerts along with the current political landscape? Maybe you could be an electrician and coordinate some concert's special effects.

 

It doesn't have to make you rich, it just has to be steady and pay the bills...and allow you to purchase some exotic instruments....

[easyguy]

Well, here are my thoughts on this issue -- coming from a musician who is going to be (very likely) attending one of the most prestigous music schools in the world next year.

 

Meet and play with as many musicians as possible as soon as possible. That will expose where you fit in, the level you are at, everything. Years ago I thought I was an incredible player, but after playing with musicians (my peers) from around the country, I realized that I had a lot to work on. It put things in perspective. But then I started to really take it seriously, and things quickly started to change for the better.

 

Don't get too far ahead of yourself too soon. Give it time. Educate yourself. If you have doubts about it later on still, then follow a different path. You can still do music on the side, so music won't vanish off the face of the planet... you're just not depending on it.

 

Good luck on all of it, though. Everyone should have the opportunity to do what they love as means of making a living.

[skyjuice]

Hi

 

Update from my designer friend. She is going overseas next year for a designer post.

 

Good luck to you.

[NoComply]

simple answer

you should do what makes you happy in life

not what brings in the most money

 

id prefer to have a job that pay'd terribly, yet i was happy doing every day , than a well paid job which i hated.

 

follow your heart.

if you love your music so much, and thats the path you want to take.

then take it.

the decision does not rest with your parents.

and they should support you through whichever direction you want to take with your life.

[skyjuice]

Hi

 

I do hope every parents are supportive.

[glegend]

Why don't you become a dj. After that you can become a music producer and bring in the big $$$$$$. + You can start work on a demo album and get yourself a recorda deal.