One of the best things about being a music student is that you’re already among the lucky ones. Unlike many other students that go to college just to figure out what to do with their lives – you probably already know that you want a career in music. Moreover, you’re also lucky enough to pursue this career.
However, this itself doesn’t make this less easy. Music students could struggle during their first year in college just like all the other students do. But you could change that and make everything easier for you by following these 10 useful tips.
- Create a routine.
As a music student, you should prepare yourself for methodical and regular work. There’s no way to become a professional musician or performer without finding time regularly to build and hone your skills.
But you should approach your other routines in the same way. Because besides regular practice you’ll also need to pay attention to your studies, complete various home assignments, have some social and personal life, and so on.
Therefore, find some time to create a certain routine. Making a schedule, testing it, and sticking to it could help you not only complete your academic assignments and daily tasks better but also to feel less stressed in the process.
- Keep in touch with the industry.
Just like design students need to spend a certain amount of time checking out the works of the others, music students need to familiarize yourself with the music industry more. The way you do that largely depends on your specialization, but some general recommendations could be listening to music (and checking out different music genres), keeping up with the industry news, reading some magazines, and so on.
- Learn how to be independent (in the most effective way).
Probably one of the toughest things about college is that it requires you to take care of yourself and maybe even do things you’ve never done before, from managing your finances to cooking your meals.
For music students, this could be even more stressful as the workload is often very big and hard to keep up with. However, don’t panic because of that – instead, use this opportunity to make your own priorities clear, to learn how to be independent, and how to stick to the commitments you make, both to yourself and to others.
- Invest in good headphones.
This also largely depends on your specialization, of course. But if you are a music student, you’ll most likely need to spend a lot of time using your ears. Therefore, it’s important to take good care of them and purchase some headphones that are very good if not pro.
Doing so could both help you avoid straining your ears too much and make the most of the listening as well.
- Plan your rest.
When you need to study, complete your daily tasks, and do a lot of rehearsals, you do need to rest properly. Finding time for rest could be challenging sometimes – but not if you plan it in advance.
No matter how busy you are, consider planning something that relaxes you, from meeting with your friends to binge-watching your favorite TV show. If your schedule gets too intense, maybe even consider turning to custom writing service for help – saving some nerves and finding some time to rest is definitely worthy of money spend.
- Do something that clears your mind.
It’s always good to have a hobby or an activity that allows you to de-stress quickly or simply helps to clear your mind quickly even when your schedule is super busy. It could be anything, from meditation to musical activity. You could joy a band, start running or start a creative hobby – everything is fine as long as it helps you to unwind.
- Learn the software.
These days we have all this amazing software to help us both with recording the music and with writing it. So if you are a singer, a musician or even a future music producer, consider spending some time and mastering the appropriate software even if your courses don’t require you to. This could help you a lot and ease your work greatly in the future.
- Don’t forget to network.
It never hurts to emphasize the importance of networking and how the college could help you with that. While making friends already could help you grow as a musician and have some valuable connections after graduation, also consider networking with some of your professors if you have a possibility to do so.
- Find time to take care of your physical health as well.
Many college students often overlook the importance of taking care of your health during college years. While finding some time for working out and eating properly is no easy thing to do, this could help you feel more energized, cope with your tasks more effectively, and also spend less money on doctors after graduation. So be sure to take care of that – and also try to get enough sleep no matter what.
- Feel confident, but not overconfident.
Being accepted into a music college is already great. Passing some other auditions is even greater. But no matter how much successes or failures you’ll experience, don’t let them affect you too much.
Know who you are and don’t get carried away after the first successful performance. Always accept constructive criticism with grace and never stop learning and improving.
Do your best to make the most out of your college years – but don’t forget that it requires a lot of work from you too. And remember that your practice and self-improvement doesn’t end after graduation. If you want to become a professional musician or performer, work hard, never stop, and you will definitely succeed.
About the Author: Richard Nolan is a professional educator and team building coach, sharing his experience in spheres of writing, blogging, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Richard writes for numerous blogs and gives useful tips for bloggers and students.
