"Finding Your Flock"

Hello Little Red Devils class of 2017!!

            The whole transition into college was a surprise to me. I never imagined it would feel so different than it actually did. It was not a bad experience at all; it was just completely new to me. Before I started school, I felt like I knew exactly what college was going to be like and what I was going to have to do to succeed as a college student. I quickly realized that I was wrong and was not as prepared as I thought. Something that surprised me was the fact that I was pretty much on my own. Of course you have friends and professors to help you, but you have to study, practice your instrument, get up on time, and do everything else on your own. You no longer have your parents telling you to do those things. Also, the freedom of being in college was a little bit of a surprise to me. I was not really sheltered in high school but my parents did keep track of what I did and where I was. In college, you are the only person keeping track of what you are doing, so please make wise choices. Another surprise was how the whole music school is one big family. If you are struggling in a class or just having trouble, there will always be someone there to help you. I love the closeness of the Petrie School of Music.

            The biggest challenge I had to overcome was managing my time. The first year of college I struggled to try and keep up with school, practice, get involved on campus, and have a social life. It may seem like you have no time, but the key is to just make time. I found it extremely helpful to write out a schedule and to stick to it. I am a list maker, so every day I would make a “to do” list for that day. It helped me feel more organized. Another challenge was making myself practice. Everyone knows that practicing is sometimes boring and not fun but I realized that if you just do it in small increments and set daily goals for yourself the finished product comes a lot sooner. I always hate practicing but when I actually finish a piece it makes everything worth it. I love the feeling of finishing a piece when I know that I practiced and made the most of my practice time.

            In my first two years of college I learned that life is not always easy. You are going to get overwhelmed, you are going to get sick, you are going to get in arguments with your roommate, and you are not going to want to practice, but everything will be fine! You just have to push through because it will get better! Bad times usually come in waves. I also learned how to be a better musician myself. I have learned how to make the best of my practice times and I have become a better pianist because of it. Also, I have realized that I absolutely love music theory and sight singing and I hope to one day teach theory! J

            Enjoy your time as a freshman because it goes by way too fast. My advice to you is to find your groove now. Figure out how you operate and take off from there. Make a schedule for yourself and try to get into a routine of sticking to that schedule now because when things get overwhelming you will still have somewhat of a sense of organization in your life. Also, just do it! Don’t complain about having to study or practice, just do it and get it over with and then go out and have some fun once your school work is done! Remember to manage your time wisely. As music major your time is very precious, make sure you are making good use of it!