# Do I have to be very talented/good in music if I wish to study BMus (Hons)?



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

This problem has been in my mind for 2 years. I play the piano and the cello but I'm not talented or extremely good at both instruments. I have been playing piano for 12 years and the cello for 4 years. My dream is always to be a a great musician and performer. They say I will be able to achieve my dreams if I work very hard. Is that so? How hard must I work to be able to get into a good music conservatory? Must I get lots of experiences in performing and participate in many competitions before applying for a conservatory? My level of conidence is dropping rapidly because not many people think I can succeed


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

A good teacher, and discussing your goal, will give you a better idea.

A lot of people have a dream, like a picture of themselves in a role -- but that is never enough on its own.

Let us put it this way: for piano, anyway -- If you don't like disciplined practicing of your instrument, with full concentration, for a minimum of four hours a day (in middle or high school), then you are going to like even less the need to practice six to eight hours per day for conservatory level if you are going to at all keep up with the requirements and the standard expected.

Some pianists, though it is rare, get by with an enormous talent, a super ability to concentrate and get what they need with just four hours a day, even in conservatory. I'll say again, that kind of pianist is rare.

String players, at a guess, up to four or a bit more hours per day practice.

Really, it is not so much a matter of want as a convicted feeling of "must," because who else would put in that kind of time?


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

Thanks for your wise words  I did practice for 2-3 hours a day when I was in high school but it's a bit difficult to maintain now as I'm in college. In my college, we have classes from early morning till evening. The only time I get to practice is when everyone is about to go to bed. When there's major exam, I will only practice for a few days in a week. I know that if I wish to succeed I shouldn't give any excuses for not practising


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Lydia,

Please do not cry.

It is very difficult to make it as a professional musician.

Even practicing 24/7 is no guarantee.

I have been playing with community groups for over forty years. As a cellist one can easily have very fulfilling experiences performing with these groups.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Lydia Low said:


> Thanks for your wise words  I did practice for 2-3 hours a day when I was in high school but it's a bit difficult to maintain now as I'm in college. In my college, we have classes from early morning till evening. The only time I get to practice is when everyone is about to go to bed. When there's major exam, I will only practice for a few days in a week. I know that if I wish to succeed I shouldn't give any excuses for not practising


Here is a blunt truth: If you have hopes and real ambition to be a professional artist, _there is no plan B,_ i.e. you do not major in college in other than music performance, and you do not take a double major "as a back-up insurance in case the music does not work out."

Only the fullest concentration solely upon the music training is what gives you the best chance of getting what is necessary to make it at all possible to become a professional, and even then that has no guarantee of even a high-profile professional.

If you are studying something else, music is a passionate hobby, at which you can continue to work, as Arpeggio says, and still find some position where you can be working in music. It may be an unpaid work and devotion, but that can still be very satisfying.


----------



## echo (Aug 15, 2014)

no - you just have to work smart -- i have found in an audition it helps to understand what you play -- and you can't go past Bach for a teacher


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

echo said:


> no - you just have to work smart -- i have found in an audition it helps to understand what you play -- and you can't go past Bach for a teacher


I know you mean well, but while playing Bach is good for a number of musical skills, it is mainly good for learning how to play Bach. A professional musician is required to play music of many composers from many eras -- Bach alone is not anywhere near enough.


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

I've always wanted to have the fullest concentration upon music but people around me will constantly remind me that reality is still reality. I have no choice but to study subjects other than music first. Music is not emphasized in my country. People think it's not a career, it's merely a kind of entertainment. That is why we don't have many music conservatories. The UK conservatory I wish to apply needs A level results as one of the requirements but we have no music as an A level subject in Malaysia. Other than that, I'm still facing other obstacles like financial problems, unsupportive people around me...etc. Guess it's really hard for me. I don't want music to be just a hobby, I want it to be my lifetime career because I've been upholding this 'dream' for more than 4 years, I can't just give up like this.


----------



## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

Have you contacted the conservatory to discuss the problem? Many schools provide alternative solutions for foreign students who don't have the same qualifications.


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

Thanks for your kind words. People have been telling me that it's very hard to be a professional musician especially when I'm not very talented. People around me who wished to be a professional musician but end up studying something else told me that they will put their dreams on me and I'm suppose to let all these dreams come true. I'm suppose to get my first degree in music and make them proud. That is the only thing that keeps me going. I thought of giving up too many times but other people's hopes in me get me going. The times when I get to play in ensembles and orchestras were great but now I lost all the chances to play in ensembles and orchestras because my family members chose not to support. I've tried so many ways to persuade them but they still think I should focus more on reading and college exams. I tried to show them that I can still do very well in school if I play in the orchestra but they still insist that I should just continue studying at home. It's very tough, extremely tough.


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

Cheyenne said:


> Have you contacted the conservatory to discuss the problem? Many schools provide alternative solutions for foreign students who don't have the same qualifications.


I've checked with a few conservatories, they also accept STPM (another type of preU available in Malaysia) but that means I will waste even more time on unrelevant subjects


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

arpeggio said:


> Lydia,
> 
> Please do not cry.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your kind words. People have been telling me that it's very hard to be a professional musician especially when I'm not very talented. People around me who wished to be a professional musician but end up studying something else told me that they will put their dreams on me and I'm suppose to let all these dreams come true. I'm suppose to get my first degree in music and make them proud. That is the only thing that keeps me going. I thought of giving up too many times but other people's hopes in me get me going. The times when I get to play in ensembles and orchestras were great but now I lost all the chances to play in ensembles and orchestras because my family members chose not to support. I've tried so many ways to persuade them but they still think I should focus more on reading and college exams. I tried to show them that I can still do very well in school if I play in the orchestra but they still insist that I should just continue studying at home. It's very tough, extremely tough.


----------



## Lydia Low (Oct 27, 2014)

PetrB said:


> Here is a blunt truth: If you have hopes and real ambition to be a professional artist, _there is no plan B,_ i.e. you do not major in college in other than music performance, and you do not take a double major "as a back-up insurance in case the music does not work out."
> 
> Only the fullest concentration solely upon the music training is what gives you the best chance of getting what is necessary to make it at all possible to become a professional, and even then that has no guarantee of even a high-profile professional.
> 
> If you are studying something else, music is a passionate hobby, at which you can continue to work, as Arpeggio says, and still find some position where you can be working in music. It may be an unpaid work and devotion, but that can still be very satisfying.


I've always wanted to have the fullest concentration upon music but people around me will constantly remind me that reality is still reality. I have no choice but to study subjects other than music first. Music is not emphasized in my country. People think it's not a career, it's merely a kind of entertainment. That is why we don't have many music conservatories. The UK conservatory I wish to apply needs A level results as one of the requirements but we have no music as an A level subject in Malaysia. Other than that, I'm still facing other obstacles like financial problems, unsupportive people around me...etc. Guess it's really hard for me. I don't want music to be just a hobby, I want it to be my lifetime career because I've been upholding this 'dream' for more than 4 years, I can't just give up like this.


----------



## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

Hi Lydia,

Do try to get other people's words out of your head.
Find your inner guidance and follow it.
You must also recognize that you are here to live your life;
Pleasing other people is not a part of your life lessons/purposes.
If you have the conviction and live it,
other problems will resolve themselves,
even if the resolution may sometimes be 
you ignoring other people's dramas and forging ahead.
Be responsible for your own words and deeds
and let your future achievements be your own,
without regrets.


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

PetrB said:


> I know you mean well, but while playing Bach is good for a number of musical skills, it is mainly good for learning how to play Bach. A professional musician is required to play music of many composers from many eras -- *Bach alone is not anywhere near enough*.


As CPE Bach and WAM were soon to point out.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Vaneyes said:


> As CPE Bach and WAM were soon to point out.


And as we were more than fond of saying in conservatory, "Mozart did not have to play Bach, Beethoven, Czerny, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Debussy, Ravel...." etc. etc. etc.


----------



## Posie (Aug 18, 2013)

Hi Lydia, 

I definitely empathize with you. I know it is frustrating to be surrounded by people who have lots of opinions about how you should live. Everything Dufay says is true. In the end, these people are not you. I wish you luck, and whatever it is you choose, go for it!


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

One of the mistakes I keep making is I forget that our members include people from all over the world. When I make an observation it is from the point of view of an American. I really can not speak for how music works in the UK.

In America music is a very competitive business. I have no idea how it is compared to the UK. It may be easier to make a living as a fulltime professional musician in the UK than the US. I do not know.

My son has made a successful career as a studio musician and a teacher in Los Angeles. When people say that I must be proud my response is no. I am more relieved because I know how hard it is to be successful in the US.

As far as community groups, I really do not know how our experiences as amateurs compare with other countries. Canada seems to be very close. Some of our Canadian friends can probably clarify there.

I live in Northern Virginia which includes the following suburbs of Washington, DC: Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William Counties. I know of at least five volunteer community orchestras and five community bands which operate in this area. I play with three groups on a regular basis: The McLean Symphony, The National Concert Band and the City of Fairfax Band. I am also an alternant with the Reston Symphony. I actually am at rehearsals three times a week every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On the weekends of performances I will have to attend dress rehearsal on Friday and sometimes Saturday morning.

I have posted flyers of my October concerts in the "Cool Concerts Thread".

Sorry for being presumptuous.


----------

