So here’s my rant for tonight:
I am so tired of people thinking that because I got both of my degrees in music, that it wasn’t hard work or that I’m not smart. This is probably one of my biggest issues with moving back to Lansing. I have a lot of smart friends. Which I LOVE. I prefer to surround myself with intelligent people (and that doesn’t only mean book smart, good with numbers, etc… also people who use common sense and logic, as well as those that place an importance on continued learning). I just get the feeling that there’s always this caveat in everyone’s mind when the subject of grad school comes up, because it was just a music degree.
Thing is, I earned a Master’s Degree. One that I worked very hard for, and that I’m very proud of. And yes, at the surface I’m sure that getting a degree in opera/music theater sounds like having fun, singing and dancing all day. And you know what, it was fun. Of course it was. It might not make sense to everyone, but I’m choosing to follow my passions in life for my career. I tried the whole “well paying office job” thing, and I was miserable. Truly unhappy for the better part of the three years I lived in Lansing before.
But graduate school wasn’t all fun and games. I had to write papers. I had to take tests. I had to take comprehensive exams where, in lieu of a thesis defense, I basically had to defend my entire degree process in front of three of my professors. And when music is your profession, it isn’t always fun. Any of my SIUC (or even CMU) colleagues can attest to this.
And furthermore, I’m a smart person. True, I say stupid things sometimes. I don’t always spell (or type) things correctly. At least once a day my words all run together into a jumbled mess that I so lovingly refer to “stroking out.” And no, I’m not as up to date on some current events as I should be (or honestly would like to be). But, in a few years, I’ll be back getting another degree (either an MFA or a DMA) so that I can reach my career goal of teaching at the university level.
I don’t know why I let this all bother me so much, but it really does. This is one of the biggest reasons I miss school so much- I was surrounded by a community of friends and colleagues that respected me for being a musician, not despite that fact :)
About me
Slices of life.
