It’s great to be back! So much has happened this month. I’m in shock right now.
Firstly, those crazy music school auditions are over. They went well, as far as I can tell, but I still don’t know for sure if I got in. We’ll see in a couple more weeks, I hope.
But that brings me to my main piece of news–I didn’t audition as any kind of composition major like I had thought I would. I’ve changed my mind again, and now I’m a music minor majoring in Audio Engineering.
For those of you who’ve been following my blog for awhile, you might know that I have felt so torn between majoring in Audio Engineering vs. Classical Composition vs. Contemporary (Commercial) Composition. But I feel the most at peace about this decision. I am just as much a producer and an audio engineer as I am a composer. I couldn’t possibly be satisfied only studying composition for four years without learning more audio engineering. The demands of music majors might not allow for me to do studio work even in my spare time–what little I might have.
I also recently spent some time in my future hometown of Nashville, TN (where my audition was). The school I will be attending there has one of the nation’s best audio engineering programs, and Nashville is also one of the biggest music cities in the country. Their Audio Engineering majors get to learn at legendary studios. I won’t name drop, but they’re so good that it almost doesn’t seem fair. And because it’s in Nashville (aka Music City), the connections they have are phenomenal. If I were to major in Composition in the School of Music, I might not get to be included in that. I’ve tried to imagine myself spending four years at this school without being in those studios or meeting those people. I want to make the most out of the school and its location, so majoring in Audio Engineering with a Music minor seems like the best way to go.
What will it mean that my degree will say “Audio Engineering” instead of “Music Composition”? Am I giving something up? I don’t think so. Since I’m minoring in music, I’ll be able to receive composition lessons and take whatever other music classes I want. I’m not losing anything–I’ll have the instruction I would’ve had as a music major, but I’ll also make more connections and improve as an engineer and as a producer. It’s a win-win.
I don’t know why I’ve been blessed with such amazing opportunities. It seems too good to be true, but God-willing, it’s not–this is how it will be in a few more months. All these years of long hours, sacrifice, and overcoming obstacles have sometimes felt like going nowhere, but now I see that they have actually sent me to Nashville. I may not know yet what will take place there, but I’m going to serve God with whatever I have. And I can’t wait to see what will happen!