"Chores"
The residual effect of the first semester is starting to set in. I am noticing simple things paying off, like all the drilling from Music Theory I. Yes, repetition is annoying, but now I don’t have to worry about thinking “which note is which on the staff?” and “which chord would come next in a progression?” because I got all my “chores” out of the way during all the drilling so I can truly enjoy the more advanced concepts of music.
“Chores,” as described by my voice teacher are “all the necessities that we as performers have to get out of the way before we can make progress into the important and fun dynamics of music.” I bring this up because doing the “chores” on my own has been a large factor in my success of a piece. I have to know the notes and rhythms and technicalities of a song before I bring it into my voice teacher and expect to make any technique advances on it. Because my voice teacher is so insistent on (and rightfully should be) learning the things on my own, I feel like I am being immediately prepared for the professional world as a musician. I get treated as a professional in everything I do, if I act like a professional. My voice teacher is known to throw students out of lessons if they come unprepared – incentive for me to stay on top of my music. By no means am I anywhere close to being completely on top of my musical responsibilities, but it’s nice to know that I have been informed of what I need to do to succeed in not only my voice teacher’s studio, but also the very cut-throat music industry. Big-time producers have no time for disorganization and unprofessional musicians. Better to learn that now…