When I grow up I want to be . . .

A friend of mine invited me to come to a music symposium about “choosing the life of a musician” and I was intrigued. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I like music, and I like new experiences, so I went.

The idea was that these musicians would preform songs and before and after (and sometimes in the middle) of their pieces they would talk about how they got where they are and why they chose to be a musician.

It was really cool.

One of the ideas that one of the musicians shared that really struck me was that as you know someone better, you relate more to what they play, and how they play, and then the music means more to you.

I thought back to some of the experiences I have had sitting in my living rooms in various apartments listening to someone I know play the guitar. Or growing up and listening to my brothers play the piano. Those were very different experiences than listening to the radio, or even being at a concert in a large hall. As I have thought more about it, I think it has a lot to do with my knowing the people who were playing.

At this specific living room performance, I was really moved by some of the ideas shared. One pianist spoke about his initial desire to learn to play the piano – to show medical schools that he had manual dexterity. He was a double chemistry and piano major. At one point he realized that if he kept doing both he would not be able to do either well.

Another performer who had more years of experiences than most of the other musicians talked about how she decided to pursue her career in music later in life – a decision she made when she was about the age of the rest of the performers. She said she made her decision knowing that she would never have the advantages and probably never reach the same heights as those who started younger. But she also knew that anything she kept doing she would eventually be good at. Maybe not amazing, but good (a distinction I LOVE - and has gotten me thinking that not everything has to be amazing or the best ever to be worth it and incredible moving or helpful to others). She has kept pushing and practicing and I personally think she has incredible skill.

Those two thoughts are interesting juxtapositions to me. On one hand, we can only do so much, and the more we try to do the less time we can give to any one task. This forces us to make choices about how to spend our time. On the other hand, we have the choice to pursue so many things – any number of which we can become very proficient at.

I walk away from this knowing that I must make some decisions. And realizing that the reality is I can make almost any choice I want to and, as long as I passionately pursue it, I'll likely find fulfillment and find opportunities to share what I love with others.