Why Start a Blog?

As many of you may be aware, at the time of writing this I am a 26 year old DMA student at the University of Colorado Boulder. I do not yet have an orchestral playing job, college teaching job, or even a robust private studio. I’m still working towards achieving these goals, which is the main reason I felt inspired to start this blog, actually.

You see, most blogs and podcasts in the field of classically trained musicians are hosted by the masters of the field. The people with the jobs we want! In the trombone community these would be resources like The Ian Bousfield Experience, The Trombone Retreat, and the TromboneZone Monthly. The reason these podcasts and blogs are so valuable has to do with the people involved — Ian Bousfield, Nick Schwartz, Sebastian Vera, Brad Edwards, and interviewed guests like Sasha Romero. These are people who have been doing this for a long time and have it mostly figured out. I know I’ve personally grown a lot from each of these resources.

However, listening and reading through each of these has gotten me thinking, why aren’t there any resources out there by people like me? People who haven’t “made it” yet?

Sure, I consider myself a professional for all intents and purposes, but my life looks nothing like theirs does.

The landscape of the music community is constantly shifting and evolving, as is the best path towards success. What “worked” for many of the greats in our field might not necessarily be relevant today. The recently retired Jay Friedman won his job with the Chicago Symphony in 1962, twelve years before the first commercially released home computer! I think we can all agree the field of orchestral music has changed at least a little since then.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to seek advice from those who are finding success now — the people around us who are navigating the same unique set of challenges.Technology and media are causing society and the music field to evolve more quickly than any other time in history, so the best way to market yourself, for example, will likely not be the same a decade from now.

During my undergrad, I would’ve really benefited from a resource sharing the perspective of someone who was a bit older and farther along, but still working through similar challenges as me. Someone I can relate to! Someone who can give advice on how they’re managing this challenging season of life that precedes one’s career. As a second year DMA student, I feel I’ve gained some wisdom in this area myself, and I’d love to be able to help anyone else going down this path struggle just a little less than I have. If this sounds helpful to you, I hope you’ll tag along and follow my thoughts as they unfold through this blog!

You can sign up to be notified for new blog posts on my website’s home page. Thanks for joining me on my musical journey! We’ll get through this.