WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT A MUSICAL PRODIGY*?
Some people assume that if you are not a musical prodigy, you should major in something other than music. Nothing can be farther from the truth! In fact, there are actually beneits to not being a prodigy, as long as you are someone who feels compelled to pursue music. Three musicians, each of whom is working in a distinctly different ield of music, share their views on the subject.
Mike Miller is quick to describe himself as a ‘non-prodigy’. He credits majoring in music with teaching him to be an achiever. “In music school, we are learning how to learn and how to adapt in the world,” he says. It is an exceptional major.” Miller started out in engineering, but it was not his calling. He switched to music, which proved to be the only major that brought together his passion and interests. He credits his undergraduate programme at college, and not being surrounded by prodigies, with providing him the space “to grow and improve, to compete with myself, to become better tomorrow than today.” As a non-prodigy, he felt he had to work harder than if he had been labelled a prodigy. Miller refers to music as a ‘tough business’. He suggests that music students need to be determined as it is more important thananything else. “If you do not have huge success early on, you understand and learn how to get better. You have hills to climb and you learn to love taking one step at a time and the dificulty of it all.”
Kim Hawkins describes musical prodigies as a rare breed. She knows that music takes an extraordinary amount of work and dedication. “You cannot succeed if it is half-hearted, especially on the classical scene,” she says. “It is a career of dedication, without a known outcome or end result. It is for those who feel they must do music.” Hawkins describes herself as a non-prodigy. Her father, a classical violinist and teacher was her irst violin instructor, and she took irregular lessons from him until becoming a teenager. It was then that she decided that she, too, wanted to be a musician. She believes she had to work harder to become proicient on her instrument, which taught her how to be persistent. Hawkins believes that most non-prodigies are likely to teach at some point in their careers, and pass on to their students valuable insights about music. She cites her own experience of having to learn how to consciously practice well, which continues to serve her as a performer and as a teacher. She also feels she and other non-prodigies gain a deeper understanding of their instrument, which also informs her teaching.
Ken Marvin sees the biggest beneit of an education in the arts as the creativity training one receives. Being a prodigy is in no way a criterion. “Learning to think and interpret the world creatively, to express oneself artistically, and transfer ideas between disciplines is what music education should be all about.” Marvin also urges students to look at the broad scope of music careers and not limit their thinking to the few highly competitive chairs open in orchestras. He claims that there is room for well-trained musicians as sound designers for video games, in technical or production positions in a studio, and in so many other areas. While he comes from an orchestra background himself, he has also been successful as a studio musician, teacher, and arts administrator.
*prodigy - a person, especially a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability
