Should I quit my school orchestra? A four-year-later update from a college freshman
Hi everyone! It's been a while! Here's the link to the original post: https://www.violinist.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=5590In the mood for nostalgia, I rediscovered the post my 15 year self posted (with an embarrassing amount of personal information-so much for internet anonymity). I'm now a college freshman, so I figured it would be time for an update about the decisions I made and the results (good, bad, questionable).
So-I quit my school orchestra. After confirming with my conductor that the requirement to be concurrently enrolled in both orchestras was waived, I continued to play in the area youth orchestra. A year later, I was no longer eligible when my school orchestra teacher emailed my conductor, reminding him of my ineligibility. So there's that. Mary-Ellen had the foresight that I did not have.
As some of you may have been able to sense, I had what can be best categorized by resentment towards quite a few violin-related things. I won't get into the specifics, but the redirection from violin allowed me to explore more about myself-what did I care about? what did I want to learn?
So in the time freed up by playing in both orchestras, I turned to other endeavors. I fell in love with Psychology class, dived into research in summer labs, and volunteered anywhere and everywhere. All the while, I still took lessons from a local teacher and continued to play in competitions.
I know that I weighed college heavily in my first post, the merits of taking a bajillion APs and the dilemma of being a "traditional" student. Many of you also pointed out how difficult college admissions are, and that was very true. In the end, I decided that I wanted music to play a part in my application, because it's always been part of who I am.
So when I applied for college last fall, I submitted a music portfolio to my dream schools. I received admission into both of them, in consecutive days.
I chose the one with the nicer weather and the "better fit". When I read my admissions file, the admissions filed highlighted two things- one of my academic pursuits and my commitment to music.
All this being said, if someone were to ask me the same question I asked almost four years ago, I'm not sure I would have an exact answer. I think I would land somewhere along the lines of what many of you said- go with your gut :)
Replies (3)
Congratulations! What are you studying in college now? I got entered into college on my first try, simply because I had waited five years after high school and proved I was serious, and promised the Dean I would complete my degree.
I took one violin course, but unfortunately, that was all. My science classes were so demanding I gave up on the violin.
I still regret that. I’m just completing two years of violin begginership, and hope to one day play it with my band, a ukulele quartet, and maybe even join a community orchestra.
Hang in there, study hard, make time for plenty of violin practice AND playing. And walks in the woods, it clears the mind.
Good luck.
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Sounds like it all worked out (it usually does)! Congrats on making the decisions you made and getting to where you wanted to. So is violin or other music-making still part of your life?
Keep making us proud!