Life after grad school

Lately I've been thinking about the things I’ve learned since finishing grad school.

Everything my teachers told me is simultaneously irrelevant and completely applicable. Of course in reality, things aren’t really that black and white. However, often professors have certain opinions about your personality and repertoire and your look and you end up getting put into a box based on a few subjective opinions. Once we get into the real world, that box is stripped away and it’s up to you to figure out what you want to sing and what you sound good singing. When you’re in school, it’s so easy to believe there is only one path to a successful career and I think a lot of professors do their students a disservice by feeding into that mentality. With my own students, I consciously work to acknowledge the subjectivity of everything. Now, what your teachers tell you about breathing and vowels and warming up, etc.? That stuff is golden. Hold on to that.

School stress doesn’t ever go away, it just takes on a new form. Yesterday I was hired to sing an early afternoon program for a social club here in town. In the morning I went to volunteer in my daughter’s kindergarten class like I do each week. When that was over (and I was again reminded how teachers are angels who work on earth) I came home to warm up and get dressed. After the recital I got home just in time to get my kids off the bus. I then taught 3 lessons, after which I made dinner and dealt with all the chores that come with having school-aged kids. I look back fondly on my grad school days and think how “easy” things were. I could have a leisurely workout on the day of a performance and a long, slow warm-up. School is such a great place to make the mistakes that help you grow into a mature artist and colleague with minimal consequences. Once you’re out of school, missed appointments or skipping a day of work doesn’t just result in a bad grade, they either have to be made up or ultimately end up costing you money.

Just showing up and doing the thing is 80%. It’s amazing to see how many adults (myself included) get sucked into the day-to-day drudgery of chores and work. Once you’re out of school, bills still have to be paid and for most of us, our art doesn’t become a primary source of income right away. Once you start “adulting” it becomes increasingly difficult to record and release the cd, or do the recital, or send out the applications/auditions for gigs. I keep telling myself, just do it. Don’t get caught up in perfection: getting it out there is more than half the battle.

Know your audiences. I love to sing recitals. Outside of academia, a classical voice recital is a hard sell. When you’re a student, you have a built-in audience; your classmates and professors have to come. When you’re a professor it’s the same deal: your students and colleagues will attend. This fall has marked my first experience not being affiliated with a university and it has been a wonderful learning experience. Eight years ago I finished my terminal degree and I am so grateful to be in a position where I am being paid to sing recitals. However, the groups who are hiring me are not academic types and some are not even specifically classical music lovers. Through trial and error and lots of thought, I’ve started to understand what makes a successful recital for my audiences here in Wichita. What we sing and study in school doesn’t necessarily translate to what the paying public wants to hear.

You should know how to program a concert/recital and make good photocopies. Once you’ve graduated and are out there performing, you need to have resources to help with recital programming. Things to think about are your audience, your own vocal endurance, variety, and space. Once you’ve programmed the concert, you need to know how to format a program in the event you are required to provide one. Logically thinking, it becomes important to know how to use your printer or establish a relationship with a copy center. Do research on cost and how to make the programs look good without using color copies (those are expensive!). You don’t want to eat too far into your profit.

Find a pianist whom you can trust and is a good collaborator. When you’re in school, often your pianist works at your school or other students at the school full time. If you stay in the area after graduation, chances are your accompanist will be willing to continue a working relationship, for pay of course. However, if you end up moving finding someone who plays well is important, but finding a trustworthy pianist who knows how to communicate is invaluable.

Get to know yourself. The older I get, the more I start to understand what makes me tick. Knowing what I enjoy, how I deal with conflict, and what energizes me are all things that help me in my personal life, but more importantly, make me a better performer, teacher, and colleague. It’s also really important to find something that you enjoy outside of music.

I'm sure there are countless other things I've learned, but the next thing on my to-do list is calling me!