5 Things I Wish I Knew As A Young Musician
Author: Albert Rivera, Guest Contributor
I Wish…
1. That the most amount of practice time I would have in my life would be high school and college, albeit even less in college. It was such a point of growing musically at such a high rate, it's easy to not think that life gets busy, and doesn't really ever let up.
2. Should have practiced piano as much as I did saxophone. Although I am competent on piano and learned how to read bass clef using piano charts, I didn't realize at a young age that all the information that I was learning (theoretically), made more sense visually on the piano and made it easier to comprehend. It teaches you everything you will eventually need to know. I wish I would have known learning standards would have been easier by learning it both on piano and saxophone back when I started.
3. I would have known to write music more often. By more often, I mean I wish in high school and college I would have written a new song a week, even if I wasn't happy at the outcome. There are so many songs I ended up abandoning, but with all the years of performing and learning, it would have been interesting to go back to a song I attempted to write when I was 17.
4. That it would have been important and a key to success to study marketing, branding and trends. As a musician, it's key in keeping up with the "new" concepts, whether social media, brands, or otherwise. As a young student, who loved (and still loves) this music, it was easy to have tunnel vision when it came to practicing and performing, but having skills that would benefit you in your career path, especially in marketing and promotion is just as important, I don't think that will change in 50 years. The companies and options may change, but the overall concept will be the same.
5. Someone would have told me to have a detailed plan. At least as detailed as you can envision with room to edit for life adventures. Plan your career. What you want to accomplish, make a vision board of people you want to perform with, places and venues you want to perform at, and a plan of how to make it happen. Surround yourself with mentors and always stay humble. Plan a month from now, a year from now, a decade from now, and think about what kind of legacy you would want to leave in this world. When you are a kid, it's easy to think about the "now" and that's important too. But having a vision and the understanding that being a performer is a business, just like anything else while understanding how important music is to the world.
About The Author
Albert Rivera’s musical journey began at the prestigious Laguardia High School in New York City and continued throughout the summers at the Litchfield Jazz Camp. After finishing attending the New School University Jazz and Contemporary music conservatory, he began a career in music that sees him today, a seasoned performer, educator and producer at 36. Albert has garnered awards and has a successful career both as a sideman and a leader. He won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award in 2009 and the 2012 Chamber Music American Residency Grant. His collaborators in the past have included Don Braden, Jimmy Greene, Claudio Roditi, Avery Sharpe, Rachel Z, and a stint with the great legendary pianist Junior Mance. At the Litchfield Jazz Camp and Jazz Festival, where he is the current Director of Operations. Rivera’s musical journey has led him to a rewarding career as an educator. He created a program for the Miami Arts Charter School (Miami, FL) to help children continue to learn about the jazz language.
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