Suppose you have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field and you want to get a graduate degree (MM) in music performance. Let’s also assume you haven’t taken any music courses and you’re not great at your instrument. It won’t be easy, but you can do it. First, you don’t need an undergrad degree in
“Michael, I’m having a bit of a conflict and I’d like some help with it. You said it’s OK to block people to protect yourself and I agree with you. But, I blocked someone and I feel weird about it.” Sure, let’s talk about it. Do you feel guilty? “No, not really. I mean, he’s
“Michael, I like what you’re saying about how the piano world isn’t suited to CS majors. I’m a CS major and I’ve felt this myself. But, I kinda have some doubts. Like…don’t I have to be diligent to get good at piano? I mean, classical music is complicated. There’s a lot of detail.” I get
“Michael, someone blocked me and I heard you say that I shouldn’t back off. I resonate with what you’re saying, but I also feel nervous because I want to respect their wishes. Wouldn’t I be disrespecting their wishes to contact them?” You can respect someone’s ability to make decisions without respecting the decisions themselves. Obviously,
It’s OK to fall apart when performing for an audience. In fact, this is the only way you can learn not to fall apart. Seriously. You’ve got to go into that scary place and renegotiate whatever you find there. It’s the only way: through the fire and over the bridge and on we go to
No, it hasn’t been a cheerful Christmas season for me. For those who don’t know, I was involved in a serious romantic relationship for the better part of a year with someone I met on Instagram. 6 months ago, she disappeared and blocked me everywhere without any warning. She told people I was a stalker