Honestly...

Experience the bluntly honest insight of a Graduate student. Feel free to leave any questions for me to sincerely answer or any of your insight.

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Learn to be Flexible

And when I say "Be flexible" I don't mean in the physical sense.

As someone who is very Type A, that was something that I struggled with for a long time. Structure and rules are something I have always needed and abided by. One thing that they don't teach you in school is how to adapt and be flexible to any situation that comes your way, which is something I have come to learn working in the Music Admin world. You NEVER know what is going to happen next.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I have learned to think negatively and always assume the worst will happen. That way, I have a backup plan for the worst-case scenario and if something less serious happens, I am prepared for it. This helps me stay positive at work, which sounds backward, but if the worst doesn't happen we can call it a successful show! (This helps me in production, but this kind of thinking may not be best suited for everyone.)

I have had situations where people get sick or something happens and our plan of action has to change in the blink of an eye, or you have to start calling to get someone else in, etc.

I guess what I am trying to say in all of these jumbled-up thoughts is you can have a well-thought-out plan and you can have all of the boxes checked off on your checklist, but life doesn't always let you stick to your plan and that is okay. Just adjust as needed 'cause life is always going to throw curve balls at you. Remember, stay calm, breathe, and adjust!

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly… Mondays are rough

I feel like I am preaching to a choir on that one though. Getting up after a weekend of “resting” to start your work routine all over again is not easy. Especially when you feel like you didn’t get enough rest or time to yourself.

I do want to preface this by saying that I am glad I actually love my job, because if I’m semi-complaining about working on a Monday and I like my job… I can only imagine people who dislike or despise their jobs.

I currently believe that a shorter work week, would not only be better for people’s work life balance, but allow for better productivity in the work place. That is just an opinion though. Maybe I should do some research on this and post and update.

If you’re reading this, you should let me know what helps you get up on Monday mornings instead of just choosing to rot in your bed. I’m actually pretty interested to know.

[honestlyandrea]

And 5 years later I’m back on Tumblr!

[horrorandhalloween]

[honestlyandrea]

Hello everyone!

Sorry I’ve been on a hiatus. I have just been trying to finish school, get work done, and I went on vacation. And honestly, I do not know what to write about next.

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Meeting Deadlines is Important

Before I begin this post, good luck to all the people taking finals this week and in the next couple of weeks! You've survived another year/semester at school and you should feel very proud of yourself. Do not look at how much you have left to go, but instead look at how far you have made it! Finally, CONGRATULATION TO ALL THE PEOPLE GRADUATING! YOU DID IT!

So for those of you moving to the next chapters in your educational and your professional career, I would like to inform you of a very important tip! MAKE SURE YOU MAKE YOUR DEADLINES! This is going to be very important in graduate school and in the rest of your life. Deadlines are important because they make sure that you get things done in a timely manner. Most of the time in school, if you talk to your professors and get extensions for an essay or whatever work you have to turn in, but this is not always possible in the professional world. In the professional world, deadlines are deadlines. THERE IS NO CHANGING THEM! For example, if you are applying for an audition or if you are applying for a grant, the deadlines will not be moved around for you. If you missed your deadline then that is it you will have to wait for your next opportunity.

The reason that you should keep up with deadlines is that it makes you look reliable to others if you can meet them! Another reason is that then you can choose what tasks have priority over others based off of when they need to be turned in. And finally, it forces you to get your tasks done which is honestly what we want. Overall, we love deadlines and making sure we meet them because they keep us organized and reliable.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me! Please let me know if any of my posts have helped you or have been eye-opening. I would love to hear feedback, especially since it will help me figure out if I should continue and what you guys would like to hear about! 

[honestlyandrea]

Although I agree with you that there is a lot repetitive non quality Pop music out there, I would not go as far as to call it all bad. There are many new and old musicians out there creating wonderful music. A good song doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. As you mention in your other post, music is a language and the purpose of every language is to convey a message as effectively as possible. If you think about it, the greatest pop songs that have survived the test of time are quite simple in structure and in lyrics. I have personally met some musicians that purposely write very complicated music pieces just to showcase their “great academic knowledge” but these pieces fail to communicate to the audience. These musicians blame it on the audience calling them uneducated or dumb, when the truth is that their music was just intended to feed their own ego and to isolate the listeners. When it comes to originality, regardless of the discipline, is there really anything 100 percent original in the world? I think the creativity resides in how you combine and present what is already available around the world. In my opinion, in essence, there is really no new music, just new ears being exposed to it.

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Both Instrumentalists and Vocalists Have It Hard

Okay before I start this post, in my last post there was a part about the weather making instruments unplayable and I asked for someone to let me know the secret of why (from a woodwind perspective). Well, now I know the secret of why and I am going to share it with the non-instrumental world! Apparently, reeds are affected by the environment that they are in. They can swell and de-swell based on the amount of moisture in the air, therefore there is a possibility of them getting waterlogged and unplayable if the environment does not allow. SECRET REVEALED! Thank you, Phillip, for that explanation. 

Alright now to get into the final part of, what has now become, this three-part series. My personal opinion is that both sided have it hard for different reasons. Each part of these types of performers has something that can be seen as difficult. One of the things that had been stated that I completely disagree with is singing requires less thinking than playing an instrument. When playing an instrument or singing, I believe that if you have mastered your instrument you should not have to think too much about what you are doing, but instead focus more on what the music is asking you to do. Why? Because at this point your technique should be mostly muscle memory. Yes, you will have to go back and polish but it should not be very much. 

Overall, being able to see both sides of this debate really has taught me that we all have our own difficulties, from broken pieces and instruments to taking care of your health. From now on, I do not believe anyone has the right to say one is harder than the other so just appreciate what each other does because at the end of the day we all she a common love for music and we actually share a lot of technical elements that not everyone sees at the beginning. So honestly stop complaining about who has it harder and get to practicing! The time you’re wasting on this debate is the time that can be spent in the practice room, allowing you to become the best in your field! 

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Do Instrumentalists Have It Harder?

Hello hello to everyone reading this! I hope that you have had a wonderful week! I am not writing to you from an airport this week, which honestly is kind of nice! This week’s post is a continuation of the debate of who has it harder. Instrumentalists or Vocalists? Please remember I am a vocalist, so I happen to have more insight on the vocalist perspective, therefore if I leave anything important out please feel free to leave me a comment or message and I will make sure to answer you and add that point in!

So before I get into this post, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I would like to thank all of my friends who gave me points to talk about in these two previous posts! Without you guys, I believe that I would have skipped some important points or not seen points from a different perspective. Most of my friends that replied to me stated that they believed that being an instrumentalist is more difficult than being a vocalist. The points that they brought up when informing me on their side of things are extremely valid and now I see why they believe this!

Let us start off with the fact that instrumentalists are not born with their instrument! Instrumentalists need to learn how to use something that is not a part of them, so which keys do I press to be able to create this note or how much air do I need to put through my instrument (if it requires it) to make sure that I do not go flat. On top of learning how to use “a new limb”, I guess is the best way to put it, they need to learn how to play with other instrumentalists and coordinate how they are going to bring a piece to life. I am not saying that vocalists do not need to learn how to work with instrumentalists or other vocalists because we do have choirs and do need to work with instrumentalists for various types of music, but when it is an instrumental piece they are at a disadvantage. Singers are lucky in the sense that we have words and are able to act or dance to bring a piece to life. Instrumentalists can do this to a certain extent, but they have to find different ways to convey the message or emotion to their audience, it's not like they can just tell them with the words in their songs or pieces.

Not only do instrumentalists have to handle equipment that is not a part of their own body, but they also have to think about the maintenance of the equipment. They need to make sure that their instrument is always in top shape, that they have reeds, mallets, and mouthpieces that are not broken and are not too new so that it is not uncomfortable for the instrumentalist to play on (or at least to my understanding). If the instrument is bent it can change the sound of the instrument or even make it unplayable. At that point, maintenance would be required, which depending on the instrument and what needs to be done can be $100 or more. If a new instrument needs to be bought, the prices vary but for the most part, are high in price. Especially if you are buying a professional grade instrument. 

An instrumentalist’s prep time before performing is a little more extensive because unlike a vocalist which can sing basically anywhere, instrumentalists have to put their instrument together, then warm-up. This takes more time and effort than we give instrumentalists credit for. Apparently, weather conditions can also affect playing which I can not give too much information about from an instrumentalist perspective, but it was a point that was told to me without much explanation. So please, INSTRUMENTALISTS EXPLAIN!!! Bring me into your world and tell me about these secrets! Finally, another point that was made to me was that instrumental techniques can cause health issues, such as tendonitis. Honestly, the thing that I am most jealous about when it comes to instrumentalists when it comes to the performance aspects is that, with the exception of pianists, instrumentalists get to use sheet music. 

Next week, I will be giving an overall opinion to this debate and talking about the struggles that both sides share that both vocalists and instrumentalists may overlook. If you find that I have missed a point on either side PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not be afraid to let me know! I hope to hear comments from the readers!!! I will see you next week!

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Do Vocalists Have It Harder?

Happy Thursday everyone! So I am currently at Jacksonville International Airport waiting to be picked up by my little as I write this. Just a little update on what I'm doing right at this moment in my life! So last week I asked who has it harder, vocalists or instrumentalists. This week I am going to focus on the vocalist side of this debate. 

So as a vocalist, I have a little more insight on this topic than the topic of instrumentalists so I am going to keep asking my friends that are instrumentalists for their opinions and struggles. Most people believe that because we are born with our instruments that it is easy to just sing, but there is so much more that goes into it. Yes, it is true we have been using our instrument since the moment we were born, but that does not necessarily mean that we have been using it correctly the entire time. The fact of the matter is that most of the time people and vocalists start off using their instruments in a poor manner. People talk on their chords, yell, vocal fry, grunt, and do not use the correct support behind their voice which are all unhealthy habits. 

So let us begin with the fact that singing is a full body activity, vocalists must train their bodies to breathe and expand in an unnatural way. This allows us to intake enough air to support our voice. This is probably something most instrumentalists have to use as well to get their instrument to even make a sound, so we do have some common ground. The support the air gives our voice is important because it is the foundation of making a healthy sound. Without good air support, we have to go and use unhealthy ways of getting our voices to phonate a pitch which can cause nodes, tears, and other vocal complications and injuries. This is a problem because there is no way to be able to replace your vocal cords! If we end up with any form of vocal injuries we are not able to use our instrument until we have healed.  As we are developing our voices, we are attempting to undo any bad habits that we have developed trying to experiment with our voices.

Another point that I would like to make is that we as vocalists are pretty exposed. We cannot have our music in the stand in front of us (although there are exceptions sometimes). Vocalists also have to be able to sing in different languages, such as German, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and Russian and make sure that their diction is good enough to be understood. This can cause the singer to have to modify their vowels and the space that they are creating within their own bodies to be able to produce the notes and words. Another really important point is that singers must stay healthy. If our body is unhealthy we are unable to use our voices, if we eat dairy products they can cause us to produce phlegm making it more difficult to sing, it is stated that vocal athletes should be doing cardio on a daily basis to keep their breath support and bodies healthy enough to perform long shows. Honestly, there are a lot of points that can be made for vocalists, but I can not wait to defend the instrumentalist side of this debate! I will see you next week. 

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Who’s got it harder? Instrumentalists or Vocalists?

I am going to be as unbiased as I possibly can in the next couple of posts because this is such a broad topic. Remember that I am a vocalist, so I know more about being a vocalist than I do being an instrumentalist. I will be bringing up points that have been brought up as I have talked to different instrumentalists or listened to people have this exact discussion. At the end of this post, I would like people to send me questions or leave a comment leaving your opinions and thoughts as to who has it harder!

So this question seems to go back forever because throughout my life I have had this debate with many of my instrumentalist friends when they tell me that singing is easy and we “singers” do not have to do anything. Funny enough, two of my friends got into this discussion just yesterday right in front of me. So here goes nothing. Help me by leaving your thoughts and comments. My next two posts will cover each side individually. I cannot wait to hear from you!

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly...Pop Music is All the Same

When my friends and colleagues talk to me, they think it is ironic that I always state “I never listen to music” because I am in all technicality a music major. Thank you to the new streaming systems like iTunes and Spotify! They make sure that I do not have to listen to the same 3 songs over and over and over again (unless I want to). The only way that I learn about what music is current is through all of my other friends, or I learn about new classical music through my classes.

I will always stand by what I say. POP MUSIC IS BORING! It seems like professional songwriters are just following the same mindless formula to create music that will be a HIT. Music in that way has lost any kind of originality or creativity and most lyrics have no meaning behind them. I think that it is sad that music has become nothing more than just another way to flaunt yourself and make money. It was originally a creative outlet to be able to express yourself and get a message out. To prove my point about all pop music being the same, I have a fun little video for you guys to listen to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ

Honestly, if you're going to be using the same four chords and making all of them sound the same even rhythmically, give the song some meaning and do not let it be mindless.

[honestlyandrea]

While I agree with your points, you forgot to mention that many singers' voices are electronically enhanced to match pitches and sound better. Also, most who are in the business currently, are there not because of talent, but great managers and promoters who can market their looks. It's a shame that vocalists are not afforded the same success. What do think?

You are right. These are points that I forgot to make. I agree with you wholeheartedly on the fact that it is a shame that vocalists do not get the same success because they do not follow a “look that sells.” It is believed that for every famous singer there are 3 other people that are so talented they deserve to be as famous. It is sad that the music industry has become more about sex appeal rather than actual talent.

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly...Singers and Vocalists are NOT the Same Thing

Hello hello everyone! So as a vocalist I would like to inform the world of something that I believe is important. VOCALISTS AND SINGERS ARE DIFFERENT! This is a conversation that I had with my best friend Kendra and we believe that people should be informed. Most of the artists that you listen to on the radio are singers. Why do I say that? Because what is the biggest difference between singers and vocalists is that vocalists are musically trained and educated. 

If you ask most of the people that are on the radio (not everyone, there are people that are actually educated) they do not know about music theory, vocal pedagogy, types of scales or anything else that is normal for a music student to know, but vocalists are actual musicians that know all of this information. Honestly, most people do not understand that which is why instrumentalists and other people that do not know think that vocalists are not musicians. REMEMBER you are right. Singers are not musicians, but vocalists are.  

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Remember to Take  Care of Yourself

I do not believe that I have mentioned this in any of my previous posts, but I believe it would be intelligent of me to do so. For those of you who do not know me in person, hello my name is Andrea and I am currently a music business graduate student.

Currently, we are in the middle of the semester which means YAY MIDTERMS! As most people who are students know, this is probably the most difficult part of the semester because it seems like all the teachers came together and planned to allocate their most difficult projects and assignments. (I am not specifically talking about any of my professors, I am just stating a feeling from all of my experiences as a student in general.) Presently, my friend Maria and I are producing a zarzuela at the school we attend, running the school music hour on a radio station, working, writing a grant, and studying for all the exams we have. As you can see both of us have a lot on our plates. This does not include all of the responsibilities that I have for SAI, the music fraternity I am a part of.

“When do you sleep?” is a question I receive quite often. The truth is that I have not slept very much in the past week, which has caused some issues with my performance in my classes and my health. This made me realize that if this is happening to me, it is probably happening to numerous students at any institution throughout the United States and the world. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES! YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Never feel bad about taking a day for yourself and just relaxing, even if you have a lot of work to do. It is not safe to drive sleep deprived, students do not process information that they are given when they are sleep deprived, work is not completed to the best of the individual’s ability. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous, especially if you decide to operate a car or any other motorized vehicle. Instead of continuously working decide you are going to go to the beach, go for a walk, knit a scarf, go to the zoo, or anything that makes you happy. Honestly, even this post may not be up to par because I am feeling a little burnt out, but please please please take care of yourself. Who knows maybe I will take a break and go to the beach with a friend and I will post a picture to prove it!

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Music Students Never Stop!

One of my classmates Orlando made a very good point about my previous post that I profoundly appreciated. He stated that everything about my previous point was true, but I had forgotten to mention something pretty important that non-musicians or non-performers do not get to see. 

I had previously stated several points about a music major’s curriculum (so just a touch of the classes we have to take) and how hectic our schedules can get with rehearsals and performances, but one point of insight that I left out was that WE as musicians NEVER STOP! While there are other majors that are as busy as music majors, they get the opportunity of taking a break. BREAKS ARE IMPORTANT! If you are a musician and you are reading this, please please please remember that. Everyone no matter what age, major, career, et cetera should have a chance to rest and reset after a stressful week, month, semester, (insert other amounts of time here). 

Throughout the breaks in the semester or between semesters, music majors do not really get a chance to stop working on their craft. We continue working so that we can hone our craft to the best of our ability. Music is a never-ending learning experience. Some students continue to take lessons, others begin to pick music for recitals, some even work to memorize operas or other works. We must be prepared for any performance opportunities that arise because if we, the music students, do not do so then we being to fall behind. Consequently, that means that a performer’s job never stops; making it quite difficult for a break to be applied. You can ask any performing art student and that is an answer that they will tell you.

Nevertheless, musicians (as well as other types of performers) not having a break is a difficult point to comprehend if a person has not been in those shoes. Nonstop practicing can create tensions in friendships and relationships for entertainers. Sometimes it is tough for others to understand when their friend who sings, plays an instrument, acts, or dances rejects an invitation for a fun day at the beach, a night out, or any other outing to stay behind and practice. The only advice, if you are the friend that is not part of a performance, that I can give is have some patience and understand that it is not as simple to stop performing. Your friend does not mean to ignore or ghost you. I promise! I know, I am the friend that will accidentally ghost you, ESPECIALLY when the semester gets hectic with performances and rehearsals. Honestly, I know I mostly say music students because I am one, but this goes for any performer:

Just set up a schedule to stay organized and schedule in some time for yourself and some friends. Your mental health is important, so remember to take breaks. 

[honestlyandrea]

Honestly... Music Students Have Secret Struggles

As a music student, I have heard multiple people state “That is such an easy major. All you need is talent.” In their defense, most of the individuals that say this are non-musicians or have not been through a full music course. As a music student, I would like to go ahead and reveal some of the behind the scene struggles that studying musicians encounter.

           The first part of being a music student is learning the language. Andrea, did you just call music a language? Yes! Yes, I did! You see, it may not be a language like Spanish, French, English, insert other languages here, but it is in its own way a language. Just like any other language, music has its own structural rules and guidelines such as counterpoint. Before you can learn how to run in the world of composition you learn these rules in music theory. There are so many specific rules like “try and avoid parallel fifths and octaves” and “make sure that you resolve notes with accidentals in the direction of their inflection” which make you triple check your work. I can honestly make the struggles of music theory its own post because I do not want to get too into detail here. We also have to learn the entire history of music in our first two years which is very detailed and extensive. We start in the times of Gregorian chant to the music of today and how music has changed and developed throughout the ages. So on top of the history of the world, we have to learn the history of this specific topic. Then, we have the classes that teach us how to teach different musical instruments and we also have to learn how to play the piano or a second instrument. Those are just some of our academic requirements.

           Music students also tend to have a very heavy load throughout the semester. I am not saying that other majors do not because I know medical students and engineering students do, but I also want to just shed some light here. Music majors try and practice as much as they can to succeed because at the end of our semesters we must do a solo performance in front of a panel of all the teachers in our program. So, all the vocal teachers give feedback on all the vocal students and all the woodwinds go to those teachers, so on and so forth. Each teacher gives a grade based on our development throughout our semester. During our junior and senior years of college, students are required to plan a recital so that he or she is eligible to graduate. On top of the many hours of practicing, music students have out of class rehearsals and gigs with their ensembles or their personal bands. Which means MORE REHEARSAL TIME! Most music students are in a minimum of two ensembles, so they must try and schedule all their schedules around all their classes, work, organizations we are a part of, and outside rehearsals. Then, students must be at all the concerts which can be from a minimum of two performances per ensemble or more. Music students also are required to sign up, attend, and manage a set number of performances and different events depending on the music school. So, when do we have any time to have a personal life? The answer to this question is we have to schedule the time to actually have activities that are not rehearsal related or study related. We do not complain because we all love what we do, but I just want to give a little bit of insight into what we deal with and our hectic schedules.