The Importance of Music Education in My Fan Life
As someone who started playing instruments before I could walk, music education has been a pivotal part of who I am today.
My mom always tells me about how I’d use my walker to scoot my way to the piano keyboard and slam the keys to share whatever masterpiece was floating through my 1-year-old brain at the time. We have a picture framed in our home that makes me laugh every time I see it.
Flash forward to elementary school, even I couldn’t deny that I was practically the teacher’s pet for my music teacher, Ms. Holly Cady. Every time we prepared for the class concerts, I sang loudly and proudly for our audience, which included parents, siblings, and faculty.
As the years went on, I dedicated myself to learning how to read music, harmonise, and how each part fits with one another to create a song. I participated in regional and state-wide choirs, graded my classmates’ music homework after school during rehearsals, and even had my conducting debut by directing one of the pieces in Ms. Cady’s stead for our class concert.
During my 5th-grade year, Ms. Cady, having encouraged my affinity for music all this time, introduced the idea that I audition for our district’s performing arts school. I remember being incredibly nervous, as the recorder was the only instrument I knew how to play complex pieces on. However, despite my anxiety, I was accepted and chose to join the orchestra program to learn the violin.
I attended that school for the entirety of my middle and high school experience, pursuing orchestra for the first 5 years. During that time, I learned about arranging pieces, how each instrument contributes a unique sound that accentuates a song, how dynamics and tone can change the emotion the listener feels, and so much more. I even had the opportunity to perform at the esteemed Carnegie Hall in New York with our symphony orchestra, an honour that I have treasured ever since.
During high school, I also decided to join the vocal program, studying classical singing all 4 years. In that experience, I learned just how strong an instrument the voice is and the importance of caring for it. I sang in 10+ languages and countless styles, expanding my repertoire beyond what I imagined. It taught me the importance of breathwork and how warming up the body is just as important as the voice. Our vocal teacher had us switch parts in each piece, giving me a deeper knowledge of the way melody and harmony work as an ensemble.
Once I entered college, I knew that having music be a part of my experience was non-negotiable. I chose to study Music Industry alongside Psychology and Communications. During my coursework, I learned about the process of writing, recording, producing, licensing, releasing, and performing a song. I also learned about the functions of a label, the many avenues of the music industry I could work in the future, how to protect against copyright claims, and the reality of how much streaming artists earn.
Throughout this entire journey, every step I’ve taken has given me a deeply rooted appreciation for music that has only ever increased. As a fan, I stream instrumental tracks just as much as the original versions. I love it when artists break down the recording process or show behind-the-scenes on the track stacking (Jacob Collier, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish have incredible examples of this). When I listen to a track on repeat, I sing along to a different part every time, whether it’s the melody, the higher harmony, ad-libs only, etc. I practice what I imagine a song would sound like with a violin solo over it.
My music education is also the root of why I believe live music is incredibly important. There is something transformative in being in a space where, for two to three hours, artists bring studio recordings that have soundtracked people’s emotions to life for an audience of fans to experience together as a community. I notice parts of the song that I may not have paid attention to before, or the live arrangement breathes new air into a record that alters the way I hear it from that moment on.
I’m incredibly grateful for growing up as a musician because it has permanently impacted how I enjoy music. Not only did it transform the experience, but it instilled a newfound respect for everyone involved in the music process from start to finish. It encouraged me to think creatively in everything I do and look for the micro expressive moments in life.
For those who did not grow up with music education, don’t worry! There are plenty of resources out there for you to learn. But if you’re someone who enjoys direction, here are two of my favourites. If you want to read music, Musictheory.net is a great place to start, as they provide free beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons with exercises to test what you know. Coursera also offers plenty of free music industry courses to build up your foundational knowledge.
When 1-year-old Hannah was banging on the keyboard, my heart already knew what my body and mind later caught up to. Music has been one of the constants in my life in the sea of uncertainty, one that I will forever be a lifelong learner of, and one that I’m excited to uncover more about every day.
