Introducing "Music School Mythbusters": A New OnCampus Series

We want your input! Send us a music school or career “myth” that you would like to see featured in this series via Twitter (@polyphonicorg), Facebook (Facebook.com/Polyphonic.org), or email (info@polyphonic.org).
You have to practice four hours a day to adequately improve. The only stable jobs are in the orchestra sector….but there are no orchestra jobs. Attendance at a summer festival is absolutely necessary if you want to make connections.
Sound familiar? If you’re a current music school student, your answer is probably yes. Almost from the moment we enter the storied halls of the conservatory, it seems as though we are inundated with a plethora of seemingly indisputable facts about the music school experience.
But are they? Do these ostensibly irrefutable axioms have a firm basis in reality–or are they merely exaggerations of rare, atypical experiences?
This October, I will be presenting a series of weekly blogs dedicated to answering these very questions, with the mission of providing new insights to these aspects of student life that could have a significant influence on students’ choices in school as well as in their budding careers. However, in recognition of my somewhat limited perspective as a conservatory cellist, I am inviting you, our OnCampus readers, to enter the conversation. Beginning today, and continuing throughout the coming month, you may contact us with a subject that you would like to see addressed in this series. This can be anything from a simple question (i.e. “Does mental practice really work?”) to a personal observation (“Everyone I know seems to think that an orchestral career is our best chance of securing a job, but is it?”). Each week, I will select a “myth” to either “debunk” (i.e. “Why Summer Festivals are NOT necessary”) or “justify” (i.e. “Why We SHOULD Practice Every Day”). You don’t necessarily need to be a current college music student in order to contribute; prospective students, young professionals, or simply anyone who finds themselves contemplating these types of questions are welcome to write in. As is the procedure on the popular “Mythbusters” television show, I will present a fair amount of observations and evidence to support my ultimate claims–but as always, I welcome rebuttals. My primary goal is that these blogs will not only bring some much-needed clarity and answers to questions that all of us grapple with, but promote a healthy discussion amongst readers so that we might reach a consensus on the realities and purpose of music school life.
We look forward to hearing from you.