Canadian Music Week was keeping me busy last week, hence the lack of blog posts. This year, I didn’t want to bother any of my Toronto friends with crashing on their couches so I commuted back and forth. I was kind of like Cinderella, disappearing to catch the last bus at 1:20am. I’m pretty exhausted but here is how I survived the past week.
On Saturday, I officially graduated from Metalworks Institute, ending once and for all my life as a student. Now what?
Only half the month has passed and I have already failed. My excuse, I didn’t feel very well. Whether that is true or not I used to be able to go to class with a fever, so not practicing because of a stomach cramp seemed so trivial. There has also been days where I did in fact challenge, but they didn’t last my original guidelines of an hour. The puppy would be too distracting, my iPad ran out of battery etc.
I should have some sort of failing the challenge, but having to blog about it is punishment itself. I failed.
However, I will keep going at it. I was not neccessarily out to just do this for 30 days, but to hopefully build better lifetime habits. I don’t want to forget how to play piano. As I get older and busier, I want to know how to be able to schedule time for the keys. I’ve decided in my lifetime I’m going to learn Chopin’s entire repertoire and Bach’s WTC amongst other pieces.
This has not only been a return to a skill but a return to having an outlet to relax and speak some emotion non-verbally. Not only will this happen this month, but it will be a part of future months to come.
I graduated from University last June with a degree in Music Education, but I didn’t want to pursue being a music teacher. I’m one of those people who strive to find a career that I’ll love and be passionate about because I am a firm believe that when you find something you love to do, than you will never really work a day in your life.
I have always been fond of music and the entertainment industry. Almost a year ago, I started a music blog called Ride the Tempo that shared my love for music. I had never really heard of career colleges, where I could pursue the industry jobs, until my fourth year at University of Toronto, where I took a course on Music Business. Since last September, I have been taking the Entertainment Business Management program at Metalworks Institute.
I’m in to my second term now at the school and I love the program. As a person that has attended both the university and (private career) college institutions, it is pretty interesting to compare the two very different dynamics. Firstly, there is the class size difference. At Metalworks, there are 11 people in my program that take all the same courses at the same time. Since I was a music student at U of T, some of the courses had few people, but the big ones still had around 20. The small class allowed us to become close with our teachers as well as each other. In our Business Communications course, we became comfortable enough to tell really touchy tales in our lives.
The one thing I miss about University is the work ethic. I’m a workaholic and a perfectionist when it comes to things. I get things done with quality and efficiency, whether it’s challenging or not. That’s one thing a college doesn’t really teach. Most of my peers at Metalworks haven’t had that experience where the work just has to be done, the textbook just has to be read, and you have to care enough, or you’re going to fail. I miss being pushed a little; everyone here sort of expects their exam and test questions to be handed to them before it happens. A career in the industry is my dream, so I guess I take things really seriously. Plus, Metalworks is another $17,000 on top of the $80,000 at U of T. I want to be prepared not just to do super in my courses, but so I have enough knowledge to be successful and prepared for whatever is ahead.
Tiana Feng 