Over the years, students have come to me for advice on how they might pursue a career in music.

My answer is brutal, honest, and practical. It’s not based on luck or talent. It’s focused on hard work, focus, bravely putting yourself out there, and building a network and a following.

I bear no judgment toward those who choose a different path. It’s wise to give up on a dream if you realize that you’re not willing to put in the work or make the sacrifice that allows you let go of everything else and focus only on the actions that make your desired outcome possible.

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Is Kendrick Lamar handy with a hammer?

How’s Saoirse Ronan’s volleyball serve?

Sure, David McCullough is a revered writer, but can he write funny tweets?

We really don’t care. These greats are valued for their contributions to our culture — we don’t need them to be good at everything.

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Having spent over a decade teaching music lessons, I can say for certain:

Music lessons aren’t where you learn to play an instrument.

Sure, they help. But the real work is done without your teacher, by yourself, playing and evaluating.

If you are unable or unwilling to spend this time “in the woodshed,” you will not achieve your goal of playing an instrument, no matter how much time and money you spend on the lessons themselves.

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School rewards good penmanship, strong language skills, facility with numbers, social ease, and athletic ability. Bonus points if you are well organized and approval-seeking.

Forgive me for broadly generalizing here: Engineers are often good at numbers. But their other strengths — such as spatial ability, innovation, making unusual connections, finding shortcuts, tolerance for failure, skill at manipulating inanimate objects, and asking challenging questions — can be virtually invisible in a typical liberal arts-based K - 12 curriculum. 

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