If you’re passionate , determined and quite frankly talented enough to have gotten to grade 8 in an instrument, then first of all well done .
You are a rare person indeed with a very unique skill set which most people wish they could have (trust me! I get told it all the time!).
For those of you who want to maybe study music for a diploma or even a degree, its such a good way to develop your talent, but of course, it may depend on many factors.Have you studied music solely in private lessons?Do you want a break from music? Do you want a career in music?
For those of you who have studied music through private lessons, it may be a shock to study for a degree or diploma in a classroom setting. I had private lessons up to grade 8 and then when I had to study music in a formal setting it was a shock to the system! There are thousands of courses, often offered by well established music schools , that have short affordable courses that could give you a clue as to how you would take to learning music in a course-like fashion.
If you feel like you want a break from music, there are several courses out there that incorporate music in some way without being as intense as training for grade 8. Composition is often a great way to learn about how to apply what skills you have and develop new ones from graded exams.
If you choose not to study then of course you can continue playing and practicing at home, but like with most things where you don’t get consistent lessons, usually levels can slip quite quickly (I know in my case my sight reading dropped a few grades very quickly after I stopped practicing every day, and it takes a long time to get it back to where it used to be!)
There will be another blog on work and music as a job. Keep your eyes peeled for that if you are keen to see what is out there as a musician!
