Music majors: keeping music in our lives after graduation.

I saw a video on yahoo.com the other day that showed Condoleeza Rice playing classical piano. At first I was surprized, but it helped remind me that we are capable of taking on many different responsibilities while keeping the music going. We live in a competitive world, and circumstances have a way of mapping out our lives. Who knows? We might be one of the lucky ones who, like one popular R&B singer who's name escapes me, gets noticed while singing to herself at a gas station and suddenly has a recording career. The point is, anything can happen, and I am a firm believer that great things can happen if one is open to them happening. For example, if an opportunity comes along and one isn't prepared (or simply lacks the courage to try), that's one more chance down the drain. At the same time, we can't sit daydreaming about our ideal future 24-7. We have bills to pay, people to love and lives to live. I must get a job now, music industry or not, but that doesn't mean I am no longer an artist and a singer. It is up to all of us to determine what role music has in our lives, and to give it enough energy to allow it to fill that role. For me, singing is the ultimate form of self-expression, and performing is the greatest high because it allows me to express all of the emotions I have learned to supress. I have recently started writing my own songs, and I have found, with great joy, that my own songs are my favorites, because I was able to express a personal emotion, through the combination of words and music, in a way clearer than with words alone. You never have to give up on your dreams. Circumstances may change, but there is always a way to keep moving forward with your art, a little at a time. So keep going! Music may not pay the bills, but it may sustain you in some other way.