<p>I wonder about this a lot because the vibe I get from this forum is that to succeed at music you need to have been a high school overachiever through and through. Is it possible to become successful at music if you like to feel “free”, in a sense? Is there anyway to achieve the hours of practicing needed to succeed and still maintain your sense of flexibility and creative freedom as a person?</p>
<p>I know ive already asked questions about practicing, and those responses were really helpful and clarified a lot-- I also talked to my teacher about it. I’m just learning how to balance the need to practice with who I am as a person.</p>
<p>You should visit Oberlin! Both times I visited, I left with a strong impression that they emphasize cultivation of what might be considered “free spirits.” The teacher I had a lesson with the second time around was really trying to sell Oberlin to me and convince me of the unique things they have to offer in that way . . . and it sounds like the school is all about that.</p>
<p>I know that isn’t really the answer to your question, but I saw your post and immediately thought of Oberlin . . . So much so that it spurred me to post my first post on this site, haha.
Hope you find your answers. :)</p>
<p>Depends what you mean by “free spirit” and also what kind of music you are talking about. If you mean playing repertoire pieces in an ‘interpretive’ fashion and the like, if you are talking standard classical training the answer would be no. Fortunately or unfortunately, the process of classical training is still very much the way it has been, students are expected basically to paint within the lines, etc. That doesn’t mean that the student isn’t supposed to make a piece their own, shape the notes, etc, with good teachers the last thing they want is the student copying them. A good part of the process is a rigid discipline from what I can tell and that could clash with someone who is into more being themselves. </p>
<p>I think to get a better idea you would need to describe what kind of music you are talking about and what you mean by ‘free spirit’.</p>