Oh hey, another blog post whining about my failed music therapy career. But bear with me!
This is a happy blog post, okay? Sure, I wasted more than a decade of my life pursuing a dream that ultimately fell through. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t sting. I do get a little weepy when I think about all the beautiful musical moments I’ve had with my past clients. I still remember playing piano for a dying man and his wife and how sweet it was to perform “their song” one last time for them. That’s something I’ll miss about music therapy. What I won’t miss? All the paperwork and clinical BS that comes with. Simply put, I’m not a clinical person. I’m a creator and a performer, first and foremost. Even if I had pursued cardiology as a career, which was my original plan, I probably would have noped out of that life eventually too. It’s for the best that my parents talked me out of pre-med in favor of music.
But for the first time in a long time, I feel some degree of hope. Tonight, I submitted my application to the multimedia arts technology degree program at Western Michigan University. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been toying with getting serious about music production for a while and researching programs to teach me how to be a better mixer and producer. I managed to make a few friends out here who are already in the program and they all highly recommend it. One friend had a buddy who went through the program and became the touring sound guy for Avenged Sevenfold!
So what to do with this degree? Well, my plan before leaving music therapy behind was to create a space for people of all ages and abilities to make music. I think music should be available to everyone regardless of their circumstances or disabilities. I wanted to build a recording studio not for famous artists, but for everyday folks who want to join in the act of creating music. I’m no longer pursuing music therapy, but those dreams never changed. I don’t need a music therapy degree to apply what I’ve learned about working with people of varying abilities in a musical context. I don’t need a music therapy degree to build a neurodivergence-friendly studio. And I don’t need a music therapy degree to help people make music.
My new dream is to start my own recording studio/music school. I want to provide lessons to the community at an affordable price, and I want a space for my students to record and produce their own music with my help. I want to make my studio a sort of “third space” for the community to be able to meet like-minded people and practice their instruments, and maybe even rent out instruments so folks can try things they might not have ordinarily tried. And if my studio catches on, I want to open multiple locations. I want to start a movement of sorts. Lofty, I know, but what’s the point of dreaming if you don’t dream big?
Quitting music therapy was a difficult decision that made me question my entire place in the world. Still, I’m convinced I can still change people’s lives through music, even without a fancy schmancy music therapy degree. Honing the craft of music production will take me one step closer to doing just that. I refuse to die before I’ve made a difference in the world.
So, here’s to a new dream!
JESSA JOYCE 