There's a little too much Mahler in your Brahms.

So, we have a fellow who came back to the city last year that plays bass trombone I've had the chance to talk to a few times.  He's been slowly making a name for himself in the music community around here, his forte being conducting wind ensembles.  I'm always iffy about people I haven't heard play, but he seems to have a solid history.  He's the kind of person who, though he tries to be nice, feels like he must be honest with everyone he teaches, and this means when they need to work to pull something together, he tells them that they will legitimately need to work, and I respect that.

We started talking about my plans for the next year (NEXT next year, the 2012 school year, when I'll be hopefully starting a Masters of Music in performance), and how I'm still taking lessons, and playing in as many groups as I can next year (everything I can possibly do to make sure I don't stray from my planned path in the year I won't be a student).  He then gave me a short motivational speech, something that he gives to all people he sees potential in, but something I felt the need to pass on.  It's simple, but it worked for me.

It's quite simply this... don't hold back.  Ever.  For a lot of people, they'll go to a local school because it's easier, not because it's something they want to go to, given the option without consequence.  I did that, but was lucky enough to have gotten a solid education with a great teacher.  But when it comes to my masters, I need to leave town, and leave province.  All he told me was, don't settle for anything less than what you want.  Don't turn away from trying just because there are better people.  Because there will always be better people.  It's not being the best, it's being good enough to get the jobs that require best-like abilities (after all, they can't have the top three trumpet players in the world sitting principal of EVERY orchestra at the same time).  There's no reason to not bother trying.  What's the worst that could happen?  You end up doing what you would have anyways.  There's literally no downside.

This may have been kind of useless to some of you, but for some reason, it really hit me, so I felt I'd share.  If you're unimpressed, here's something that should work, in some form at least. :P