LaZae

Screw Academia

Posted by LaZae on February 25, 2007

Alright let’s not screw the whole academic system….let’s just change the way we let it rule our lives.

So I want to start off with saying that I think school is wonderful and I am greatful for my education but I think that as individuals some of us need to stop being dictated by our acadamic background. School is just a template for the real world. The real world throws curve balls and is ever changing which school doesn’t always prepare you for so it’s up to you to be flexible.

With that said, I’m really excited about writing today because I made some more discoveries about myself that can really improve my overall writing style. I think it’s really great to take classes in school and go to seminars and conferences on songwriting, but I think too much of that can actually put restrictions on your writing. At least for me that is. I realized that I pay too much attention to form. Yes, I know form is really important because it gives the song structure, but I think that if you think too much about structure it can hinder your style. And not to put down any of the great writers who write books on songwriting, but if you are too academic about writing instead of just LISTENING, you can really miss out on the sound and feeling which makes a song great. I mean that’s what music is all about right? It’s an aural art not always visual (and I say not always because there are some of us who see music visually in our head as well). Some of the best musicians don’t read any music but their hearing ability is incredible because they really listen. Yes, I do listen, but I think I start to get caught up in the academic side too often so I am going to make it a point to listen more and read less. Let my ears and soul do the writing. I’m going to use the left side of my brain instead of always letting my right side put in its two cents.

In other news related to school….I’m almost done with the first course I enrolled in through this distance learning college. I do have my associates degree in Commercial Music with a focus on audio engineering, but I want to get my bachelor’s degree completed. I only have 30 units left! So after this week I’ll be one unit closer to being done hahaha. I just took the easiest course to get the ball rolling. I’m going to take my final exam sometime this week so wish me luck!

Felice