counterparts often didn’t have that same sense of creative expression playing someone
else’s compositions.
That’s not to say formal training stifles creativity. The formally trained musician has
the opportunity to interpret a composition. Consider artists such as cellist, Yo Yo Ma, who
received his formal musical education at such notable schools as Harvard University,
Juilliard School and Columbia University. He’s won several Grammy Awards and others,
as well, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts.
One doesn’t achieve this type of notoriety simply by playing note-for-note. Yo Yo Ma
brings elegance and grace to his musical interpretations. Preeminent violinist, Itzhak Perl-
man, is similar as is pianist, conductor, and composer, André Previn.
Conversely, Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, said in an interview that he had
no idea what key he sang in and couldn’t tell one end of a sheet of music from the other.
In a 1980 Playboy Magazine interview, John Lennon is credited with saying, “None of us
could read music. None of us can write it.” Yet, Lennon and McCartney went on to write
some of the most memorable songs of the 20th Century.
So, it all comes down to those goals. What are you trying to accomplish with your
music. To reach your career goals, does it make sense to invest in a formal education, or
like Lennon and McCartney, does your music emanate from your heart and soul, even
though you may not know the difference between a whole note and a quarter note? The
only one who can answer those questions is you. Take the time needed to develop crystal
clear goals and the rest will fall into place.
Beyond studies, the college and university environment is conducive to music, bands
and performance. Many well-known groups got their start on a campus. R.E.M.; Radio-