DYLAN M. HOLLIDAY
Student musicians: A tale of two paths
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - Dylan Holliday
For many, college is a place to where the groundwork is laid that leads to a successful career. Whether it is becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or even a school teacher, students go to college to get a clear sight of where their life is headed. But for a select group of students, there isn’t just one path that they are looking at, and finding the balance between two paths becomes a key part of their college experience.
Looking at one university in particular, according to Virginia Tech’s Factbook, out the more than 25,000 undergraduate students attending, just 3,237 students are enrolled in the college of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences – a college that houses the music and fine arts department. However, there are students who are majoring in other fields, but just as dedicated to music and fine arts as those that do major in these fields of study.
“I’ve been doing music since I was little, just kind of singing, and starting writing my own music in freshman year of high school,” Robbie Russell, a freshman at Virginia Tech pursuing an active rapping and singing career, said.
Blacksburg, Va April 8, 2016 -- Rapper Calvin Hoang pours his soul out through the mic at one of She-Sha Lounge and Cafe's many open mic nights.
As student musicians grow through their time in college, they gain some important lessons through their time, with time management at the top of the list.
“Even in high school, I tried to push everything to the last minute but with this, I try to finish everything on time so I have the downtime to just do music,” Mike Gibbs, a senior Consumer Studies major and music producer, said.
While college can be a huge place with tons of people, opportunities could still be hard to come by.
“Even though [Virginia Tech] is a big campus and you would think you could get your music out there a lot easier, it’s harder to connect with people,” Gibbs said.
But, with student run organizations like VT Expressions – whose mission is to “welcome any and everyone; rappers, poets, graphic designers, dancers, painters, photographers, singers, and more” – the opportunities are slowly making themselves present.
“There’s a lot of outlets here now, like Expressions, like SOHHL (Students of Hip Hop Legacy) gives a lot of opportunities, and there’s so many ways to get involved with it all,” Calvin Hoang, a freshman rapper majoring in Business Management.
Student musicians have quite a few things to handle when getting to college but it is usually the love of what they do that keeps them pursuing two paths to success.
Blacksburg, Va May 9, 2016 -- Here is a sidebar about all of the different types of opportunities student musicians may have on their college campus, with Virginia Tech as the example campus.