Career Plan - Admission/Application Essay Example

Career Plan The future is what keeps human beings hopeful and working. A good career is something that I have beenworking forward and trying my best to achieve. Career development is something done throughout a persons lifetime rather than simply once and there is always the question of whether one should become a specialist at something or take a more general approach towards it (Gupta). It is necessary to plan ahead in order to achieve and have a backup plan just in case things do not work out in a individuals favor. The major steps to any career planning involve short term goals, experience and networking (Gupta). I have been planning to be a Pianist for several years now and all my focus has been in obtaining a solid concrete strength in playing so that after my graduation I can get admission in a music graduate school and major in piano playing. Piano as a career option is more of a choice fueled up by my passion and love for classical music. This is to the extreme that I adore compositions by Beethoven, Mozart and Clementi. My career development is according to the plans that short term goals would shape up my long term dreams and I will be gaining experience along the way. This is because for a musician it is necessary to not only master the instrument but also have an experience in it to show and obtain gigs. Passion and plan go hand in hand to lay down a successful career. My personal preference is to be that best at piano playing whether that involves being a professional player or a teacher. My first career choice is to become a Professional pianist. My inspiration for picking up piano in the first place was Mozart. Mozart focused on being a musician first and secondly a pianist which I aim to do so as well. Focusing in understanding the naturalness of music, interpreting it and visualizing it is the key to becoming a great pianist (Schonberg,43). I have been harboring my skills accordingly and practicing keenly to understand music first. If you love something, then working for it never seems like a burden and this is what has led me so far in the pursuit of becoming an excellent pianist someday. There has been decline in the popularity of piano playing in the recent years due to the fact that most musicians are not up to the international criteria. As per Fanny Waterman this is due to the fact that many musicians are most interested in electric instrument rather than the grand piano itself (Alberge). Musicians who can play the grand piano are becoming rare and that increases the market value. Pianists are usually hired in broad way shows, orchestras and sometimes for accompanying other professional singers (Hahn). Likewise, a pianist in a broad way show would earn more than a pianist hired to play a background note in another musicians musical symphony. Playing an instrument does not necessarily require a fancy graduate school but a will to be the best at what you do. The pianist employed can range from doing private shows of their own to working with other artists. The practice hours requires “not being on the phone” but rather giving it all your strength during that specific time when one is practicing. It requires a vision and passion (Alberge). This is specifically why I developed a vision with a focus in mind that I want to achieve. Typically giving at least 7 hours to my playing and practice will help me achieve my goals of becoming a professional pianist. The lifestyles of pianists are very different from other musicians particularly because of the delicacy of the notes and the constant need of memorizing classical symphony notes. Cultivation and practice is also necessary than a God given talent (China Daily). Because of the decline in classic piano playing there is not much money in the genre unless the person is really good or has a lot of experience to show for auditions. This is where I firmly believe I need to work on and develop experience. There is dedication needed for every job that a person does so that in the end, it does not feel like a job or a burden but rather something that one looks forward to doing. This is where career satisfaction steps in and achieving what a person loves forms the basis for the provision of ultimate satisfaction. My second career choice would be to become a piano teacher if not a professional pianist because of my love for the instrument and the music it produces. Piano is more of a passion that instills a desire to let the creativity out in one way or another. I plan on becoming a piano teacher and teach children the greatness of the instrument. Professor Zhu Yafen is an inspiration in my second career choice who dedicated a lifetime to piano playing and he had a passion for piano playing. One of his famous students include the international great musician Lang Lang (China Today). The job duties of a piano teacher include teaching the history of the instrument, focusing on building the students interest and harnessing the natural artist in every individual so that they reach to a level according to their capacity. Strategic networking is also an important factor in developing a career which means that it is necessary to know the people in your profession and develop long term healthy relationships with them (Quartz). This can be employed in hoping a career as a piano teacher. It is necessary to start off with any school and to not focus on big musical schools but rather build connections where necessary to achieve good recommendations. The bigger picture involves working for a renowned musical school but for that one has to start from somewhere and it should be kept in mind that tiny steps lead towards a bigger achievement. Typical work hours for a piano teacher depend on the class schedule and the students enrolled in the course. However, Zen Yafen used to give on the top graduates classes so that they could learn and harbor skills to become the best (China Today). To become a piano teacher, a professional musical graduate school is necessary and one of the best schools in the world include Berklee College of Music in Boston that offers piano courses. The college now offers graduate courses in its Boston campus and provides knowledge to be the best with the instrument. There are piano clubs and piano institutes that offer students to practice. The life of a piano teacher however, requires working in the background and much more focus. Developing patience to correct mistakes is another thing which comes with becoming a teacher. The typical piano teacher would not earn more but as professionally they progress there is more job satisfaction with little hours needed to put in the work. In conclusion, my love for piano playing is the force that is driving me towards both of my career choices. It is necessary to have a backup plan if things do not work out and my second career plan is to teach if I do not succeed in my first aim of becoming a professional pianist. Practice and patience is a necessary virtue of becoming great in a field and that I harness with days that are passing. The success of one of the most famous piano players, Lang Lang, lied not only on the skills but also on the guidance of the teachers like Zen who had a passion for playing as well as teaching the instrument (China Today) Mozart and Clementi give an idea about the classical form of piano where it is essential to learn the instrument itself as well. Works Cited Alberge, Dalya. Future Of Piano Playing In UK Is In Peril, Veteran Teacher Warns. The Guardian 2014.Web. 4 Jan. 2015. China Today. Zhu Yafen: The Elegance Of Piano Education. ChinaDaily USA. 2014. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Gupta, Piyush. How To Take Charge Of Your Career—And Plan For Success. Quartz. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Hahn, David. How To Get A Job As A Pianist. Musicianwages.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Schonberg, Harold C. The Great Pianists. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987. Print. Read More