music or medicine?

[locoindio]

hello everyone,
i was hoping maybe someone could help me. for a big part of my life, i told myself that i wanted to become a doctor. what kind of doctor, i wasn't quite sure. but a doctor. i even went back to school taking post bacc classes for almost 3 years convincing myself that i was what i wanted to do. but all the while, i could not get the music out of my head. id have study sessions interrupted because i had some idea for a song or an album or was watching videos of my favorite performers on youtube that would take up hours. whatever. it's been about 7 mo since i put a hiatus on the pre-med thing and have started on a path to doing music as a profession, and i want to say im happy, but there's also this part of me that wonders where i fit in. i should say that i have never made decisions in my life based upon money, glory, or anything like that. im mainly concerned with finding out where i fit in and working hard to fit as well as i possibly can. some help perhaps.....thanks...

loco

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[sanchopanza]

From what you just wrote, it seems like there's a lot more substance to your passion for music--but you just gave us a paragraph about yourself so I could be wrong.

Maybe it would help to try getting more involved in both potential professions and try them out, so to speak, by talking with/shadowing people who have done both. For me, it was during my shadowing experience that my interest in medicine really solidified.

Ultimately, of course, this is a decision you've gotta make on your own. Enjoy the challenge!

 

[sosarah]

Isn't there such a thing as music therapy? I don't really know anything about it but it might be something worth looking into for you. It might not be an actual physician and it might not be actually composing your own works, but if you can give a little to get the best of both, why not?

 

[ncguy2005]

Isn't there such a thing as music therapy? I don't really know anything about it but it might be something worth looking into for you. It might not be an actual physician and it might not be actually composing your own works, but if you can give a little to get the best of both, why not?

Yea, there is. A lot of school are getting them these days. Here in North Carolina I know of a few schools that offer it as a major (My school doesn't). To the OP I would explore the music field more before coming to a decision. As a music major I know that a lot of people visualize being a music major (if that's what you're planning on doing) as a fun major where all you do is learn how to write music. The reality is that the music composition that you're thinking of is completely different than what the schools will actually teach you. Music is a lot deeper than most think, as a musician who came to college as a music major I didn't even realize how much more there was to music than just the basics you may have learned from a private instructor or school music program. I say all this assuming this is the route you have pre-planned should you go into music, if it isn't just disreguard all of this.

 

[littlealex]

I urge you to still at least consider the practical aspect of things. Maybe medicine isn't for you, but have you figured out what type of music you wish to go into? Specifically how would you expect to make a living?

 

[meowkat444]

just to chime in here... i have been a very serious violinist since i was 5. classical competitions probably got me into college. for the last 8 or 9 years i have been playing fiddle in various rock and bluegrass bands, and it makes me incredibly happy. i have had to face the decision several times of whether to pursue the next step in my education or make it with a band.

the conclusion i came to is that i don't actually have any need to make it or play pro, as long as there are groups of good musicians that will let me play with them and i have time to do that. yes, i spend more days at work (and probably will at medical school) very tired from shows or rehearsals the previous night, but it is completely worth it, and you can usually find musicians who understand that sometimes school needs to be prioritized. if you can derive enough enjoyment from casual music, then pursue medicine. if that simply isn't enough, then you have to give it a shot.

also, there is nothing wrong with being a pre-med music major. will let you delay the decision until you are more informed.

edit: after rereading your post, i'm not sure how helpful mine is--but i hope it helps somehwo.

 

[AcousticGS]

I left the music industry for a career in medicine. I say give the music a shot, because with medicine the old saying "if you can see yourself doing anything else, you should probablly do it" applies. Once you get out you are a doctor, thats your life, you can be a music fan, but thats pretty much where it ends.

My studying gets interupted by music all the time, so dont let get you down, but if you find something drawing you to the music more, I would say give it a try for a year or two. At least explore it with the same consideration you gave medicine.

If you want to PM me feel free.

 

[ChessMess]

As a future doctor and ex-composer I will say two things

1) making a living as a giging musician is not only difficult, but hard.

2) you can always continue music as a hobby and pastime.

3) balance is key.

In short, be a doctor - you can have it both ways.

Being a musician now will make you happy now, but being a doctor now will make you happy later - when you can still enjoy music to a degree.

my two cents.

 

[AnthonyNY]

medicine + music = medic

you dont happen to parachute, do you?

 

[TheBigBP]

Hey loco, I've battled with the arts vs. sciences career myself (though it was film production in my case). I think the best advice I can offer is this: don't feel as though you have to make a decision soon. I think a lot of us who have an inkling to become a doctor can feel pressured to get on that pre-med track as soon as possible and pursue it relentlessly, but don't forget that in the grand scheme of things, you're still young. You have plenty of time to figure stuff out, especially for a decision as grand as what you'll be committing your life to. Maintain a good GPA, get your feet wet with both medicine and music to see what they're like as occupations, and be patient!

With that said, I know someone who's going into music therapy, and absolutely loves it. If you think a compromise of the two interests is the way to go, that's definitely a wonderful alternative too.

(And just out of curiosity, what kind of music do you do? Big music fan myself.)

Best of luck to you, and feel free to PM me about any questions you might have about how I made my decision.

 

[rich1234]

medicine + music = medic

you dont happen to parachute, do you?

Lol, I couldn't help but laugh at that. I have an incredible passion for music too, I often struggle with what I would like to do more. On one hand, I would love to go into medicine, because I only have to depend on me, no more of dealing with the sketchy, unreliable characters of the music world. I, however am a pianist, guitarist, and drummer who started out when I was 8. My voice isn't that great as of right now (but I'm taking vocal lessons) so If I wanted to realize my music dream (in my case being in a touring band), I'd inevitably have to try to team up with some other musicians. I tried that for awhile though, and that in it self, is a full-time commitment. It's hard to find reliable people in anything, but being young (21) and a musician, basically always equals unreliable . With that said, I do really want to become a doctor, and I only have to depend on myself with that, and Ive considered after undergraduate that If I can't find a local band to tour with for a year or so, that I will just tour manage a band, so I can have the experience of being on the road, traveling the country, living on no money (not glamorous, but sounds fun to me). With all that said, I have a friend who's very smart, and pulls around a 3.7 as a premed going into his senior year, and plays for a popular touring band. So, to wrap this up, do whatever you have to do, to fulfill your dream of being involved with music, and then once you get your kicks, move on to medicine. Music will always be a part of my life, and you can do the same.

Rich

 

[coralfangs]

same here
i wanted to be an artist
but i figure, i can still make time for those when i become a doctor
not the other way around

 

[toxicgate]

well I gave up the opportunity to play guitar for a band just singed onto drive thru records for going to med school...I think it all comes down to what you see yourself doing in the next 10 years. I don't think I would have had a stable life come 10 years from now if I joined the band. It sure would have been fun to go around the country and tour with new found glory and hello goodbye, but I think in the end, I want a more stable life and if it so happens later on in life when i am a doctor, and I have enough money and free time, I might open up a studio and maybe even start my own record label. My dad actually works at a pharmaceutical company, but when the weekends come along, he sings and records and composes music. It worked out for him...

ohh, also, the lead singer of the offspring is actually a doctor. He got his MD then made the band. I think there are some other doctors in bands and in the music business

 

[rich1234]

well I gave up the opportunity to play guitar for a band just singed onto drive thru records for going to med school...I think it all comes down to what you see yourself doing in the next 10 years. I don't think I would have had a stable life come 10 years from now if I joined the band. It sure would have been fun to go around the country and tour with new found glory and hello goodbye, but I think in the end, I want a more stable life and if it so happens later on in life when i am a doctor, and I have enough money and free time, I might open up a studio and maybe even start my own record label. My dad actually works at a pharmaceutical company, but when the weekends come along, he sings and records and composes music. It worked out for him...

ohh, also, the lead singer of the offspring is actually a doctor. He got his MD then made the band. I think there are some other doctors in bands and in the music business

That sounded pretty cool, so I looked it up, and Wikipedia says otherwise.

Dexter was the class valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, CA and was a Ph.D. candidate [2] in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, however he declined to get his Ph.D. in favor of focusing on The Offspring. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California.

Sorry to point that out, but stuff like that interests me. The keyboardist of Mae is a lawyer though.

 

[toxicgate]

That sounded pretty cool, so I looked it up, and Wikipedia says otherwise.

Dexter was the class valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, CA and was a Ph.D. candidate [2] in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, however he declined to get his Ph.D. in favor of focusing on The Offspring. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California.

Sorry to point that out, but stuff like that interests me. The keyboardist of Mae is a lawyer though.

the keyboardist in mae is the man, i love his thi chi moves when the play live, gotta love the bald azn dude doing thi chi haha. I cannot wait for their new album

also, the singer of bad religion was a cornell phd student and i think he tought one class while at cornell...oh how i would have loved to be tought evo by the lead singer of bad religion...

 

[GreenMudPhud]

There is no room for wishy-washiness in this field. If you are not 100% sure, don't do it! Otherwise you will hate yourself.

 

[rich1234]

the keyboardist in mae is the man, i love his thi chi moves when the play live, gotta love the bald azn dude doing thi chi haha. I cannot wait for their new album

also, the singer of bad religion was a cornell phd student and i think he tought one class while at cornell...oh how i would have loved to be tought evo by the lead singer of bad religion...

Lol, that wouldve been great. I thought it was pretty cool that all of Armor For Sleep finished their bachelors before they started getting serious about their band and they're kinda big now.

 

[toxicgate]

Lol, that wouldve been great. I thought it was pretty cool that all of Armor For Sleep finished their bachelors before they started getting serious about their band and they're kinda big now.

funny you should mention Armor for Sleep...I just saw them a couple of weeks ago at a secrete show.

Anyways I can talk about bands all day long, back to the OPs question, If you aren't 100% sure about med, take a year off and see if music is your thing. I mean whats a year off in this process anyways?

 

[pagemmapants]

Ewww, a "secrete" show? What came out of them? Didn't their instruments get slippery?

 

[radi0headfan]

hello everyone,
i was hoping maybe someone could help me. for a big part of my life, i told myself that i wanted to become a doctor. what kind of doctor, i wasn't quite sure. but a doctor. i even went back to school taking post bacc classes for almost 3 years convincing myself that i was what i wanted to do. but all the while, i could not get the music out of my head. id have study sessions interrupted because i had some idea for a song or an album or was watching videos of my favorite performers on youtube that would take up hours. whatever. it's been about 7 mo since i put a hiatus on the pre-med thing and have started on a path to doing music as a profession, and i want to say im happy, but there's also this part of me that wonders where i fit in. i should say that i have never made decisions in my life based upon money, glory, or anything like that. im mainly concerned with finding out where i fit in and working hard to fit as well as i possibly can. some help perhaps.....thanks...

loco

hey man..i somewhat have had the same concerns as you....if i get in to med school for next year, i definitely want to defer admission to try out the musician thing for a while...i'd have enough time to finish up the music i've written and go around locally and just have fun with it...also, my sister's going to college next fall to pursue vocal performance so maybe we'll be able to start a family band or something..hehe...anyways, i don't know what type of profession you're looking for in music...music education, performance, or maybe even being a conductor?...did you do music for your undergrad or?...i don't know if you've already done this, but if you were interested in performance, definitely try and get some gigs and see how that works out ..you may have more to base your decision on then...gluck w/ everything

 

[locoindio]

first off, i very much appreciate all your prompt replies. why does everyone keep referring to me as OP? im confused. that stands for occupational therapy? old pisser? I am 28 after all. and Smash was one of the first cd's i ever owned. I remember reading about Dexter after listening to Bad Habit over and over....and had to read more about him. I found his educational background fascinating even then. Anyway, allow me to respond in due course. i am a percussionist by trade. i started playing an indian hand drum instrument called Tabla when I was about 7 years old. I did Economics with a minor in Mathematics in undergrad. while in college, i played locally with two bands as a drum set player and world percussionist. then i bummed around for a while after graduation and then came back to my home town where i joined a theatre troupe, for whom i have written several scores/soundtracks using acoustic guitar and the tabla to do most of the composing/arranging, etc. I have also been working on a handful of solo projects while balancing writing for the troupe. mainly singer/songwriter genre stuff using acoustic guitar. After 2.5 years of trying to push through post bacc coursework in pre-med, i have decided to stop to give it some serious thought, since i cannot get the music out of my system. my science grades have suffered immensely because of it so i need to cool it before i study myself into a grocery bagger job at the local HEB. currently i am planning to become a high school math teacher. there is a huge shortage of good teachers, and i figure if I can do a job like that effectively, then there will always be a job for me while I sort all my desires out. So that's why I'm teaching. Also, I enjoy mathematics. Sometimes I wonder if I enjoy it more than medicine, that perhaps I can find some sort of mathematic niche of my own within the healthcare/medical science world. My immediate plan is to plan to start teaching next month full time, recording the demo, and spending this coming summer (bc teachers get the summers off) studying tabla at an institution around the san francisco area. right now the only way I can see myself wanting to study medicine again is if I become an EMT and somehow that jump-starts my interest. Otherwise, I'm just going to have to wait it out and see how I feel about everything. The last thing I want is to be 10-20-30 years older than I am now and look back and regret not having tried something or given up on something too easily. That's just bad thought. That's how you become a cynical medical student and a cynical physician IMHO. Anyway, so that's where I'm at now.....any further replies would be welcome.....Thanks a lot....

Loco

 

[locoindio]

first off, i very much appreciate all your prompt replies. why does everyone keep referring to me as OP? im confused. that stands for occupational therapy? old pisser? I am 28 after all. and Smash was one of the first cd's i ever owned. I remember reading about Dexter after listening to Bad Habit over and over. I found his educational background fascinating even then. Anyway, allow me to respond in due course. i am a percussionist by trade. i started playing an north indian classical hand drum instrument called Tabla when I was about 7 years old. I did Economics with a minor in Mathematics in undergrad. while in college, i played locally with two bands as a drum set player and world percussionist. then i bummed around for a while after graduation and then came back to my home town where i joined a theatre troupe, for whom i have written several scores/soundtracks using acoustic guitar and the tabla to do most of the composing/arranging, etc. I have also been working on a handful of solo projects while balancing writing for the troupe. mainly singer/songwriter genre stuff using acoustic guitar. After 2.5 years of trying to push through post bacc coursework in pre-med, i have decided to stop to give it some serious thought, since i cannot get the music out of my system. my science grades have suffered immensely because of it so i need to cool it before i study myself into a grocery bagger job at the local HEB. currently i am planning to become a high school math teacher. there is a huge shortage of good teachers, and i figure if I can do a job like that effectively, then there will always be a job for me while I sort all my desires out. So that's why I'm teaching. Also, I enjoy mathematics. Sometimes I wonder if I enjoy it more than medicine, that perhaps I can find some sort of mathematical niche of my own within the healthcare/medical science world. My immediate plan is to plan to start teaching next month full time, recording the demo, and spending this coming summer (bc teachers get the summers off) studying tabla at an institution in the san francisco area. right now the only way I can see myself wanting to study medicine again is if I become an EMT (which is on the agenda eventually. it's just good life skills to know) and somehow that jump-starts my interest. Otherwise, I'm just going to have to wait it out and see how I feel about everything. The last thing I want is to be 10-20-30 years older than I am now and look back and regret not having tried something or given up on something too easily. That's just bad. That's how you become a cynical medical student and a cynical physician IMHO. Anyway, so that's where I'm at now.....any further replies would be welcome.....Thanks a lot....

Loco

 

[radi0headfan]

keep in mind though, you may become a physician and always look back and wish you should have went with music...I'm not telling you which profession you are or should be choosing...just saying that in the end, I feel that everyone looks back and feels like they were doing something else w/ their life...esp. if they were interested in many things....I know that's a bleak outlook, but I hear so many doctors/engineers/lawyers/teachers complain about their jobs....just remember the grass may be greener on the other side no matter what you end up doing...it's probably something a lot of us have to end up dealing with later on...i feel anything music, esp. if you sing(voice keeps changing until you're 28-30), should be done at earlier ages since that's when we enjoy these types of things the most...medical school is not going anywhere, so i say take as much time as you need..i graduated college in 2005 and am trying to defer admission if i get in next yr....we're all gonna be 30 something when we get out anyways, right?

 

[hopedieslast]

Hehe, first off...OP means original poster or original post (i.e. you).

Anyway, with the doubts that you're having, I think it's essential you explore the other areas of interest you currently have. As some of the other posters have mentioned already, if you see yourself doing anything other than medicine, you need to take a serious consideration into those "invasive" moments as I believe medicine leaves little room for apprehension and doubt (all part of personal growth nonetheless). I too have a BA in Music, and I completely understand this passion for music you're experiencing. Once you get a taste of ways to truly experience music in its deepest levels, it burns inside of you with a yearning that can only be expressed on paper or in sound. I've found a way to incorporate that passion in my determination becoming a physician. That's the balance I've struck. It doesn't necessarily have to be an obvious connection that finds its way out. If it works for you, then that's all that matters. But it has to come from you, and only an introspective search will yield the answer. Either way, I wish you luck.

 

[Despina]

also, there is nothing wrong with being a pre-med music major. will let you delay the decision until you are more informed.

edit: after rereading your post, i'm not sure how helpful mine is--but i hope it helps somehwo.

I also studied music in college...there were actually several pre-med music majors in my department. In fact 2/3 of my graduating music class is going to medical school (planning on going to medical school)...yes, I really said 2/3...it's a freaky accident...I went to a super small college (under 700 undergraduates), so I knew every single music major. My voice teacher used to say, "If you can picture yourself doing anything besides music professionally, than you should go do it." I think the same goes for medicine. So figure out which one that is for you... Like the poster above said, it's o.k. to be a pre-med music major. You don't have to be like the other 999,999,999 pre-med biology majors.

 

[locoindio]

it's definitely both a blessing and a curse to be able to do more than one thing well. ultimately, ill need to find balance regardless of what i do because id like to have a family and keep up with my personal health, my friends, etc. it could be that i just need to become satisfied with my musical pursuits up to a certain point and then head off to medical school. who knows. it'll make sense with time i hope. thanks so much for your replies. they were really helpful. good luck to all of you. take care and Godspeed.

Loco

 

[hsperson]

Fellow premed music major here. I am having the same issues. I totally identify with the blessing vs curse comment. Those who have only single pursuits are lucky. We are fortunate to have experienced the beauty and brilliance of music, but we must also spend our lives enslaved by it. I've thought so hard about this, and I still don't know for sure, but I feel that as long as I'm able to play in a good community ensemble, I don't feel the need to vigorously pursue a performance career. That's all I need musically. Oh, and then there's the tons of added stress of actually trying to make a living out of it which will likely dwarf the actual performance aspect altogether and may be a bit too much for me to handle.

Kudos to the comment about the reversibility of the "if you can envision yourself doing anything else…" phrase. It may be so for medicine, but I contend that it is equally if not more so for any sort of performance career. I think people are blinded by their passion for music and don't realize that it's actually a very difficult profession. For each violinist or trumpeter you can name, there are thousands struggling to achieve a fraction of their success. I personally feel that a career in music would be more difficult than one in medicine not just because of the fact that medicine is much more stable but also because it is a draining intellectual and physical challenge to be a really good musician. Most musicians may not know much about pathology, but I challenge the unspoken notion that they are somehow flower-children who'd be incapable of reading a book and learning it. On the other hand, the things you have to know to be a musician are so subtle, unnoticeable and inexplicable to the general public. Knowing music and being musically intelligent really is like mastering an archaic language on your own.

I readily acknowledge that I may not feel the passion for medicine that I do for music, but I wonder, "Is that even possible before you actually enter the profession?" Most of us are passionate about music because someone threw an instrument into our hands or discovered we could sing at some early age. How is that possible for medicine? I do know that I'm passionate about helping others. I am passionate about intellectual challenge and solving problems and about working with others in a team to d something meaningful. I'm passionate about the beauty of the human condition and I enjoy learning about physiology. These things don't really constitute passion for medicine. Thye may be indicators for a potential passion, but I feel that you'll never know medicine until you're already into it.

 

[AppleseedCast]

I'm a musician. I love writing and recording with a passion, but I know medicine is what I want to do. Music will always be a part of me, but it will be a hobby and nothing more. In my opinion, there are few careers as rewarding as that of a physician. Hope this helps.

 

[hopedieslast]

I readily acknowledge that I may not feel the passion for medicine that I do for music, but I wonder, “Is that even possible before you actually enter the profession?” Most of us are passionate about music because someone threw an instrument into our hands or discovered we could sing at some early age. How is that possible for medicine? I do know that I’m passionate about helping others. I am passionate about intellectual challenge and solving problems and about working with others in a team to d something meaningful. I’m passionate about the beauty of the human condition and I enjoy learning about physiology. These things don’t really constitute passion for medicine. Thye may be indicators for a potential passion, but I feel that you’ll never know medicine until you’re already into it.

For me, the passion is in my determination in chasing the dream I've had in pursuing this career, and as you pointed out, the intellectual challenge involved in devoting such an enormous amount of energy and emotion into something. In that respect, I define my passion for medicine through my determination. True, we can't develop a working understanding of what it means to be passionate as doctors until we've actually become one, but the points you've listed are, I believe, at the core of what practicing medicine is all about (at least, they should be). So I disagree to some extent that they cannot constitute passion for medicine. These aren't things you develop once you've become a physician; it's the other way around in fact.

 

[locoindio]

i agree with hopedieslast. to succeed in becoming not just a mediocre but an outstanding physician as i hope all of us want to be, it goes beyond understanding textbook information. for the most part, understanding how to treat illness isn't all that difficult most of the time. not all the time. but medicine surely has its bread and butter problems that plague most of society. to be an outstanding physician you must have passion for medicine. not just for people or for challenges. for medicine itself. only then can you really come away from the money hungry lawyers, drug and insurance companies, governmental organizations and lobbyists, poor organization among patient registries worldwide, the abuse of the community healthcare system in this country, being able to live with the fact that sometimes medicine might be guess work in which no matter how many years you practice, you still may not have the answer, and of course your every day angry patient who thinks he/she is the only patient in the clinic....to leave your office every day..and still say that you enjoy going to work every day. ive been told if you're in it for the prestige, money or whatever. you are in for a rude awakening. as for me, being a doctor is a matter of identity. i know i am a musician and a creative person. but am i also a physician? im not sure. im probably going to become an EMT after teaching and find out. maybe im just naive, but i don't believe in making decisions primarily based upon practical issues such as money and stability. it's foolish, i know. and maybe im not very realistic. primarily i have to love what i do. not like. love. it has to be an extension of who I am so much that I can't not do it. I can't use my head to guide my heart. its gotta be the other way around. alright, enough outta me. ttyl...

Loco

 

[ds3489]

Hey Loco,

I've been passionate about music since I was 4 (parents realized I had perfect pitch and started my training from there). Anyhow, I was on a clear path toward music when I was diagnosed with a ulcerative colitis at 14, an event that only now has shown its true importance. I did my undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance and continued on to New England Conservatory for my Master's degree in Jazz as well! I had a blast. I felt complete by the end of my training b/c I had played with musicians of the highest caliber, continued the tradition by teaching privately, and performed a successful master's recital of original compositions. After graduation, I was teaching to give steady income and often ended the evening too tired to compose or practice. I didn't like what I saw in that particular future. I was heavily influenced by my own sickness and by my roommate's diagnosis of hodgkin's right after graduation. She was/is my biggest musical collaborator and is now on faculty at Berklee (with just a bachelor's degree!) Anyhow, I realized that I was completely fulfilled already with what I accomplished and doing medicine will never mean that I'm not a musician anymore. I am also engaged to a jazz drummer that I met in music school as an undergrad so I'm still able to live through him! Hopefully, if he should ever run into feeling down about the lulls in gigs, I'll be able to help support his career as a doctor. Either way, I'm really excited to start a career in medicine. BUT, I'm happy b/c I went for it and can truly say that I'm ready to switch, without a doubt. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Good Luck!!