Balancing My Dual Life: Musician & Academic

 

Somehow, despite how much I think I talk about being a musician, there are still many of my colleagues who are surprised to hear about this other part of my life. For many years, music has been as much a part of I am as my scholarly work. Some might think these two worlds are completely separate, but through internal reflection and discussions with others in a similar spot, I've found that being a musician might have a hand in making me a better academic.

As a start to this argument, it's important to contextualize the focus, discipline, and creativity honed through constantly playing and composing music. There's plenty of people who have studied how musical training enhances cognitive abilities and how listening to music impacts the listener's emotions. Rather than regurgitate any of that, I like to think about how those habits of music could translate to my research and academic writing.

I know from having a guitar for the past two decades and consistently playing for the last decade, that learning an instrument has had an impact on my motor skills and coordination. Playing an instrument at the same time as singing requires using different parts of my brain at the same time. Just as watching a study play out in real-time and making accurate observations requires a researcher to be constantly multi-tasking.

It's always funny when people I work with discover my other side, my life outside of the work and the studying. The reaction is usually one of genuine surprise coupled with a series of questions. I am under the impression that many of my colleagues compartmentalize their lives and I am always left wondering why my hobby is so surprising? Why is it so unexpected that a serious academic (a role that actually requires a fair amount of creativity) would be a passionate musician outside of the working hours?

A point I make sure to drive home to my colleagues is that while I enjoy performing and appreciate the attention it brings, I don't harbor dreams of musical stardom. My music is very personal to me. I spend most of my free time composing music about the troubles in my life and the people who came before me in my ancestral line.

It sounds like a cliche but music for me is all about the creative outlet, the emotional expression, the sheer pleasure of the opportunity to make something beautiful. Don't get me wrong - the attention is a nice bonus, but it's not the driving force behind my actions.

To put it very briefly: music provides a necessary counterpoint to the intensities of academia.

The music world is a place where I can be myself, express my creativity, and recharge my batteries. And not surprising to me, it makes me a better academic in the process.

So as I continue to book more shows, I better be seeing all of you in the crowd. (Joking, maybe...)