If you clicked on this blog article, you are most likely currently a senior at a public high school, haven’t really been exposed to the world of “prestigious classical music” (or in my terms hoitytoityness), and really have no idea what you’re getting into with the decision of possibly going to a high-ranked conservatory such as Oberlin. Apologies if I am wrong, I am very possibly projecting MY senior at a public high school (2023) self onto you!
But in all seriousness, this is a huge adjustment! (One I am CONFIDENT that you will be able to navigate if you were accepted to any high-ranked conservatory.) Upon my initial acceptance to Oberlin, I was convinced that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and that I would instantly assimilate into the world of classical music. I was wrong <3 For the first month I was at Oberlin, I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor anytime I so much as entered the conservatory building. I had absolutely no idea that such talented people existed, let alone that they could already be so talented at eighteen years old. I had SEVERE imposter syndrome. Only later would I learn that almost everybody struggled with imposter syndrome when they got here.
But let’s bring this back to public high school life. I am lucky to have had a pretty good music program at the school I went to. I got to do 3 musicals, and took choir, orchestra, and AP music theory. But out of my 310-person graduating class, I am 1/2 of the people that ended up moving on to pursue music at a conservatory. I was a theater kid, and had been since I was 6 years old. I really only got serious about opera in my junior year of high school. Hence, the imposter syndrome arriving here. Some of these people have been singing classically since they were 7! Some had already been in one or more operas! Some had trained with the best teachers in the United States! How did I get here?
This process will not work for you if you let yourself be defined by where you started. You must be defined by the progress you make and the effort you put into your craft. And that is how I eventually started getting comfortable in this rigorous environment. I stopped focusing on all of the opportunities that my peers had already had and I didn’t, but instead focused on the opportunities I was working towards. I stopped hearing one of my peers sing and instantly nitpicking which techniques they had acquired and which I hadn’t, and instead started celebrating the progress my peers were making, understanding that we are all on different musical journeys. Where you come from doesn’t matter as much as where you go. I believe in you, good luck on your musical journey!
