Im off to University this year to study music and you know what that means -
However, I know that the university will be expecting a high standard of playing from all students which is fine, but if I take my organ tutors advice - 'Practice, practice, and more practice', will I actually find time to do anything else with my friends like go out for a drink (or two) or play football?

The last thing I want is to shut myself away in the organ loft all day and night and not interact with anyone else, but I also dont want to spend so much time having fun that i'm never in the organ loft as I'm worried that by not practicing a little every day my playing standards might go down hill.

I really want to choose a performance module which means I will be doing recitals which I will need to practice for so does anyone have any tips on successfully combining both work and play?

Well, I managed a good balance. Academically I got a first, won the university's organ playing competition in my first year (a sum of money not to be sniffed at!), got a job as a church organist, played for the music faculty footy team (inspired name of PSV Beethoven), played a bit of shinty and cricket, met my future wife (not that she knew that then!) and yes, found time to socialise too. I also took any and every accompanying job going, some for money, some for nothing, but the experience was absolutely invaluable. People say that school days are the best days of your life. I have to disagree, uni was for more fun and rewarding.

Many find the move to university very challenging, specifically not having a routine to stick to like at school. All of a sudden, you decide; what time to get up, what time to eat, what to eat, when to do work (whether to do work!), whether to go to tutorials etc. etc. My plan was to find a routine and stick to it, which I did and it still allowed plenty of time for fun things!

Where are you thinking of applying to?

I was offered a place by both Hull and Chichester University and I may choose Hull due to the fact that there are many top organists teaching there and there are also good organs in the area and it would be great if I got to do an organ scholarship and somewhere like Beverly Minster

You can do too much practice!

for myself, its about 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day. but that includes a lot more than just 'playing' such as warming up, marking scores, working out fingerings etc, which i always do away from a keyboard, tough i know others are diffrent

i'm at York uni - not an organist, but i've found that I get so much work playing in ensembles that I barely have time to practice anyway! I'm miles better than when I started uni so it must be doing me good - the standards are high but you can easily get by without hours of practice a day. of course it depends on your workload - you may get lots of accompaniment requests, or choral stuff, if you didn't get any then obviously you'd have to practice more - and your preferences, what type of music are you into and things like that make a difference too, If your a baroque specialist its usually techniques and styles of playing that need learning rather than actual pieces, which is often the case if you're a contemporary musician. Its not too hard to find a balance.

i do 'practice, practice, and more practice', with an average of at least 4 hours per day. at least 2 good solid hours on the organ and the rest on the piano (fingerworks and learning various other crazy stuff). i started the organ late, at lower 6th and have an awful lot to catch up. somehow i ended up passing my LTCL this march (a bit of a miracle). i do also play the harpsichord and the organ for baroque orchestra, as well as other people's compositions. however, i do have a social life and it depends how good you balance your time.

I'd second Guilmant's wise words.

I think you'll be in for the time of your life! Make the most of it. Enjoy every single opportunity which comes your way and make the most of them - you'll have no other time quite like it in your life. Enjoy not only your own practise and learning, but go out and hear as many other performers and performances as possible and attend as many extra lectures as possible; they'll increase your own musicianship and your own enjoyment. Participate and learn as much as you can, and enjoy it. It'll reap dividends.

I could enjoy being a full-time student for the rest of my life but, unfortunately, the need to earn a living starts getting in the way once you've graduated, if not before....

I tried the full time student bit, you're right, the need to earn a living is very strong pull!

Which one did you go to?

First degree - Dartington, followed by a year's PGCE elsewhere, and then Birmingham Conservatoire for an MA. Mind you, I had to work all the way through those years with organ playing, teaching, etc in order to keep the wolf from the door.

You?

I quite like the sound of the Birmingham COnservatoire. Was the teaching good?

Me, Edinburgh as an undergraduate and then Cardiff for an MA. I signed up (and got funding for) the MA in Performance Studies, but when I got there and met my prospective teacher, I quickly changed my mind and did a more acdemic one. Still did as much playing.

Yup, Birmingham was great, thanks!

Was your prospective tutor THAT bad?!

Prospectively yes, I didn't give him the chance to prove otherwise. When you're only there for 9 months, it wasn't worth the risk.

Don't knock the organ loft. Remember what Bach got up to in his.





(Dunno what I'm on about? Google "STRANGE MAIDEN IN THE ORGAN LOFT")