It’s helpful to have a few effective study skills in your toolkit before stepping foot into the classroom. Gaining good study skills during your time at Villa will only improve your abilities when starting that first career in the field.
Good Study Techniques for Music Industry Students
Good study skills are an important part of a successful college experience as a music industry student!
Communication
Understanding how to appropriately communicate with fellow students and professors will set you up for success in the music industry. Another reason why communication is a good study skill to develop is because the music industry is filled with diverse personalities. Each personality will have unique opinions that, sometimes, you may not know how to approach. Studying in groups at Villa can help improve your study skills while also growing your communication skills. When you expand your communication skills throughout your college career, you can better prepare yourself for a future in the music industry.
Focus
Every college study needs discipline to succeed. However, it isn’t the easiest study skill to nail down. When there are activities happening on and off campus every night and friends stopping by, forcing yourself to focus can be nearly impossible. As a music industry professional, you may work long hours and collaborate with others. Focus can easily drift when working odd hours and patience may diminish during collaborations. Practicing focus during college will benefit your future experiences.
Listening
Music is an auditory medium. When you work in the music industry, your listening skills need to be top-notch. If you decide to work as a music producer or audio engineer, you must have an ear for pitches, harmony, and mixing methods. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean those going into the music industry need to be experts at listening to music. It means you need to listen to the needs and wants of the other professionals you work with.
Memory
Some students are simply not good at memorizing facts and details. It’s a skill that isn’t easily learned, but it can be improved over time. Those working in the music industry may have to memorize scores and lyrics as well as the names of important people in the field. Joining tutoring groups and working with other students to improve your memorizing capabilities can be beneficial. Other students may use different effective study skills that you never would have thought about on your own. Take the time to seek out these supports–future you will thank you!
Organization
College is filled with so many textbooks, folders, and notebooks that finding a way to organize everything can be overwhelming. This is why organization is such a critical study skill to learn during your college years. Finding what organizational techniques work best for you during your time at Villa will help you when you work in the music industry. Many music industry positions have you connect with venues and other professionals as well as keep track of specific dates and times. Organizational skills will help you take on these tasks!
