In a unique situation, I found a music teacher who lives halfway across the world. I've been doing violin lessons with her since fall of 2018 (way before the pandemic forced kids to take music lessons online). My teacher, Julia Reddy, operates her music studio from Montreal, Canada, and also runs a summer music program in California. She was generous in spending some time sharing her advice and experiences in her career with Bow Buddies through this Q&A.
What started your interest in the violin?
My interests started when I was very young. I can't remember exactly when, but I must've been about 4 years old, when I told my mom I wanted to play the violin. As soon as I was old enough, she found a teacher for me, and that's how it started!
Did you play any other instruments while you were in school, and how did you decide which one to focus on as a career?
Yes, I did play a lot of different instruments in school. Woodwind instruments when I was younger, and then in high school I took up the trombone and later the euphonium, which I did enjoy. I decided to focus on violin because it was the one I had played for much longer and the one I had any sort of level at, so trombone was just for fun at the time.
Who were some of the influential figures that inspired you to love music?
So, these would definitely be my parents. My dad was the one who always had the love of classical music, and he would always be playing different CD's and bringing me to classical concerts. My mom was the one who was very involved in finding me the correct programs and the right teacher, and of course doing all the driving.
Can you please explain your experience playing in different youth orchestras, and how is that experience different than being involved in a school music program?
Like you, I also went to Amador, which has a very popular and unique music program that was very influential for me and exposed me to not only the music but the other people around me that were good musicians at a young age. For youth orchestras, the San Francisco Youth Orchestra was the one I was most involved in. Since everyone was so dedicated in that orchestra, it was just a really cool experience to be in and have access to the mentors and resources that come with that. Although the high school had excellent resources, it couldn't compare to a program that focused on training pre-professional musicians. Both were very influential, but the youth orchestra gave me an opportunity in addition to what the high school gave me
What advice can you give someone playing an instrument as they are going into their middle school and high school years and trying to decide whether a career in music is right for them?
The advice that I would give to someone playing an instrument and thinking they want to go into music would be to talk to their teachers. Even if you're not sure and you're looking at 50 things and you're a 14 year old, but this isn't an option you're taking off the table, talk to your teacher. Not only have they been through the process themselves and also having helped prepare other students, they also know people. So when I was preparing for auditions, I decided very late that I wanted to go into music. I don't think I really decided until I was doing my auditions and preparing them. My teachers and mentors in the symphony were able to put me in contact and mention, "Oh, this teacher might be good for you", and helped me organize meetings. They also knew what I needed to do. They told me what worked for just playing for fun, and told me what wasn't going to work if I was going to be professional. You need to increase you're repertoire, the way you practice, and other changes before you become professional. Because I started so late in preparations, I don't think I was able to prepare for everything before I got to college. So my advice would be to communicate it early with your teacher, even if you're unsure, because they're the ones that know your musical strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. If I were to go back, I would have told them earlier to give them time to prepare me and give myself more time to prepare. My other piece of advice would be to just go for it. You only have one life, and if you think that you are happy in music, do music and you can always change your mind later. I know that's something that you may not know in high school, but you can always change later. I have a lot of friends that pursued music, but once they were done they decided, "Oh, maybe this isn't for me," whether it was because of the job market, or they only wanted to play for fun. If you think you would like it, give it a try. It's harder to pursue music later because you aren't as in-shape as you were in high school.
Tell me about your major in college and the difference between music performance and music education as far as career paths.
So, I majored in Music Performance, the major is a Bachelor's of Music performance from Schulich School of Music at McGill university. I didn't study education, but I did start teaching when I was quite young. I think I was about 15 when I had my first student. I had no idea what I was doing, but that's when I started. When I was my 3rd year in college, I got my first teaching job at a music studio where I had a bunch of students. So, the two degrees are quite different. So, I think you need to have a certain high-level background to major in performance if you want to be successful in teaching your instrument at a high-level. That said, you can have a very high level but not know how to teach. It takes time. As far as career paths, that's something I didn't really think about when I was in high school. Performing sounds fun, but it's very demanding and you get fed-up with certain things in your life: You don't have the regular hours, the opportunities don't always come when you need them, so you don't necessarily have as much stability as teaching. Music education is also a very diverse career path. There are people that go into public school education or work for a music studio. I have a private music studio which is what works best for me. What I love about music education as a career path compared to performance is all of the stability, regular hours, the contact with students. The reason why I love what I do is because I love all my students. I think it's important for performance to try teaching as well because it makes you understand the technicalities of your instrument so much better if you can explain something technically. But something that seems very natural, if you can put that into words and explain it cohesively, that really means that you understand the concept.