How to Tell Your Parents That You Want to Be a Musician

How to Tell Your Parents That You Want to Be a MusicianHow to Tell Your Parents That You Want to Be a MusicianI get a lot of emails from young people asking for advice on how to have the dreaded I want to become afull-time musician discussionwith their parents. Some parents are cool with it, but other parents, well, they may have in mind other plans for you- mora along the lines of college-grad school-job security. How to Prepare So, you may feel like your parents just dont get it if they give you a hard time about your musical aspirations. And lets be honest, in many cases, they may not get it, simply because they havent had much exposure to the music industry. But theyre not trying to be mean to you and destroy your dreams (at least, theyre probably not). Going to them prepared to have a productive conversation can help you avoid a big, dramatic scene. Here are some tips for telling your parents about your music business goals. Have Real Music Business Goals I want to be a musician is a little vague. There are lots of different types of musicians. Which one do you want to be? Do you want to lead a band and tour the world? Do you want to be a session musician? Do you want to make a living playing a rotating schedule of local bar gigs? You dont have to decide right now where your music career will eventually take you, but you need to be able to talk about your specific music business goals with your parents to show them that youve given this some serious thought. Consider a College Compromise Your parents probably want you to focus on your education and go to college. You want to focus on music without the distraction of classes. Whos right? No one can say that you must go to college to become a musicianbecause you dont. However, there are big benefits to attending college, even beyond having an education to causa back on (but listen to me now- that matters). Colleges are hotbeds of music activity. There are radio stations, shows, clubs, music class es, musicians and lots, lots more. College isnt wasted time it can be a chance to hone your skills and maybe even build up a local music following. Heres the compromise part If your parents are passionate about your college education, and youre equally passionate about your music, do both. Agree with your parents that youll go to school (and go to classes and do well) and that youll get to pursue your music career at the same time. If your big break conflicts with your psych final, you get to take the big break- assuming it is a big break. You agree to do well on that psych final if your big break is still yet to come in. Thats fair, right? Be Ready to Talk Finances Its not as easy to make money in the music industry as you may think. Honestly, your parents are right about that. You can make a living in the music industry, but the chances are that youre going to need a plan to support yourself while youre struggling to make a living from your music. What is that plan going to b e? Your parents dont want to think that that plan involves sleeping on their couch, paying you an adult allowance, or bailing you out of credit card debt. You probably dont know exactly how much money youll be making as you embark on your music career, or what all of your expenses will be, but do your best to make a plan that shows your parents that youve thought about it. Be ready to answer questions about your income, planned living situation, and more. Again, maybe its not the final solution you end up with, but the idea that youre approaching this reasonably reassures them that youre serious. For bonus points, do some research about the music industry and how musicians make money on their recordings and live performances. Theres a good chance your parents dont know how this works, and it wont inspire confidence if you dont know either. Show Them Your Passion Sometimes, its hard to show your parents how passionate you are about your music, especially if theyre not thrilled ab out your aspirations. Show them anyway. Let them know exactly how much this means to you. It may not make them stop worrying about you, but it may make them a little more supportive.