How To Balance Music and Life | LAJ #48

Life After Juilliard
Day 6 of #30DaysOfTVK!
Ezinma's Channel: / @ezinma
Ezinma's Instagram:
/ iamezinma
Music: "City Lights" by Nujabes
Link: / city-lights-nujabes
Creative Commons License: creativecommon...
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this video are solely those of the participants and do not represent those of The Juilliard School or any of its employees. The Juilliard School is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied herein.
Hi, my name is Drew A. Forde AKA ThatViolaKid!!! I'm a Juilliard Alumnus and it's my job to make your life better! Let's expand your musical diet, shall we? =)
If you like what you see, please subscribe! New videos come out every Wednesday and Sunday...with varying degrees of success =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I now have a Patreon Campaign! If you want to be on the ground floor of all my video creation, check out more information on my page!
/ thatviolakid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~
If you wanna see more of what I do day-to-day, feel free to follow me on:
Snapchat: @ohsnapitstvk
Instagram: @thatviolakid
/ thatviolakid
Twitter: @thatviolakid
/ thatviolakid
Facebook: / tvkunlimited
Please also visit my website for business inquiries, performance dates, and more!
thatviolakid.com

[@hausofnadia]

that passacaglia at the beginning thoo.. 👏👏👏👏💖

[@Jcarlitos16]

Nadia Sophia Sanchez In latn american and I play the violin!!!!

[@ThatViolaKid]

Dang guys! Almost 250 views in 45 MINUTES! That's a record =) I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to check out my vids =3

[@ivyburns1329]

EVERYDAY IT IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY!

[@allien7987]

Lol if you upload at a reasonable hour that's what happens

[@theanimeasian1]

When you're in the middle of practicing and TVK uploads a video............

[@ThatViolaKid]

Hahaha! Get back to practicing!!!

[@marystretcher9286]

SAAAMMMEE!!!

[@johndonnelly5971]

Damn that girl is gorgeous.......don't let her get away.

[@gretteleerik4043]

This passacaglia was amazing! I play viola in Tallinn Music High School. You are so big inspiration to me! Keep going👌🎻

[@ainekay03]

9:10 I love the advice you gave there. I'm currently taking so many IB classes and I found myself thinking, "Why am I doing this?" because I wanna do music as my career. I'm definitely going to drop those IB classes and keep the ones I like to do (like Chem, Social Studies and Music IB ) Thanks TVK! :)

[@YumiAwesomeCrayon]

The best part is you guys playing together is how clearly you love music and it comes across in absolutely everything you do

[@-Honeybee]

Will be pretty much worshipping this channel forever... Also she was absolutely BEAUTIFUL

[@ThatViolaKid]

[@betblack7150]

I play viola and someday I really want to play passacaglia

[@ThatViolaKid]

You will!!! Keep working at it!

[@betblack7150]

ThatViolaKid 😀

[@amirahhill8951]

Passacaglia in g minor is my favorite violin/viola and or violin/cello duet--epic when you listen to it on your bike going down a steep hill in the early morning breeze--so imagine my excitement when I clicked on this video to find it being played beautifully! And by my fellow black people! Made my day. Thank you so much @thatviolakid. I very much enjoy your videos!

[@tchaikoffkey]

That passacaglia tho

[@ThatViolaKid]

Haahhaa

[@peterragni1030]

It truly is videos like yours that prove again and again that out of every language in this universe, music will ALWAYS be the great communicator. Thanks for the upload TVK Also wanna let you know that I ship you two to the moon and back

[@ThatViolaKid]

Lololol =) I doubt she thinks of me like that

[@roriccunningham348]

OMG That's what I always say. I do high level classes but not AP because know I don't want to do any of that for my life. I do what I need to do and when I graduate, I do what I want to do, which is music!!!

[@violaisreallycool]

That's the way to live life, follow and pursue what you truly love doing!

[@ex_orpheus1166]

Vladimir Horowitz once said that it is important that his students grow their minds outside of music and I believe this to be really self-evident from my experiences. I have found that learning about philosophy, art history, literature, science, history and culture have really complimented and enriched my musical experiences. Philosophy is really significant to me as an extra-musical activity. Things that I enjoy doing everyday besides practicing, score reading and composing: reading texts, looking at art, Instagramming and flirting with pretty women. I believe it's important to find what compliments your creativity and artistry and neatly work it in with everything else. It is for this very reason I don't schedule in a great deal of classes weekly - this semester I have only been taking performance and ensemble classes, with an English paper (prerequisites for compulsory academic music class).

[@evelynwong7239]

Omg look at the kid in the back at 4:17 hahahaha lol

[@robertlenau2749]

This one definitely relates to me the most. Ever since I reduced my immense focus on school, I've found my improvement much more satisfactory. Thanks TVK

[@TEAL-LLFA]

When y'all's duet is up, I am SO GOING TO SHARE IT ALL OVER MY SOCIAL MEDIA. You two rock! Black excellence!!!!

[@benfreedman7901]

the best playing faces ever

[@violamensch]

Yo big up ya-self my general!!! Love seeing people changing the face of classical music. From one violist to another, keep fighting!

[@laurenholmes31]

black. excellence....omg more string players who look like me lol

[@ThatViolaKid]

That's the point ;)

[@hausofnadia]

ThatViolaKid Not to be weird but I'm Hispanic & seeing diversity in the classical music world makes my heart happy & I feel like I'm not alone. ❤

[@DuoJD]

thank you so much for taking time to make daily vlogs for us!🙈 Really appreciated them, so inspiring, encouraging, and motivating! 😊 Also, love that duet!

[@danibourke2951]

Brilliant advice! Thanks so much for all the motivation and inspiration! I am studying to become an English, Humanities, Social Science teacher, I'm nearly done, but I do still wish I did music teaching. But I'm going to be a teacher and still follow my passion, music! There is always time in the day to dedicate to something you love and are passionate about. I'm going to stick to music lessons until I can play, perform, teach others and just share music with the world. :D

[@vthepotato]

I definetly to needed to hear this. I keep putting AP classes above practice when none of them have to do with music (and I want to pursue music as a major). I have a big problem with focus and being easily distracted, hopefully I can overcome all that and improve quickly! ALSO YOU BOTH PLAY BEAUTIFULLY, EZINMA IS MY GOAL FOR LIFE.

[@AlexaLoCruz]

I have been thinking of quitting the violin, after almost 5 years of playing, because I feel like I’m not making much progress on my sound and intonation. I’m glad I found your channel. It inspires me to try harder 😃 thank u!

[@ThatViolaKid]

I'm so happy to hear that, Alexandra! I hope you stay with it!! =)

[@lauraklouda5277]

Hey TVK!!! Man this one hit home because I literally try to do everything and love doing so many things, this past year I've been focusing in on my music more, but it's been hard. The thing with classes was good to hear, especially since all my friends are taking very difficult courses and I'm expected to do the same. Also, your duet was fantastic??!!! Y'all slay. Also, your friend's hair is absolutely GORGEOUS and I'm low key jealous hehe. Thanks for the chats and music and love. :)

[@LBreezy214]

Oh jeez! I almost cried on that intro Great playing guys

[@deshaunlew3035]

Currently learning cello and your videos/IG posts keep me motivated. Thank you, man. :)

[@ZeriTV]

"When you give up that's true failure" I needed this. Thanks you two!

[@nearmint3399]

The chat on priorities was awesome!

[@lucasfranke3326]

Hey, I came here two years later to say you two should record a full version of passacaglia XD

[@yogasnack5471]

Thank you TVK! This was beautiful. Also, I am a composer yet I'm barely writing music. My brain is crammed with what I want to write, yet being a music director takes up a lot of my time. Gonna prioritize!

[@ThatViolaKid]

The key is to find a way to motivate yourself to get hustling AFTER you're done with work. It's toughhhhhhh. Trust me

[@Guuzaka]

2:25 Will be an exciting day when that video comes! 🎉 4:33 - 5:20 Excellent performance! 🎻🎻🌠 6:10 Be tough. YES. 😤😤😤 7:00 Surround yourself with people that make you happy.😇😃 Ha haaaaa! Certain individuals I know could *seriously* use that advice! 😐😬 10:33 Put in the work and prioritize. I'd also say that a consistent schedule is also critically important.

[@kiaraeijo]

Amen Drew! I still struggle because nobody other than my twin sister ( who's also a flutist) understands what it's like to be a musician and I'm doing everything I can to make sure that my dreams of being a musician become a reality. I just want to say that I admire you for persevering in perfecting your craft. Keep going Strong 😃🎼🎹🎶❤️

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thanks Kiara!!!!

[@jelanisurpriscomposer]

Amen brotha this is awesome! STRINGS FOR LIFE

[@makaylahatesyou6703]

The song in the beginning is Passacaglia: The Impossible Duet Violin and Viola 💕

[@rivernorth9440]

Wow. What a talk at the end there. That is an issue I've been struggling with so thank you so much for the advice

[@kylerfreeland6294]

dang tvk speaking that truth again. youre the greatest keep it up

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thanks Kyler!!! =) Glad you liked the video!

[@paustinheaton]

Not that I am surprised, but dang, your video talents keep getting amazingly better and better. So much talent in one person. 😊😊😊

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thank you!!! I've been doing my homework!!! =)

[@paustinheaton]

It shows! Plus the advice at the end? Made me stop and think my man. Good stuff.

[@agmarshmellows5379]

All your advice and videos are so good and relatable to people like me! Thank you for doing what you do!!! Inspirational!!

[@ThatViolaKid]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!!!!

[@aylakm6652]

Passacaglia literally melted my heart ❤ and my instrument, it is so dang hard!

[@reededward9490]

That opening was awesome

[@yaasianchris3868]

excellent job! One of the best versions I've seen!

[@jasminebrennan419]

Yes! I was stoked to see you doing the impossible duet with such an awesome violinist! I definitely agree with having to be willing to understand sacrifice for whatever you want in life. Amazing as always TVK! 😀😊😁

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thank you, Jasmine!!!

[@DariaDorothea]

Dang, 5:10 gave me actual shivers. You two are incredible.

[@Whomkey]

yay!

[@Whomkey]

I played Passacaglia (why did that autocorrect to Pokemon?!) for a test with my friend. we kinda failed but it was fun...

[@ThatViolaKid]

It's a hard piece!

[@lavinder11]

I love her stand haha This was pretty.

[@FinalSparkLux]

That opening is srsly my favorite piece bar none. So good ;_;

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thanks!!!

[@Violawiz]

Just watching this ..and this is my current situation 😢thanks a lot for this

[@tiffanyonwudinanti]

I like the contrasting music stands in the beginning 🤓

[@allien7987]

Aww! Thank you for the white noise! :))

[@ThatViolaKid]

I was listening hehe

[@marcelito5325]

I lovee the fireside chat

[@esperonzadiomente203]

The way you guys play is so deep like wow

[@ThatViolaKid]

Awwww haha thanks!!!

[@johnyoung1968]

Right on! Love your politics! Would love to see you soon.

[@kathy7352]

Absolutely love Passacaglia. Thanks for making my day!

[@anitawilliams6292]

playing the Handel Halverson tonight at a recital......you two sound amazing, I hope I can sound as great with my violinist:)

[@tonyping2262]

thanks TVK

[@GennaReneeMusic]

Your advice is always so good omg.

[@ThatViolaKid]

I'm glad it was helpful!!! Thanks for watching!

[@KeyZZZ]

holy crap the introduction was beautiful

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thank you so much

[@mym2259]

After 3 months of searching i finally found out how to pronounce "passacaglia" from a channel i watch everyday... thanks i guess..

[@lydiahrkach4234]

Such great advice! I definitely skipped science and math courses for that reason xD btw, I got into music school, my first choice!! Your videos have been so motivational and inspirational :)

[@ThatViolaKid]

Congratulations, Lydia! You're the bomb!!!!

[@lydiahrkach4234]

ThatViolaKid Ahhhhh thank you!!! Question for you - what makes the Passacaglia so difficult?

[@baylerinator]

Great video! Again!

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thank you for watching! Again! ;)

[@anasofiasoprano]

This advice was really helpful, thank you! Now I'm going to stop watching youtube videos and I'm gonna practice the piano

[@violagirlkmj]

I haven't played in almost a year. Played 5th grade to college but didn't pursue a music minor because of aural theory classes. Currently thinking about pursuing more arts instead of teaching. Maybe a artist diploma or cosmetology love social studies but teaching is not for me.

[@magicmajify]

Hey TVK!! thanks for the Video. can you talk about your summers as a music student and how you transitioned from the busy school life into summer? Now that school is over for me, my schedule went from extremely busy to all of a sudden, "there's nothing to do!???" 😱 Personally, it feels like a state of regression and because it was too sudden of a change, I'm not sure what to do. Even though there is a lot I have to do for the summer, my motivation just completely vanished.

[@ErnestoComposer]

WOW she's pretty. You guys sound great

[@ashleymiley2552]

Perhaps you'd have a similar answer, but how do you balance music & self-care/health? I personally feel like sometimes musicians lack being able to take care of ourselves at a basic level & that can impede on our ability to perform/practice.

[@ThatViolaKid]

I'm definitely the wrong person to ask hahaha. I'm so unhealthy right now -_-

[@matthewdexter2007]

That Handel-Halvorsen...

[@govannybrown8703]

MY 2 FAVORITE STRING PLAYERS AHHHHH😂🤗🤗🤗

[@ThatViolaKid]

D'awwww

[@LinkWave290]

wow.. liked

[@mrMAN4TW11]

Yo duet will not be impossible for you. I got all my faith in you dude.

[@ThatViolaKid]

Thank you!

[@haitianmaniac74]

RIP Nujabes

[@EthanStore]

Came back from practicing to find a new vid. PogChamp

[@ThatViolaKid]

RIPeroni my social life. Feelsbadman

[@Monica-rv7go]

What if I have to take AP classes and I have to be a musician, but the result has been loneliness which is worse for you that smoking 15 cigarettes a day according to a recent Harvard article, and the result of that has been bad health, less sleep, less attention, and not doing my best in my AP classes and in music?

[@klimentmilanov]

FIIIIIIIIIIRRRST Edit: never mind, I'm two seconds late; I'm ashamed

[@ThatViolaKid]

Dang, notification squad getting strong

[@klimentmilanov]

ThatViolaKid I agree! As soon as I got the notification I went to the video, scrolled to the bottom and typed away knowing this could be my moment, but no hahahah I was beat. Also, I can't believe you reply to everyone's comments like I hope you feel proud of yourself for doing that because I'm sure 99.999% of us appreciate it soooo much!!

[@kuelezav]

bro keeping it real

[@alexanderhemming9148]

Damn I love that piece, I play it with my friend occasionally but I'm a bassist so it is probably not as solid as your interpretation

[@Nuppettepiano]

I love your vlogs

[@toasteroven5921]

lol im playing passacaglia for a solo and ensemble comp with the concert master in my class, but i play the cello soooo

[@mspossiblty]

I miss playing viola 😞

[@caseymacklin5875]

Yaassssss is that the girl who did the mask off challenge

[@ThatViolaKid]

It is haha

[@christinaramos7858]

Hey TVK! As a second year music undergrad student, I was wondering what you could say about balancing music and life while in post secondary?? I have a really hard time trying not to get caught up in all my school work and practicing, so much so that I forget to eat, go outside, hang out with friends and just be a normal human being! Not that musicians are a particularly normal breed (haha), but if you had any advice on how not to get caught up in the practice room or library and avoid never seeing the light of day again, that would be greatly appreciated!! Love your stuff, thanks so much!

[@melodyli1223]

Christina Ramos hi I'm not tvk or anyone particularly knowledgeable and these suggestions are kinda basic but!! Here they are: 1. Schedule in social time. Make a daily timeline (e.g. practice from 9-10, coffee with friend from 10-11, etc.) and include it! 2. For remembering to eat, maybe try to use habit making apps? I like using Fabulous! 3. Pre-plan the next day's meals or even make a bunch of portions are once so you always have something fast Hopefully this is ok? Haha Good luck and have fun in school!

[@sydney7478]

Hi!!

[@ThatViolaKid]

Herro

[@caterinadalmaso3298]

have people around you always supported your choice to pursue a musical career?

[@Jessica-px4gz]

hey i just saw you in that league of legends video, that was legendary!!!! i subscribed to you on my other channel a long time ago. well i am a violist in college, i havent played for like 3 years and wondered if i should join the orchestra, its not part of my major, and since i havent played in so long im not so sure about it!!!! do you have any tips??

[@ThatViolaKid]

Hey Jessica! Thanks for watching!!! I really think you should go for it! You literally have nothing to lose--and if you get accepted, you'll get to meet new people and play music again! What's not to love?

[@rl3702]

OTP

[@lorayalexander5000]

Anthony chillin in the back like :/

[@Anca1200]

Hey. Can I have a question? What was your most favourite subject in school? Because O know a lot of my music friends are good in math and they love it, so I'm just tracking musicians to see how many of them are like this. It's weird, but I'm not good in math and I know that beeing good in math doesn't mean beeing a good musician, its just that most of my friends who are good in math are also great musicians. But I know, that its not like I can't be a good as well. I gotta WORK, right?!!!!:DDDD And thank you for beeing on youtube and for beeing who you are, you are THE BEST!!!

[@reededward9490]

Are their any other good viola duets besides telemanns

[@allien7987]

Brandenburg 6th concerto has two solo viola parts :)

[@glaucoma888]

Very nice! Should thecdouble stop be in tune?

[@wadrianalefe6490]

Who is the violinist? She plays very well!

[@chewysuarez5170]

Dang it

[@ThatViolaKid]

What happened??

[@chewysuarez5170]

I wasn't first comment😂😂

[@ThatViolaKid]

It's okay! You'll have another opportunity very soon ;)

[@johnyoung1968]

Y'all make a cute couple!

[@jacobystephens2000]

Did anyone else see that kid in the background

[@nearmint3399]

Apparently the girl's student

[@ohyoumeantheviolin8817]

What if I'm afraid that prioritizing music and practicing as much as I think I need to still isnt enough? What if I still don't make it to music school? Then I would have wasted my time and I would have wasted my potential for other carriers. Idk I'm just really afraid of the future...

[@ThatViolaKid]

You can always go back to school if things dont work out. You'll never know if you don't try. Let that fear motivate you to work HARDER. I know people who switch to become lawyers and doctors at MY age. They finish up their Masters Degree, decide it's not for them, and switch gears. It's not a life sentence--and if it's something you really want to do, you can make it happen.

[@ohyoumeantheviolin8817]

Okay but say I want to switch to studying medicine or law in the end. I won't be accepted at any university either because my grades ended up being too bad. I'd be so limited in my options. That's why many parents push their children so hard when it comes to school. For them to be able to pursue any career they want. Btw thanks for the fast reply, I appreciate it :)

[@nearmint3399]

How did you decide to start learning the viola? Did you try all sorts of instruments until it made click? Or was it basically your first instrument?

[@ThatViolaKid]

It was the first stringed instrument I picked up!

[@mcrettable]

sometimes, rarely you just CAN'T balanced I reckon lol

[@izzyportillo4347]

I love this video! but i was wondering if you've had good grades in school and how you balanced music and school in highschool while maintaining good grades? this is coming from your felllow highschool student currently struggling in school but doing good in music?? hope you can get back to me on this!

[@ThatViolaKid]

I never found balancing school and music to be difficult. I graduated with a 4.0 and in the top 10% of my class. I just studied well, and studied efficiently!

[@ThatViolaKid]

It all depends on what you want in life though. Do you want to be a musician? Or do you wanna go do academia. Prioritization is important too

[@kingwoomy8781]

Was that "Passagalia" by Handel?

[@kingwoomy8781]

We played that at region

[@ThatViolaKid]

Yep!

[@kiaraeijo]

This is my Old Channel. DBN Jr The Dean of my old school who's a violinist played it with my chamber music professor from my undergrad who's a violist and they were amazing

[@TheCharlesfastiggi]

TVK look man where do I go to get involved with your Play Homie Play because you posting a video from a couple months back about you talking about what it's about.

[@ThatViolaKid]

All you have to do is post a video on Instagram and use the hashtag #PlayHomiePlay!

[@haljabobyamerer3149]

is that a violin case or a miniture cello case

[@allien7987]

Ezinma has a Tonareli shaped violin case or a similar model...it's an interesting shape right?