Guest post by Christine Occhino
Aah, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and… we’re all stuck indoors. Well fret not, musical friends; it’s time to make lemonade out of these darn lemons! For all those things you’ve been putting off for weeks, months, maybe even years – the time has come for you to check them off your to-do list once and for all, and that includes all those self-improvement items you never had the time for. Now’s the time.
Here are six reasons you should take that online class you’ve always thought about taking, right now.
1. You finally have the time
Time, once fleeting, is now available in great abundance! Some of us are out of work or working from home, some of us have had tours canceled, and all of us have had our social lives completely upended by this pandemic.
Now is the moment to get in some of that valuable “me time” you’ve been missing. And for musicians, that means improving on the things you’ve felt you were lacking in before. This is the perfect opportunity to invest in learning something new, and with the tons of online classes now available, there’s no better chance to come out of this with some newfound knowledge under your belt.
2. There are more programs and courses than ever to choose from
From full online college courses to niche classes in every subject you can think of, to one-on-one digital coaching sessions, the infinite vastness of the internet has got it all! Whether this means advancing your knowledge of something you already do or embarking on an entirely new field of study, the future is what you make of it.
3. Time to learn on your schedule
This moment is all about time management. We’re all at home, so the 9-5 grid doesn’t dominate your life anymore. How much time you commit to working on your music, creating great social content to populate your fans’ feeds, and other activities is entirely up to you. You can learn something tiny every day or take a full-time deep dive into something immersive – many online courses allow you to learn at your own pace.
Take Soundfly for example. Known primarily for their six-week mentored online music courses, they’ve just launched a new all-access subscription plan allowing students to take whatever courses they want, whenever they want, and to take as long as they need going through them on their own. It’s just one of the ways education is shifting around the new stay-at-home reality of musicians today.
4. You’re in your most comfortable learning environment
I don’t know about you… but going to school in pajamas may be one of the most underrated things ever. No seriously, having access to all of your conveniences, being able to enjoy a snack or a walk anytime, and never worrying about any judgey eyeballs, actually means you’ll be more relaxed when you learn – and that will help the material stick for longer.
Since distraction usually prevents us from internalizing new information effectively, learning from home is sort of ideal in certain ways. Plus, when you learn something and you’re immediately able to put it into practice and start working on it practically, that also leads to higher rates of information retention. So head into your home studio and get going on some new scales!
5. Work on turning your side hustle into a new income stream
Everyone handles tough times differently, but I think being able to find something positive in every circumstance is an incredibly important quality to have. Try to look at this time as an opportunity, but one that shouldn’t be squandered with hasty execution. This is your chance to grow your career and begin an entirely new income stream, without ever having to leave your house, so take a quick class and make sure you’re doing it right!
6. There’s no better time to nurture your true passions and start bringing the dream to life
Strike while the iron’s hot. If you don’t make an effort to work on your passions now, then those dreams might stay dreams forever. Make them a reality right now, by immersing yourself in personal growth.
There are online classes for literally everything. The dream is yours. There’s no greater gift you can give yourself right now than the education to make that a reality.
Christine Elise Occhino is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for the music business. In addition to being a vocalist herself, she is the Founder and CEO of Lock City Music Group, and the Executive Director of Hope in Harmony, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses music to help and heal those in need. Christine holds a BM in Music Business & Management from Berklee College of Music and is a member of the Grammy Recording Academy, ASCAP, and Berklee College of Music Alumni Association.