• #BearsOfBaylor — “It feels like one big family…”

    “I’m a third-year grad student. I’ve had a really good time [at Baylor]. It’s kind of hard thinking about the fact that I have to leave, because it’s like a little utopia. I like how it’s a nurturing environment that isn’t too laissez faire. You still have people to help you, but you’re given a lot of freedom to forge your own path.

    “The whole music department, the faculty, are just great. It feels like one big family, and everyone is out to lift you up when you’re down. If your life isn’t going well it’s going to affect your piano playing. [My professor] is very attuned to my moods, and she’ll ask leading questions if something’s not going well. She’s like, ‘I can sense some tension in your forearms, what are the thoughts going into creating that tension when you play this passage?’ Sometimes I’ll be like, ‘I’m just worried about this leap or jump,’ or I’ll be like, ‘You know, I’m just really stressed about this test tomorrow. I just keep thinking about it.’

    “It sounds really trite, but it’s not. She knows how to say stuff like, ‘Is there another way of looking at it?’ … She really promotes this positive, healthy — I want to call it good mental hygiene. I think that’s so key. Musicians are their own worst critics, but the last thing you need in an already competitive environment is to think ‘I suck. I can’t believe I played that note wrong. I shouldn’t even be here.’ That’s great — how does that actually help you get better? Just knowing how to be like, ‘Okay, so I missed that jump. Why did I miss it? How can I fix it? Let’s move forward.’ She’s really helped with that.”

    #BearsOfBaylor

    [Every Baylor Bear has a story; #BearsOfBaylor brings those stories to you, one by one. These stories, these people… This is our Baylor.]