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A couple weeks ago I got an unexpected, but encouraging email, and I wanted to share the message with you all.

“Good afternoon Barry, I just wanted to shoot you a quick email to say thanks. I’m a youth mentor, and one of my mentees…is an extremely talented tuba player. We meet biweekly and go over everything from current homework and projects to his life goals, dreams, aspirations, struggles, etc.  He had a project due this week on Music Theory and your [student resources] page…was a great help to him so we wanted to let you know how much he appreciated it.

[My high school student has] started exploring his options in terms of where his musical passion and talent can take him for college. Together we found this really helpful guide on “Scholarships and Financial Resources for Future Musicians” at https://couponfollow.com/research/future-musicians-guide. [He] actually suggested that I pass it along to you as a way of saying thank you. He thought it would be a great addition to your resources and that perhaps it could help to encourage another young aspiring musician that there are real options out there for them.

Thank you so much again. If you do decide to add [his] suggestion we meet again next Tuesday and I’d love to let him know – I know he’d be thrilled. I’ve found that a little recognition and support can do wonders for a child’s self confidence.”

I originally made my student resources list so that my private instruction students could find the materials I was talking about in class. I know it takes a lot of work to find reliable study materials, so I also wanted to make the compilation available to clients whose projects I work on, or even those who happened to find my website through a Google search.

Everyone can benefit from learning more about music. I try to make sure my clients understand what we’re doing in their projects, and why. I have had several interns, and hundreds of students. I think it’s important to grow as artists with purpose, and that purpose can often come from supportive community members.

I appreciate the author of this email reaching out and expressing an interest in the resources available on my site. Knowing that people are listening and engaging is important for creatives in creating more content. I want to give this particular young student that kind of validation and encouragement, in the hopes that he will continue engaging with other artists and seeing tangible progress in his education.

We can all offer support to someone, no matter how long they’ve been in the business or how much they know. For that reason, I’ve added a career support section to the student resources page, for sharing tips for creatives starting to build a network and a career. I hope seeing this bit of affirmation gives some of you the energy to go out and spread your own affirmations to others. Always feel free to reach out to me with questions, comments and article suggestions, and if you haven’t checked the student resources page yet, you now have one more reason.

— Barry

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One Comment

  • This is great! I had not noticed this resource on your website. When I was studying music in school this resource would have been very helpful. When Barry says, “I try to make sure my clients understand what we’re doing in their projects and why” he is being honest! Barry having this list is not a surprise to me. It screams Barry Hartglass! Thanks for being such an inspiration to many!

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