Why Practice (Alone) Doesn't Make Perfect

I've been waiting for your return, because there's something important I've been meaning to discuss with you: your future. You've been working hard at your studies, and you're about to be consumed by a rigorous rehearsal. But your future cannot be ignored any longer.

I talk to many students like you about their plans after graduation, and most have one characteristic in common: They feel that the more they practice their craft, the better their chances are for achieving success. I think this belief comes from that old adage: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." Practicing is the one skill that has consistently earned you solos, lead roles, first prizes, and yes, a place at the famed Juilliard School. It is, literally, the skill that has defined your life thus far. So what could possibly be wrong with thinking, "If I continue to practice and excel artistically, someone will eventually discover my talent and my career will be born"?

Unfortunately, applying this ideology to your career-life is a recipe for disaster. While I would never admonish anyone for practicing, I believe you'll find greater success by recognizing the difference between commitment to the artistic process and commitment to the career-life. I'll elaborate, in a moment, on the commitment to a career-life. But first, what is this commitment to the artistic process, and how has your experience here at Juilliard been affected by it?

The artistic process is simply the work that you do to give an artistic performance. It is everything from the first day you open a script or score, to the moment after the performance when the curtain is drawn and the house lights come up. Juilliard, of course, is recognized internationally for its deep commitment to the artistic process. Awards are bestowed, documentaries are filmed, and books are written about the subject. The educational experience at Juilliard is the very essence of the artistic process—and who among us is not electrified by its energy?

Since this commitment to the artistic process is evident in everything Juilliard creates, students might naturally assume that the discipline required to realize it might solve some of life's other challenges. Having a fight with your roommate? Go to the practice room. Feeling kind of blue? Go spend a couple of hours rehearsing technique. Need career answers? Put in a marathon practice session—at the very least, you'll have learned some new repertoire.

What you need to remember is that the artistic process occurs within a context—and that context is life. Creating a self-sustaining life in which the artistic process can flourish is what career development is all about.

For better or worse, the commitment to a career-life is often something left to your discretion. In one sense, the choices that you will make about the direction of your life are a sacred endeavor. There are some who believe that this process is not to be tampered with—that ultimately, this is the internal struggle that you must navigate in search of a personal, artistic, and social identity.

But others believe the opposite: that a life in the arts can only be enhanced through an open discussion with faculty, coaches, mentors, and career counselors. They feel that helping you learn how to engage in this process will instill greater confidence in your life after Juilliard.

As you might have guessed, I belong to the second group. From my perspective, this is the time to begin thinking, planning, and working on the investment you plan to make in your career-life. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The sooner you begin the process, the better off you will find yourself after graduation.

Oh no! We've run out of time today. Can we resume this talk next week? Same time? Help yourself to some of those chocolate mints on your way out, and once again, welcome back!

Derek Mithaug is Juilliard's director of career development and an alumnus of the School.