I dropped out of HS to pursue electronic music
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 74 posts since 10 Feb, 2014
Finished school online. But my songs don't have a a lot of listens. I feel small. I will just do tHis for fun from now on. I never intricately mastered. Just put a loudness preset on all my tracks. Going to master right from now on. Future looks ok for now
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- KVRAF
- 15517 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
I don't really have much to say to you man, but I don't want you to come through here telling us that and not getting any response. If you like, point out some of your music and I'm sure that some folks will give it a listen.
As mark twain said "Don't let school get in the way of your education."
Best,
gs
As mark twain said "Don't let school get in the way of your education."
Best,
gs
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- KVRAF
- 7540 posts since 7 Aug, 2003 from San Francisco Bay Area
I have two contradictory thoughts on this:
1. Pursue your dreams and the money will follow.
I followed my interests in audio engineering, video production, animation, graphic design, and photography, and ended up with a great career (knock on wood!). You have to keep doing what you love, make connections with like-minded people, and never give up despite the constant rejection. Eventually you'll find a way to make something good happen for yourself.
2. There is no money to be made in electronic music.
Seriously, it seems utterly insane to me to drop out of high school to pursue electronic music. Do you know how many tens of thousands of people there are hoping for their big break? Not everybody gets to be Skrillex or whoever the latest flavor of the month is. This is a hobby for most of us, not a career. The most important thing you can do for your own future is to get an education, broaden your horizons, learn more about different aspects of the world around you. And learning should be a lifelong endeavor, not something to hurry up and get done with as fast as possible.
Also, you didn't mention how long you've been doing this. Most successful artists toil away in obscurity for years or even decades before suddenly being "discovered".
1. Pursue your dreams and the money will follow.
I followed my interests in audio engineering, video production, animation, graphic design, and photography, and ended up with a great career (knock on wood!). You have to keep doing what you love, make connections with like-minded people, and never give up despite the constant rejection. Eventually you'll find a way to make something good happen for yourself.
2. There is no money to be made in electronic music.
Seriously, it seems utterly insane to me to drop out of high school to pursue electronic music. Do you know how many tens of thousands of people there are hoping for their big break? Not everybody gets to be Skrillex or whoever the latest flavor of the month is. This is a hobby for most of us, not a career. The most important thing you can do for your own future is to get an education, broaden your horizons, learn more about different aspects of the world around you. And learning should be a lifelong endeavor, not something to hurry up and get done with as fast as possible.
Also, you didn't mention how long you've been doing this. Most successful artists toil away in obscurity for years or even decades before suddenly being "discovered".
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.
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- KVRAF
- 15517 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
No doubt.deastman wrote:I have two contradictory thoughts on this:
2. There is no money to be made in electronic music.
I'm not sure that dropping out of high school matters much. OP says that he finished his diploma online. The only thing that matters about high school these days is if you are on track to go to college. Beyond that, there's very little value to a "real" diploma over a GED, or whatever it's called wherever you are.Seriously, it seems utterly insane to me to drop out of high school to pursue electronic music.
The GED will not stop you from going to college, it will just not help you very much in applications to "good" schools. You will almost certainly have to attend community college or a state school for some period of time. After that, transferring is a real possibility.
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- KVRAF
- 21348 posts since 26 Jul, 2005 from Gone
Completely agree! I got myself a degree even though I spent all of my 20s working in music and theater, and I now make a very good living because I had that to fall back on.Kriminal wrote:A back up plan is always good....
I think unless you have a record contract in your hand or you're already making a shit load of money from music then dropping out of school is a very bad idea.
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- KVRAF
- 5223 posts since 20 Jul, 2010
If you're going to go into electronic or dance music PLEASE don't wind up as another copycat "next big thing" artist. Create because you have something to create, not because you feel it might be a good way to leverage power.
Far too many people are just like "Hmmm, bricklayer or EDM producer? Guess I'll go with the EDM..."
Far too many people are just like "Hmmm, bricklayer or EDM producer? Guess I'll go with the EDM..."
http://sendy.bandcamp.com/releases < My new album at Bandcamp! Now pay what you like!
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- KVRAF
- 21348 posts since 26 Jul, 2005 from Gone
The world is full of people who thought they had a career in music based solely on their desire to have one who now spend most of their time asking "Do you want fries with that?"
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- KVRAF
- 4321 posts since 26 Jun, 2004
Best learn to DJ if you wanna pay rent.... 
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- KVRAF
- 2070 posts since 5 Oct, 2005
Yes, if making Techno doesn't work out, plan B should be start making House.Kriminal wrote:A back up plan is always good....
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- KVRAF
- 5564 posts since 13 Jan, 2005 from the bottom of my heart
if you just do this for fun now keep with the loudness preset.Naer wrote:I will just do tHis for fun from now on. I never intricately mastered. Just put a loudness preset on all my tracks. Going to master right from now on. Future looks ok for now
Whoever wants music instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, finds no home in this trivial world of ours.
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- KVRAF
- 8414 posts since 4 Jul, 2012 from Alesia
Honestly kid.. i would NOT drop out of school to pursue a career in electronic music.
Highschool is like the bare minimum requirement to get anywhere in this world. Without it you are pretty much f**ked!
At the very least get your HS education and then if you want to do music then go and force yourself to learn musical theory and piano. The technical shit can all wait.. trust me and just go get your musical education.
I learned everything sort of backwards and i can tell you i would have loved it if i could have gone back and really did things in this order.
1. Finish HS and get a diploma. *Highest priority*
2. Get a job. *Second highest priority* - You need this to fund your instrument purchase for practicing on.
3. pay for piano and music theory lesson. Also save up and buy a good practice electric piano.
*Third highest priority*
4. Save up money and get into a music production school of some kind *fourth highest priority*
5. Everything else after this will sort of fall into place.. and before you know it you might just be able to find a living making music.
DONT expect to become the next skrillex, deadmau5 etc.
Highschool is like the bare minimum requirement to get anywhere in this world. Without it you are pretty much f**ked!
At the very least get your HS education and then if you want to do music then go and force yourself to learn musical theory and piano. The technical shit can all wait.. trust me and just go get your musical education.
I learned everything sort of backwards and i can tell you i would have loved it if i could have gone back and really did things in this order.
1. Finish HS and get a diploma. *Highest priority*
2. Get a job. *Second highest priority* - You need this to fund your instrument purchase for practicing on.
3. pay for piano and music theory lesson. Also save up and buy a good practice electric piano.
*Third highest priority*
4. Save up money and get into a music production school of some kind *fourth highest priority*
5. Everything else after this will sort of fall into place.. and before you know it you might just be able to find a living making music.
DONT expect to become the next skrillex, deadmau5 etc.
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- Mod-ulator
- 2895 posts since 31 Oct, 2000 from "Where I'm to, There I'll be"
Unfortunately for us that was a shovel and a pair of work boots.Kriminal wrote:A back up plan is always good....
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- Rad Grandad
- 38044 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
I dont care if you finish school online, dropping out is foolish. Your records may show a high school diploma but future employers may look deeper and see that you dropped and finished online. That could cause them to question your commitment level and in fact you could be passed over for a job just based on that. Mike jokes about "do you want fries with that?"...but the truth is there is an unbelievable amount of people with bachelor degrees doing just that as well. Of course that is water under the bridge now 
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- 2628 posts since 30 Mar, 2007 from In and Out Burger
While true to a point, this really is the "old-skool" way of thinking. Times have changed, college degrees don't mean what they used to, you don't have to walk up a hill to school and back in the snow and ice, etc etc...Hink wrote:I dont care if you finish school online, dropping out is foolish. Your records may show a high school diploma but future employers may look deeper and see that you dropped and finished online. That could cause them to question your commitment level and in fact you could be passed over for a job just based on that.
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