Life Lessons Learned Through the Power of Music

Cynthia Robinshaw performing at New England Conservatory for MM Degree

Music has always been integral to my life. From childhood, music has been a constant presence. I recall being three or four years old, with my parents asking me at night to stop singing so they could sleep! I sang about everything: birds, trees, my pets, taking a bath. You name it, I had a song for it. Music has always brought me comfort and joy, and over the years, I’ve realized it has also imparted some of life’s most important lessons.

These lessons aren’t always easy to learn, but they’re definitely valuable. I believe music has helped me learn them more effectively.

In this blog post, I’ll share some of the most significant lessons music has taught me. I hope they benefit you as well.

Music has taught me passion and dedication. It has shown me that becoming an excellent musician requires countless hours of practice. Developing a skill demands dedication and hard work. There’s always something new to learn. There’s always an aspect of music you can improve and refine, a concept applicable to many areas of life. No matter how much you know or how experienced you are, there’s always room for growth.

Music has taught me the importance of hard work. It has shown me that greatness in any craft requires consistent effort and dedication. No matter how talented you are, you must work hard to achieve your goals.

Being a musician demands hard work and dedication. It’s not something achieved overnight; it requires daily learning and practice. It also involves a commitment to developing your talent, which includes listening to others, no matter how critical, and learning from their experiences. Sometimes it’s hard to listen, but you need to become better at not taking it personally. The challenge with singing is that your instrument is part of YOU.

Music has shown me that hard work pays off if you remain persistent and consistent. I’ve witnessed my growth as a musician over the decades, made possible by hard work and dedication. Music has also taught me to find motivation and drive during difficult times and to persevere despite setbacks. And there will be setbacks.

Music has taught me resilience in my life and career. Singing and performing bring many ups and downs, and it’s important to remain flexible and persistent in the face of challenges. Resilience is crucial for a successful music career, as there are many hard times and obstacles to overcome.

I’ve seen many musicians succeed due to their resilience and perseverance. I attended school with people who became world-renowned composers, conductors, and performers, and some of my students from my voice studio are now professionals. Their lives, like mine, weren’t easy. They didn’t give up, no matter how tough things got, and they persevered despite failure and frustration. Being resilient doesn’t mean never feeling frustration or sadness; it means continuing despite these feelings.

Music has taught me to remain strong in pursuing my dreams. It’s important to never give up, no matter how difficult the situation. Resilience means viewing failure and disappointment as valuable lessons and using them to move forward. Music has been a great teacher in this regard, and I’ll continue to use its lessons to stay resilient and pursue my dreams.

Music has taught me to be comfortable with myself and instilled confidence. As a child who was bullied for being different, I found peace and comfort in the music department’s choral room with other “weirdos.” We were different but bonded over our musical gifts. We encouraged each other’s success and accepted one another. This built my confidence in my abilities and trust in my musical gifts. I was the only opera singer in high school, yet my friends and classmates assured me it was okay to be different, to have talent, and not to fit in. It was okay to be me!

Music has taught me gratitude. Learning to sing and hone my skills is a lifelong journey. It involves trial and error, and there are times of feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

However, it’s crucial to be grateful for the journey of learning and the process of creating music. I’ve realized that gratitude can lighten tough situations and help find the silver lining, whether losing a musical role in La Boheme in New York at 25 or being grateful for the many roles I have sung throught my career and the students I have been blessed to teach and coach on their musical journeys.

I’m grateful for the people I’ve connected with during my personal journey and the lessons they’ve taught me, from early years playing guitar and piano to perfecting my craft in classical music as a singer in high school and college. As a voice teacher, vocal coach, and voice rehabilitator the journey has spanned decades, and each year I’m more thankful.

Gratefulness grounds me and prevents taking things for granted. It brings more appreciation and joy into teaching. Gratitude is an important lesson music has taught me. I’m grateful for the experience of learning and the joy of singing, playing, studying, composing, and teaching music for my entire professional career.

Music taught me patience, perseverance, and resilience. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to approach music and life with an open mind and willingness to try new things. Music opened my eyes to a world of possibilities. Most importantly, music gave me the confidence to be myself and embrace risks.

Music has taught me to trust my instincts. It has shown me how to listen to my heart and soul and move forward confidently. Music has trained me to trust my intuition, understanding that the best outcomes often come from listening to our deepest desires even though our mind my differ.

Music’s role in my life has been transformative. It helped a petite, introverted, self-conscious, bullied, redhead accept her big soprano voice that shook the rafters. Learning to sing and play musical instruments, perform on some of the world's greatest stages, and teach music - singing, piano, classroom music, college music education classes and music theory/ear trainging in high schools has been rewarding. Music opened my heart to the joy of collaboration and connecting with diverse people.of all ages, and made me who I am today.

In Conclusion, music has taught me a passion that fills my soul, has instilled the concept of dedication, not only to my music and students, but to my loving family. I have mastered hard work, resilience, strength, patience, perseverence, resiliance and confidence. It taught me to be grateful for learning and growing.

I may not be that introverted, self-concious, bullied redhead in high school anymore but I do remember that girl that retreated to the music room, many times in tears, searching for solace amongst the teasing and finding the welcoming atmosphere and friendships in that music room in high school and during both undergraduate and graduate conservatories where I studied. Some of those friendships have lasted a lifetime for which I am extremely grateful.

Thank you music, for instilling in me all these things. Perhaps you will change other lives for the better too.