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Hi all,

I'm relatively new to the Piano World forums, but just wanted to make a quick post here to see what your thoughts are on this situation.

For a bit of background, I have been studying piano for over a decade, several years in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. I've accumulated many awards from international competitions, been invited to perform at various venues such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall twice, and in SFCM organized performances. I was recently accepted into the BU Tanglewood Young Artists Piano Program for Summer 2022. I also have a full-ride scholarship to the USC/Thornton school of music for classical piano undergrad, but due to my personal situation it would be nearly impossible for me to attend. Long story short, I was then accepted to UC Berkeley and will probably choose there. My current instructor knows several of the piano faculty members at UC Berkeley and has recommended me a specific instructor who she thinks would be a good match.

I'm wondering, what should I plan to do during my years in college and what would be a realistic goal in terms of continuing with piano in the long run? Knowing that it is virtually impossible to become a "concert pianist" per se given the highly competitive atmosphere of classical music nowadays, should I spend a good amount of time preparing for some of the larger competitions such as Arthur Rubinstein, ASU Yamaha-Bosendorfer, Gina Bachauer (assuming my instructor thinks this is reasonable)? If I continue to build up my repertoire whilst studying at UC Berkeley, would it even be worth trying for these competitions/performance opportunities since it is not an established music school? And what are some other ways that one obtains performance opportunities, or is it essentially impossible to build a career as a semi-consistent performer without the aid of competitions?

Despite encouragement from my instructors, I'm preparing myself for inevitable disappointment because from what I've heard for years, it's extremely difficult to build a performing career in this day and age. I face a lot of pressure from my parents and teachers to not become a musician, which of course is advice for a more stable salary. I have an older friend at the level of a concert pianist, but it breaks my heart to hear that she hasn't gotten enough concerts to support her family during COVID. That being said, would it be at all realistic to teach piano to make an income while participating in said competitions and perhaps giving occasional performances when the chance arises?

I apologize for asking so many questions, I look forward to reading your responses! Please, be as honest as you can in your response, I'm seriously considering these questions and will really appreciate hearing truthful feedback.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Please let me know/report this if it's in the wrong forum. I had used the search function but couldn't find a question that addressed exactly the issue I was looking for. I'm also aware that many of the answers will be that I would need to be comfortable playing in weddings, clubs, parties, etc. It wouldn't be highest on my priority, but if it pays the bills....

I don't think it will be a problem for you to make a livable (but not comfortable) salary teaching while having the occasional piano performance. However this is assuming at most about a 50/50 split between the two activities. You may find it taxing to teach 4-6 hours a day in addition to your practice. However for earning a living solely through performing classical, you will need to be a rockstar.

All the professional musicians I know have several sources of income - teaching, playing, accompanying, conducting, and so forth. The more successful ones are also good business managers. You will be a self-employed small businessman. You can imagine how hard it is to keep up with scheduling, teaching, accounting and taxes, while at the same time searching for new jobs. But if you don't do it, you don't get paid. And somewhere in there you have to find time to practice and prepare for performances and gigs. And you also have to be a self-promoter - you are the product that needs to be sold.

On the other hand, all professions have similar problems, some more than others! Just don't make the mistake of thinking it will all be about playing piano and making music.

Sam

You have a full ride to good schools. Major in piano performance and also double major in something else in case the concert pianist thing doesn’t work out. Something useful like pre med, accounting, etc…. Let’s be realistic, there are only a handful of people who can make their livelihood by concertizing. Do you want to teach between gigs to make ends meet? Or have other side hustles going on. I would take advantage of the scholarships and go into a field that affords you the luxury of being able to play the piano when you want on your terms.

I would first highly recommend discussing this with your college instructor. My personal knowledge from others is that most performers have multiple sources of income: teaching, accompanying, gigs at upscale restaurants or as a church musician. Sometimes multiple sources.

Competitions? Discuss with instructor. It appears that a career as a concert pianist is highly contingent on competitions— and high placement in the finals. Can it be done another way? Yes. There was a recent thread about this you csn search for.

Since you will be doing your own marketing, a college elective in marketing strategies would be useful. Start think about you can market yourself.

First of all, many people on this forum are amateurs, as such are in contact with the pro classical business through a limited number of contacts, their teacher or people they know. Second it is not reasonable to give you any advice, not even knowing your level, capabilities, character, objectives, ....

It seems you have a pretty good understanding of the situation. The best you can do is to discuss with as many pros as you can find to understand how they live through their career, their sources of income, the challenges they face, the type of life they have, ....

Certainly, if you have good capabilities, from a revenue perspective, you have a greater probability to make a better salary outside the musical world. But that is only one side of the equation of course.

This is a conversation had thousands of times every day. Let me try to cut through what you're saying here. First I want to ask you a question:

Forget about realistic goals and tell me this: What do you want to do for a career? Let's imagine that becoming a world famous concert pianist is more possible than it is for a minute. It's obviously possible because people do it. The job is rough, actually. You will be constantly learning new repertoire at short notice, there will be times when you have to stand in for someone who is indisposed, and it could mean learning Bartok 2 at four weeks notice, or Ravel left hand, or third Rachmaninoff. You may end up being called upon to do a Schumann Quintet or a Franck Violin Sonata at short notice - yes, chamber music is part of the soloist life now as well. You will be on planes constantly, you will spend more time in airport lounges than you can even care to think about, and, as a good friend of mine who is an international flute soloist found, there may be whole years when you're not home for more than three nights. Relationships become very difficult, family life can be a strain, and you need to be prepared for that and sometimes get help to balance yourself and make sure you have good people in your life who are being fully supportive. On top of this, in the world of the concert pianist and violinist, this often happens to someone when they are VERY young. Doing this in the years 20-30 years old is extremely hard emotionally. Yes, you have the physical energy, but it can feel like you have the world taken from beneath you and it will feel like everyone wants a slice of you the pianist, and very few actually get to know you.

I'm not saying this to put you off, but it is how it is. You will need good stable people in your life, good friends and family, to help you through all this. You will need to remain grounded and not believe any of the hype about yourself. I'm not trying to burst your bubble here but actually I'm trying to protect you - if you believe the hype you also believe the negative stuff and take it to heart. You need to remain aloof from such things and that is EXTREMELY hard. You are a human being with a beating heart and you have emotions. Make sure you know how to handle this. It can become very stressful and stress can lead to depression.

As far as your playing is concerned, you are probably good enough. There is actually a wide range of quality on the international concert circuit, from people who have a seemingly divinely inspired ability to those who are little more than competent.

As far as competitions are concerned - yes you can and should try for them but I must warn you this:

Competitions are not what they seem. You look at competitions as an event in which many talented pianists compete for a prize, and the best player on the day (or days) wins. This is not the case. Please understand that in a huge number of competitions this is not the case. I have a friend who was involved in the selection process for a major international competition, and I'll let you guess which one if you wish. This person listened to all the audition tapes and at the next meeting said something about how long it took her to listen to the tapes and make her selection for the first round based on the playing. Other people in the room gave her a really strange look and said "why did you listen to all the tapes?" and she said "because the applicants have made the effort to make the recording, and paid a not insignificant entry fee. We should honour them by listening to their tapes, that's the least we can do". She was then told that all of the people she had selected were not allowed to take part based on their pedigree. Pedigree? She asked....

Well, changing the names to fictional ones for the sake of decorum it went like this:

Competitor A was a student of Nikolai Chernyov in Moscow, and Nikolai was to be on the jury. Although Nikolai wasn't allowed to vote, to not allow his student onto the competition would look very bad for the future of the competition... .and so it went on.... Competitor B was clearly a better pianist than Competitor C, but Competitor C was a student of Roger Rolands at the Royal Academy of Pianistic Art in London and since the dean of the RAPA was on the jury, it would be better for future funding for the competition if competitor C was allowed but B was denied.... It even got to the stage for this competition that the FINALISTS WERE KNOWN before the competition began. This happens ALL the time. How does it happen? Because it is SO easy to eliminate people from competitions.

Competitions are corrupt by nature, and the only way to win one is to be well-connected to a teacher who is heavily involved in having students placed in competitions. Of course you have to play accurately and very fast as well, but you need that connection with the teacher. It's the same as getting an agent. There was one major international competition recently where all four finalists were with the same teacher. This particular teacher isn't a great pianist themselves, nor are they particularly good at teaching, but they are good at securing scholarships for talented students.

OK enough of my conspiracy theories (which are known facts on the inside)....

What CAN you do? Well, whether you take a career in teaching or performing you will HAVE to give concerts and you will HAVE to know the repertoire. So please, keep learning and keep practicing.

Next - record, record, record. Make videos, create an instagram profile, build a following. Youtube, Facebook, the lot. Do it all. It's a long process but you can do it. If you get enough followers you may actually get an agent.

Make an album - find repertoire that you like, that isn't too difficult, and record it, and put it out there on spotify. It doesn't matter if it's the 10,000th recording of the Pathetique - if you play it well and you love it, you should record it. Or record something less well known, it's up to you, but you must love the music.

Technique wise - start getting the major works under your fingers - work slowly, work consistently. I'd recommend at this stage that you have a Mozart concerto, a Beethoven concerto and a romantic concerto that you learn and keep in your repertoire just in case. If nothing else you'll have three more pieces that you didn't have before.


Finally, I'm really not trying to put you off going for this career. If this is the career for you, it'll happen if you make it happen. If you enter a competition and win it, and end up having a big career, I'll honestly be super proud of you knowing that someone from our forum has really made it. If you give up piano and do something else, I'll still be proud of you for trying, because your value as a person is not connected to your ability to play piano or win a competition. You have an intrinsic value which is far, far greater than anything to do with the music profession and that's really the one thing that I want you to hold on to as you embark on this journey!

Good luck, don't let anyone grind you down, and don't be crestfallen or downhearted by my warnings here, but be aware of the pitfalls. You'll do well. You're already doing well.

Years ago met an amateur Chinese-Canadian pianist on his way to become professional. He won the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. At the time he was playing concerts with a community orchestra with his father conducting. The father eventually returned to China. Took a few years before he got his name recognized and now plays with orchestras higher up.

There are many good pianists and few spots for those who dream of becoming world famous. And then there's my high school music teacher who taught strings (violin, viola, cello & bass) before he retired. It's a secure job with the local school board with regular wages. Besides organizing 2 concerts a year for the parents, he would find music for the students at various levels and music for the school plays. However, he didn't play with a symphony orchestra. We're talking about a public school music program which is less demanding than teaching at a college level. Certainly not someone who made professional recordings.

There is a lot said about the flaws of piano competitions. Once I watched an amateur student competition. These are young teenagers not yet at a high level of playing. A young man played Bach Invention #13 in Am and won a prize. IMO his playing was under-tempo and missed a few notes so he didn't deserve to be 1st or 2nd. Found out later his father was 1 of the judges which gave him an unfair advantage.

A while ago I was at a funeral service. A young man who was in Suzuki piano played a few pieces for his grandfather. Although the playing was flawless, a memorial service isn't the place for really technical & demanding repertoire. His mother thought the young man had the talent to pursue a career as a concert pianist but he ended up working for a pharmaceutical company. Some people would teach privately or continue to play with local orchestras with a F/T career as a doctor or lawyer.

I have to say that if you are hoping for a career as a performing artist, Berkeley is not a good choice. As far as I know, Berkeley is still not oriented towards music performance. On the other hand, it might be better than many for developing a career, even a career in music, but not so much in performance.

I still know one of the first undergraduate students to perform a solo evening performance at Hertz Hall. He is a very successful... lawyer!

I wonder if it would be a good use of your time to spend a year, train hard and try to audition for some top schools, preferably with a scholarship. The level of the students and instruction is simply different, and at a smaller school you will tend to beat big fish in a small pond, and a majority of the other students may not even be interested in going for an actual performing career at all.

Preface: I am not a concert pianist, and I don't play like a concert pianist.

However, when I was studying in a mid-sized liberal arts college with a relatively strong music program, a professor once told me something that I needed to consider. He said, and I paraphrase, if you want to do it, you can become a concert pianist.

For me, that was never truly something in consideration. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I didn't want the concert pianist lifestyle, nor did I want to dedicate myself to the instrument THAT much....I had other interests as well.

What I did find that I enjoyed was when students would prepare for jury, that we would often gather in my applied professor's studio and critique each other. It was there that I found I had I enjoyed the camaraderie and looked into teaching.

I graduated shortly after that, and for 11 years, I taught music in the public school system...not piano, but both high school and middle school chorus. I had also spent considerable time playing for a local church. This was my musical outlet, and this was a way to earn a steady income. I never seriously considered concertizing.

It seems to me, that if concertizing is your passion and desire, then you should find a way to make that work. I appreciate Joseph's remarks on this topic. Seems as if he's being quite real. You may be able to combine teaching and performing, but I think you should take time to think this through. The other side of my equation is that my teaching career allowed me upward mobility. I no longer teach in the classroom, but work as an administrator. Life is good and music is still an integral part of it. I wish you happiness and best of luck!

I have very little perspective on the world of being a professional musician, but I would like to offer some more general thoughts about thinking about your career, years in university, making decisions that will ultimately lead you to feeling happy with those choices, and hopefully give you some things to ponder as you think about these big decisions.

First off, Berkeley is a great school for many things. But, if you do have your heart set on a specific career path (being a concert pianist), it is easier to go down career paths if you go to places where that career path is reasonably common for people to pursue. Otherwise, you end up struggling with the system to help you get what you need, rather than those things being in place for you to access easily. So, from that perspective, it may be worthwhile to see if you can matriculate somewhere where people end up doing the kinds of things you would like to do.

2nd, you got some advice upthread about potentially double majoring in piano performance and then something more ‘practical.’ The problem I see with this is that the alternate career can be quite demanding in terms of requirements. Perhaps you are a super super star and can juggle expanding your repertoire, entering piano competitions, etc with, let’s say, completing premed requirements. But in order to get into medical school, you not only need to pass organic chemistry and many biology courses and a year of physics and calculus and a few other things, you need to have a fantastic GPA, you need to demonstrate interest in medicine (which means doing things like volunteering in hospitals, shadowing, doing biomedical or basic science research), doing community service, showing leadership skills in something… bottom line is that medical schools are competitive, and there are a lot of boxes you need to check, even beyond the formal course requirements. I could similarly not envision simultaneously doing an engineering degree while trying to work toward a career as a concert pianist. There may be some courses of study that would work in this regard, but you need to think carefully about your strengths, the different degree requirements, whether it is feasible to do the 2nd thing alongside your piano-related activities (and to do it well), and how you might use the degree(s) after college.

Third, I think there are lots of aspects to choosing a career path that have a lot to do with things that are more in a ‘lifestyle’ category. Are you someone who needs a lot of structure? Who would benefit from a training and professional trajectory that is highly structured? Or do you thrive off some amount of uncertainty and derive energy from those uncertainties and the creative challenges they present? Are you someone who wants to be self-employed (which gives you a lot of freedom but also means you are responsible for making sure you have enough income, health insurance, etc)? Or do you like being part of a hierarchy at work, having a supervisor you can turn to, and having the security of a steady income and employee benefits? Do you like being in school? An academic career, for instance, means many years as a student/trainee, and other careers also have very long training periods. If you are someone who is impatient with being a trainee, these paths can be difficult. You need to have a good enough sense of the career to know if it will be a good fit for you.

I hope this gives you some things to think about. I know that when I was deciding what I was going to do after college, I opted for something with a very well defined career path, and something that had a lot of job security. These things were important for me, but we are all different. It is, however, important to understand yourself well enough to know what the ‘deal breakers’ are for you to be happy and successful.

To the OP - since you have to stay close to home for the time being, have you considered doing your undergrad work at the San Francisco Conservatory? I checked out the piano faculty at SFCM and it looks terrific. Plus the Conservatory offers post graduate degrees in performance, which Berkeley does not.

I wanted to reply to all of you, thanks so much for your advice! I was pleasantly surprised by so many detailed responses and have been reading through your messages to think deeper about my situation. I truly appreciate the amount of time you all took to respond to my questions. I will write another followup soon.

Don't know if I mentioned, I'm currently a high school junior (applied a year early) and might consider taking a gap year in case there's anywhere I could apply next year. Some of the replies to this thread made me wonder if waiting things out and applying to more places could be a good idea rather than jumping in right away. I study at SFCM Pre-College and applied there for undergraduate but was waitlisted, hearing back about the final decision in ~2 weeks.

I actually had another question, are applicants to graduate studies in piano performance more often than not disregarded by admissions if they don't have an undergraduate degree in music/piano like B.A.? If I double major or major only in something else, do you think that would be a disadvantage since an admissions committee would see that I'm not as focused on music than other piano students?

Thanks again for the great insights, I'm so grateful!

I can only speak from my own personal experience. I majored in Music in the 1960s as an undergrad - but in Music History, not Piano Performance. I did some general post grad work in music for a few months before getting drafted into the Army. Upon discharge two years later, I sought admittance as a graduate piano performance major at the University of North Texas. They accepted me with the stipulation that I would successfully have to perform TWO recitals - one equivalent to a senior recital and the other a Masters recital. For most folks this probably wouldn't be a big deal - but since I was 24 at the time and had NEVER previously played a full recital in my life, it was a tad challenging. Somehow I managed to pull it off, but the late start ultimately was my undoing. Playing solo recitals never got any easier for me, and after teaching and performing for a few years, I decided to pursue another field (still arts related).

Depending on the school, if you can meet the graduate audition requirements you may have a good chance of acceptance, probably with the understanding that you'd need to make up the music coursework that you'd normally take as an undergrad. The larger challenge has to do with the valuable time you'd lose by not completely focusing on developing your piano skills during those years. If you want to remain competitive, it would probably be better to continue to focus on your music - and perhaps pick a minor subject during your undergrad years - something that you can pursue academically and professionally in the future if the music career doesn't work out for you.

I think you have a good idea of what is to come already. It is extremely difficult to make a career as a concert pianist, and even the ones who are extremely talented still find it hard. And because classical music is such a small, almost “niche” field these days, the opportunities are significantly impacted by that. Competitions, record deals, and performance invitations are very political and nepotistic, at times. And, beyond that, it’s also a matter of personality, luck, opportunity, funding, etc. It’s very political. So being aware of the “uphill battle” of it is, in my opinion, half the battle. Once you know what you’re up against, you can plan according. And, that said, it seems you have done just that already. I think you already have a good idea of the paths by which to accomplish your goals.

- You can do one of the major competitions and that can open some doors for you, but even in the “golden days”, that didn’t necessarily guarantee success. For every Martha Argerich or Van Cliburn, there’s dozens of others who won major competitions and then settled into relatively obscure careers. So, be prepared for that, and be ready to pursue multiple competitions. Be prepared for that reality and pursue multiple competitions if necessary. Research them and try to choose the ones that have the least known issue with politics and corruption.

As others have said, build the necessary repertoire. There are a couple “warhorse” pieces that are expected, and it’s good to ensure that you have them under your belt. That includes solo pieces and concerti. It helps to have a significant repertoire of well-known pieces that are well-maintained and available for performance at any time.

Accept opportunities and performances as they can open doors for you. While Andre Watts received his first great exposure and push when he performed with Leonard Bernstein at the Young People’s Concert, his concertizing career really began when Bernstein asked him to fill in for an ailing Glenn Gould. Thus began his major concert career.

I would also ask if you have applied for or considered some of the “major” music schools (Julliard, Curtis, Peabody, Berklee). As others have said, it is extremely political, and going to some of the major schools give you a leg up.

Don’t forget the power of social media, also. A number of young, talented pianists are building their brands on Youtube, and even Instagram/Facebook. There is a massive audience for classical music already on Youtube, and if you’re goon enough, people will pay attention. Such have been able to build careers from that, at least in terms of becoming known, recognized, and being able to build a brand.

Be sure to speak to your professors also who will be able to provide you with greater insight.

Above all, pay little attention to the detractors. They exist in nearly every field. They don’t understand dreams or dreamers. They followed the general paths and simply don’t understand how these other careers are possible. The Arts are, themselves, a field of imagination and dreams. And even though people watch great performers, they seemingly can’t understand how it can happen for someone they know. Pursue your dreams and don’t let anyone take them away from you. Have a Plan A and a Plan B, and realize that a “concert pianist” doesn’t have to be a globe-trotting superstar who makes all their money form performing. You can be a successful concert pianist, and still have a teaching post, and other careers and income streams in the arts.

Good luck and happy playing!

I think one tends to see, especially considering there are a handful of pianists out there who seem to be everywhere, it is an all or nothing job. It is probably indeed true, the tip of the pyramid is very narrow and most of us never end up there- even if you win numerous prizes and get into major agencies etc. The reality is that, at least here in Europe, there are many artistically viable and fulfilling means to make ends meet; moreover there are many layers to that which includes occasional performances with good orchestras, just perhaps out of their advertised season programs. Matinee concerts, concerts for donors etc. are rarely given to biggest soloists. There are way more opportunities to perform than the very few very well advertised concerts, especially if one uses the study years well to make the best impression of themselves in every occasion. Even established soloists do play a bulk of their concerts in relatively obscure places that offer high quality. An exclusively solo career is indeed hard to sustain but if one is willing to broaden what constitutes a playing career, there are numerous career paths there including accompanying others to international competitions, concert tours or being under contract at an institution. You could also choose to specialising in opera accompaniment which is a completely different skill set and includes often conducting duties too. By accompaniment, I don’t only mean the um-pah accompaniment for certain virtuoso works but also great chamber music. I know an incredible pianist called Naoko Sonoda that built her reputation entirely on accompanying cellists to their auditions, competitions, CD recordings. She told me once she just couldn’t stand the idea of trying to grind away a career alone and that she has a very fulfilling life now. These all don’t include the 120 concert a year life of some soloists. For nobody, but very few it is viable and desirable. A concert life requires a lot of travelling- just it often is not as gruelling as it seems looking at the A-List people.

If you see yourself at the level to prepare for Rubinstein Competition, that already puts you in a very good place- way beyond weddings, parties etc. Definitely do prepare for competitions, bigger and smaller, not for the sake of prizes but for the benefits of performing. Realistically speaking, at the start of one’s career, they offer the best chance at playing at the top halls, top instruments and top orchestras if you get lucky enough. Being not admitted is normal, don’t let it pull you down. All of us, without exception have more rejections than acceptances. I don’t really know about the university education in the US. For anybody starting out in Europe it is always a good idea to try and do everything you can in your study years, even if it seems irrelevant for your field- playing in the orchestra for a modern work (say, Symphony of Psalms, Petrushka or a world premiere) should they be looking out for somebody, offer to accompany people to auditions, offer to play orchestra reductions for conductors. Always be well prepared! These don’t help your career goal directly but helps build a skill set that can evolve in any way you might choose to later and puts you in touch with your colleagues and teachers who can offer invaluable help and advice later on. There will be unpaid work during study years and that is demoralising indeed but it is on occasion (though not always!) necessary. Do keep in touch with all people you met that you value, when in doubt you can always ask their opinion on these subjects. Some might even recommend you further. The more people hear your name, the better it is. One can just never know what it might lead to later.

As far as a traditional concert career goes in the United States, it *used* to be very difficult. Now "Very difficult" has become "almost impossible". In the 1950's-1980's, almost every town had a piano series. Many would be small - in places like high school and community college auditoriums, and the artist would come in and get maybe $100-500 a recital. However, they would generally be booked on a "tour", so they could reap this in every few nights. But it WAS a living - maybe not a good one, but you could get by.

Sadly, now, 90% of those series are extinct. I don't know why. Nowadays, "performing" is either something you'll have to do for free (or a pittance) a few times a year at a library or church concert series - or Carnegie Hall for 3,000 people if you are Yuja Wang. There is no more "Mid Level" career. (I have heard that in China and maybe other asian countries things are different).

As a result of this reality - and as a more direct answer to the question posed in your original topic - I think it's still reasonable to shoot for a career as a musician, but you need to find a niche now more than ever before. Our current digital age is brutal in many aspects....but it is actually more forgiving than past ages in the way it lets people play up and advertise their strengths via the Internet and Social Media. Think about what you are good and what skills you have to offer people aside from just your playing.

Some examples of people I know:

1.) One Pianist with a DMA and prizes in international competitions has made a name for himself and is earning YouTube royalties by making arrangements of Video Game Music and going live every few days, taking streaming requests (and tips). He has over 100K subscribers.

2.) Another has started composing easy pedagogical music after seeing a gap for certain fun, easy pieces on the market. She works with a major publisher and now her music is distributed all over.

3.) Another got in touch with music lovers all over the country and put together a tour strictly of giving house concerts -- he'd find people with pianos and ask if they would like to host him perform in their home and requested $20 donation per guest (Provided the host gets to keep some).

4.) Another did similar to #3, but started playing in "Group Muses", small house recitals where the artist gets paid, and everybody registers to perform online.

5.) Another started a business using his knowledge and expertise of college auditions and the piano repertoire of a "Coaching System" for students who want to enter top music schools.


.......there are many more examples. But none of these thing could have happened before, but they are all possible now. It's important to think outside the box.

I'd say - as others have said - that UC Berkley is a great school, but not particularly known for piano. Even if you have a teacher you really connect with, it's still important to consider the caliber of your fellow piano students if you intend to compete/work/learn from them in the future. Possibly for grad school, you may want to consider a conservatory. That said -- it seems like you know what you are doing so feel free to disregard this comment Good Luck!

I know a few concert pianists (not at superstar level). They have all struggled badly through Covid lockdown. All of them make most of their money from teaching. One (my own mentor actually) now teaches full time at a very well known UK school because she cannot make a good enough living as a CP.

Nobody has mentioned in this thread (I think) the elephant in the room. We now live in the internet age of You Tube, Tik Tok etc and that means you must have a video presence. For that to be successful you need to be good looking really. The you tube channels of classical pianists with a lot of subscribers (leaving aside the handful of superstars) are mostly very good looking as well as talented women. There are maybe a handful of talented males, mostly doing teaching videos.

What you do at university is maybe ultimately less important than the profile you build up online. Start thinking about your "look" and learn about video and recording techniques for the channel you need. Don't delay on this. Get an online presence asap.