Wow, that's great. Suppose your classmates were all much younger. Did you find it difficult to keep up? I don't know anything about music but I'm guessing at that level it's quite technical. Ability to learn technical subjects diminishes rapidly at that age, especially if memory is important.At the time I went back to the university at age 55 I'd already gotten a couple of undergraduate degrees and a doctorate in a health care field.I'm curious about the degree in the new field that you achieved while working part-time. Did you parlay that into part-time work in retirement or was that more for personal fulfillment? Something creative that you always wanted to learn/study?I negotiated with my employer to work 2/5 time for 2/5 pay. Then I went back to school MWF for four years and got a degree in a field I was really interested in, and worked hard at school, and did my regular job at work.
But I'd always been a musician and wanted to compose at a higher level, so I pursued a 4 year BA in music composition, attending MWF at a local state university. During this time and beyond (for about 15 years total) I was an event band leader (think: Weddings), which can be lucrative and create work and income for a number of players. I kept doing that. Events are typically on weekends, and I had my pick of terrific musicians at the college I was attending. But money/income was not my purpose; I did it "because I could."
After graduation at age 60, I continued to play gigs, but mostly spent the next decade composing many pieces for a variety of ensembles (concert band; choir; strings; liturgical music) from middle schools and high schools to universities and houses of worship.
So, the answer to your question was yes--personal fulfillment, creativity, and an occasional stream of income.
Statistics: Posted by Rubicon77 — Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:21 pm — Replies 59 — Views 4623