How I used my Experiences as a Chef to become a Musician
If you haven’t already, you could read the first part of this story here!
For many years I was a Chef, then I decided to go back to music school so I could become a professional musician.
Having experienced the vast difference between most restaurants and fine dining I knew there would be a similar divide in music. I knew the best way to get better would be to, at every stage of my progress, surround myself with the best possible people. You don’t know what you don’t know until you experience it.
I made my way to the University of North Texas, one of the largest music schools in the nation. I began saying yes to every opportunity to play and did my best to become immersed in the music making there.
After being a chef, my approach to developing on my instrument changed dramatically. In a French kitchen, you always know where you stand and feedback is direct. While testing my abilities in the ensembles I was playing in, I looked for a clear picture of my strengths and weaknesses.
My strategy was to isolate my weaknesses one at a time, approaching the weakness as an interesting puzzle to solve, with the confidence that I could turn it into a strength. Sometimes I would spend months on a problem, thinking about it, researching it, asking others about their experience with it, and lots experimenting. I believe that we must put in the hours to make improvements in our craft, but I also believe that we can utilize our analytical functions to find innovative solutions to problems that can fundamentally change everything for us.
Some of the aspects of my playing that I’ve worked on in a deep and unique way are Pulse, Finger Dexterity, Effortless Playing, Rhythm, Reading, Pitch and Scale Degrees, Phrasing, Technique Consistency, Scales and Patterns, Breath, Tongue Dexterity, and Tone.
I knew if I kept going and remained being honest with myself about what I needed to work on, I could fundamentally transform how I play music. I was following what I had learned from developing my skills as a chef. I was giving myself the time to bring my skills up to speed and not punishing myself for not being there yet. We can only go as fast as we can go.
As a chef, you are always looking for efficiency. Choosing what to work on in your practice is a lot like writing a prep list. You prioritize and you chunk similar things together. As a Musician, when I needed to improve on a deficient skill, I would work hard to find the exercise or technique I could practice that would address the skill directly. I would do my best to avoid aimless practicing or doing things I could already do. A chef must also be thorough, so when working on a deficient skill, my job isn’t done until that weakness is a strength.
As a chef, our strength comes from the team around us, so as an ensemble member, I made being prepared my priority. We strive in the kitchen and in ensembles to work together as a unified organism, so that means always bringing my best to the table every time.
At the end of the day, the goal of a musician and a chef is to get the technique and the organization out of the way so that we may enter a state of flow. Flow is a precious gift we as humans have been given. We are able to merge intention and action and become one with our craft. When performing highly specialized skills, the only way we can enter flow is through mastery of those skills. Once mastery and flow is achieved at a high level, our possibilities become limitless and our ability to inspire and create for the world becomes exponentially amplified.
I may have graduated from college, but my journey is really just beginning. Throughout the rest of my life, I will continue trying to solve these interesting puzzles of technique, using my curiosity as fuel and following the path to mastery.