On August 21 st 2011 at the age of 59 I went back to school. I began a two-year distance degree in psychology for musicians at the University of Sheffield in England. Of course, I had all kinds of anxiety about the program. On the plane on the way to Sheffield, I remember thinking “Is this the dumbest thing I have ever done?” This whole venture was prompted by an increasing sense of failure in mid-life. You know it’s bad, when you get a twinge of remorse every time you see a certain poster on the subway (“It’s not too late to do what you were born to do!”). When I was at school in my 20’s, a Master’s degree was not that common for performing musicians. I was more focused on trying to get work as a singer than on getting more degrees. I did register for a Master’s degree from a small American Conservatory back in 1981, funded by the Canada Council. The experience was not a happy one. I had already spent 10 years as a post-secondary student (BA, Performance...
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