Hello everyone! My name is Emmy Rozanski and I am a freelance trombonist and music educator currently working in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas.
After I graduated in 2016 with my DMA in trombone performance and moved across the country, I felt lost and purposeless. In school, I was part of a community of people striving for similar goals. I had been a graduate teaching assistant with many responsibilities, I enjoyed learning from my classes, I had work teaching and gigging outside of school, and most recently, I had been engrossed in writing and defending my dissertation. Suddenly it was all gone. I had been so busy finishing school that I hadn’t had much time to consider “what happens next?”
In the months after graduation I applied for every music job that I qualified for and some that I did not. No responses. After several months, I finally found a part-time music teaching position and started to be called for a few gigs. Four years later, life is much better. Through hard work and persistence, I have moved closer to my career goals each year. I’m still learning and figuring life out. I probably always will be, but I have the confidence that I can continue to make a living doing something I love.
Many musicians face similar struggles when figuring out what to do after completing a music performance degree. This blog was created with the goal of learning from each other. Each week I will interview a music school graduate about their experience navigating life after school. My hope is that we can learn from each other’s challenges and successes, realize we are not alone when struggling, be inspired, and feel like part of a supportive community.