What Does It Mean To Be A Musician?

I have a friend from Malaysia who told me that she's done studying piano in Germany and she has to go home because she has no more money to stay there to study more. She said she is sad that she has to leave all these behind to go home. She said the only thing she can do now is teaching piano back home and earn a living. She also said that she loves to practice and she loves to learn piano.

Here I have a BIG question mark after reading what she said: After all that studying, practising and learning, what are you going to do about it?

I mean, what is the point of keep on learning the instrument but without having the chance to stand by yourself and make the music of YOUR OWN?

It's obvious that learning and studying is a beautiful thing. But for me, as a musician, when you don't have other choices but to start working, this is the time you should utilize what you have learned and start making music.

Let's face it, we can't study forever. And the point we study music, is to hope that one day we can be independent from "What the teacher asks you to do" to "What YOU want to say". I guess for my friend, it's time for her to MAKE music instead of keep obeying what her teacher asks her to do.

Sometimes I can't really understand, if you don't have a desire to make a statement with your instrument, why bother to learn it? And also, what for to keep on learning it if you don't want to make your own statements? Does learning to perform not mean that you should desire to PERFORM?

I hope my friend can understand this one day. I didn't really talk much when she told me about it through the messenger because I knew that she would start arguing with me. Teaching is not the only thing you can do in your life after school. Performing ocassionally and make people understand what you think inside is a satisfaction and fulfillment only your heart can understand.

Go ahead and fly, my friend! It is time.