—by Tiffany Wu

Tiffany Wu is an undergraduate studying harp performance and creative writing at Northwestern University. She enjoys late-night jam sessions, puppy snuggles, and excessive amounts of coffee.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a mile-long wish list of pieces to learn and an even longer list of things you want to do. There’s that one Tournier piece you’ve set your heart on, but also half a dozen books to read on performance and auditions, too many pedal charts to scribble in, and a smattering of gigs crammed into every crack in your calendar. Between harping, heaving around said harp, and learning copious amounts of music, it’s easy to be completely overwhelmed. But that’s “just” the music side of things.

Let’s talk school. I’m in college, so there are essays, listening quizzes, exams, lecture halls, flimsy notebooks, and pouches of highlighters from every shade of the rainbow imaginable. Between extracurriculars and two majors, I hardly have time to breathe while sprinting from one end of campus to the other. But things get done: classes are jammed in, rehearsals are attended, and homework gets turned in on time.

With everything on my plate, I often find myself questioning what on earth I’m doing. Is it even possible to do a harp performance degree and another (in my case, creative writing) degree? Am I truly performing to the best of my ability when both pursuits get half my time at best? I have been told over and over again that splitting my time is not wise; that mediocrity at both is the best I’ll be able to achieve. More importantly, why would anyone willingly drive herself insane trying to fit in twice as many classes as the average college student while stacking several hours of practice on top of it all?

“I still split my time between writing and practicing, and while I love both, I can’t shake the fear of not being good enough at either.”

For many, completely immersing yourself in a single subject is the best way to be successful: concentration of time and resources no doubt yields incredible results, and I would argue this is especially true for a musician. Music demands so much of your time, and for good reason. Music requires slow practice, the drilling of difficult passages and tricky fingerings over and over again, and a fierce dedication that will withstand the strongest of doubts.

Yet, in a time where busy is cool and multi-tasking is the norm, pursuing two majors is not uncommon. Some do it for job security (what if music doesn’t work out?), and others do it because two degrees seems like a cool thing to pursue. Still others try it because they aren’t sure what they want to do once they finish school. I was in that category when I first applied for college; I figured out in high school that I adored music, but my lifelong dream had always been to become a doctor. Growing up, I never had grand dreams of touring with some famous orchestra, or standing center stage as a soloist. Music was just something I did, but never with an end goal in mind. It wasn’t until I started looking at colleges that I realized I couldn’t imagine not playing the harp.

But I was still hesitant about choosing music school. What if I hated it? What if this was “just a phase”? So I decided to pursue a dual degree in creative writing and harp performance, and after a few months in music school, I solidified my decision to pursue music.

However, things are never as simple as we’d like them to be. Even after my decision to pursue music, I still struggled with whether a dual degree was right for me, and still occasionally do. My path doesn’t look like that of my harp role models. All the harpists I know and look up to pursue music with a singular focus. They are talented, hardworking, and completely dedicated to perfecting their craft. And me? I still split my time between writing and practicing, and while I love both, I can’t shake the fear of not being good enough at either. There have been a lot of hurdles, and there continues to be a steep learning curve.

So, is it all worth it? The long answer to that question is laced with all sorts of caveats, but the bottom line is it really depends on you and what your goals are for the future. I have incredible colleagues (“blister sisters,” we call ourselves) who wholeheartedly devote themselves to the harp, and I find there is something incredibly special in creating a life devoted entirely to music. I also have friends who, like me, double up on harp and another subject. Neither is right nor wrong.

As for me, I have chosen to actively chase after both degrees because, though it is exhausting, I cannot imagine living life without writing or music. I adore writing, and I adore music. At the end of the day, I am content to simply be a storyteller, and I believe I can do that with both my music and my words.

What are your thoughts on pursuing the harp, music schools, and the dual degree? Share your thoughts at www.harpcolumn.com/double-up/.