By Derek Westra
Trying to make some extra cash while struggling through their college years, local students are combining what they learn in business classes with musical talent.
BYU students are known for being musically disciplined, and it?s not surprising that some use their music to pay for college tuition. Whether teaching, performing or recording, there is always someone in need of a musician, and Provo just might be an ideal place to capitalize on that need.
?This is a perfect place to find musicians,? said Jim Brown, owner of All-Star Recording Studios in Provo. ?It?s a two college town and it seems like everyone who plays or sings knows someone else who plays an instrument. When they meet at school or in the apartments, the first thing they do is form a band.?
And that?s where Brown comes in. He?s not only the owner of a studio, but a BYU student and a local band member. He said students get excited about the opportunity to play with other talented musicians, and when they get together they instinctively want to perform or cut a CD.
?I first started collecting gear and equipment to record for my band,? Brown said. ?But now, if I could continue to find people wanting to record, I?d do this full time.?
Nykelle Cloward, a media music major who records at Brown?s studio, pays him with money she makes teaching piano and voice lessons.
?I started teaching when I was 14 years old,? She said. ?I started out pretty inexperienced giving lessons for free. Now I have 48 students and a waiting list of 20 more wanting to be taught. It all just kind of fell into my lap, but I?m not complaining ? it?s great money.?
Cloward said teaching music lessons is the ideal job because she can choose her hours, pay scale and even which students she will accept.
?It is also the perfect job for a mother,? she said. ?You can have the adventure of running your own little business, make money and work out of your home doing something that helps people and makes them happy.?
While teaching lessons is probably more reliable, others prefer the thrill of the stage. Some musicians said there are so many students who play an instrument or sing, that in order to be successful, it is necessary to have a unique sound.
?I attended some songwriting workshops in Nashville, to help me create my own style,? said UVSC student Tamara Forbes. ?I?ve always loved country music, and even though I was only in Tennessee for a couple of months, it gave me some experience I was able to bring back to Utah.?
Forbes plays the guitar and sings at the Gateway in Salt Lake for tips, as well as paid events like community parties and wedding receptions. Other BYU students said background music at receptions is something that will always be in demand, especially in Provo.
?When people hear that I play the harp, they usually think of romantic wedding music,? said Emily Kelly, a graduate student from Salt Lake City. ?It?s not a full-time job, but more of a word-of-mouth type of thing. It pays well though; some people get paid several hundred dollars a reception.?
Most performers agree that playing music for people doesn?t feel like a job, even if there is money involved.
?I?m developing my skills as a singer and a songwriter, but it?s all so fun I don?t think of it as work,? said Cedar Thibeault, a freshman, from Carbondale Ill. ?We had a family band that performed all over Illinois and up into Massachusetts and Florida. I hope to start up a little band here in Provo and get back into performing.?
Brown said performing is probably the most fulfilling way to use music, even though it may not be the most lucrative.
?Music is tough,? he said. ?You put a lot of money into it and you have to work pretty hard to make it come back out. I?m doing okay now, but like other musicians, I?ve been though those times where I had to rely on other jobs, and of course, credit cards to support my music.?
Cloward said music is a big investment and there are few people that are able to make money or break even.
?It seems like you start out paying for lessons and paying to record and even to perform,? she said. ?In five years from now, I hope to be getting paid to record and perform, but if that doesn?t happen it?ll still be worth what I put into it. That?s just the way it works.?