A Day In the Life of Juilliard Student Sumina Studer
Violinist Sumina Studer. Photo credit Michael Hubner
Have you ever wondered “what if” you had chased your dream of becoming a world renowned musician? “What if” you hadn’t gotten distracted from your goals? Or “what if” you had applied yourself in piano lessons when you were six? Well, okay, maybe that last one wouldn’t be too different.
But have you ever wondered what it’s like to attend Juilliard School, one of the world's leading drama, music and dance schools? Juilliard's acceptance rate is a staggering 6%, ensuring that all attendees are the best of the best. They offer courses in dance, drama and music, with music being the largest division.
Now, you can take a sneak peek into the life of one of the students who had the talent and smarts to make the cut! Sumina Studer, a violinist at Juilliard, took her 82.4K Youtube followers through an entire day. From class, practice, orchestra rehearsal, friends, toan evening concert at Carnegie Hall!
Here are some of the highlights:
The view from Sumina’s apartment is amazing! We can spot the Hearst Tower right away — it must be so exhilarating to live in the heart of such an inspirational city. We’re left wondering what time Sumina wakes up — but with so much crammed into her day, we bet it’s early. She starts off by creating index cards for The Art of Teaching in a Music Studio. That’s followed by some Ear Training & Tutoring, where the teacher surprised her with a graded test, which Sumina said stressed her out big time. And it’s still only morning!
Lunch at Juilliard is just as amazing as the lectures! From pizza and burgers to a salad and panini bar, students can grab any snack that suits them when it’s time to refuel with lunch. There are lots of healthy options (she opts for a salmon and quinoa bowl), so it pays to be a world-class musician when it comes to dining options.
Even when Sumina gets a break in orchestra, she chooses not to take a break. While the rest of the artists practice a piece she isn’t part of, Sumina spends that 30 minutes practicing Beethoven’s violin concerto. She considers it to be one of the hardest pieces out there, but doesn’t let that deter her. Even though she’s intimidated by the work, she digs into practice and it sounds amazing!
By the time we see Sumina emerge from the Subway, it’s dark outside! We’d love to have timestamps to keep track of this crazy day. Her last task of the day? Heading to Carnegie Hall to see Sheku Kanneh-Mason perform with his sister.
Whew! For all the glitz and glam that comes with the life of a classical musician, there’s double the amount of work and practice behind it. We loved getting to see this behind the scenes look into what it takes to be a student at Juilliard. If nothing else, Sumina proved that it’s not for the faint of heart!
