PTMs in the news: Maya Shankar
There are as many stories of why a person becomes a Part-Time Musician (PTM) as there are PTMs. Very few of us will share every element of Maya’s story, but there is a lesson – and inspiration – for all.
Maya Shankar, Scientist
Young Maya Shankar played at a very high level, studying with Itzhak Perlman in preparation for a career as a professional violinist. In 2002, a sudden playing injury took the violin from her very talented studied hands and forced her to seek a new path. While music had been her primary focus to that point, she took the life lessons she had learned from studying music and applied them to great success elsewhere…eventually becoming a cognitive scientist. This article from our friends at Violinist.com provides the details.
Fast forward seven years. Oxford University PhD candidate Maya Shankar was invited to attend the Academy of Achievement Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. Two weeks later, she received a phone call. Since her biographical information included her history as a violinist, and since Joshua Bell was also to be honored at the Summit, the organizers asked if she would be willing to perform with Mr. Bell while there. What else could she do? 
Careful to practice only 15 minutes a day to avoid reinjuring herself, Maya worked to polish her well-refined but long-dormant skills. The performance went beautifully, and she rediscovered the music that was still within her…and found more of an emotional connection with it than she had ever had before.
While it is unlikely in the extreme that Ms. Shankar will ever be able – or even desire – to play professionally, she has gained a great deal over the years from her music. We also can gain a great deal from her example:
- Sometimes “the end of the world” is simply a strong push in a new direction. Go with it.
- Sometimes, it isn’t even the end. Sometimes, you can go back…at least in some capacity.
- You’re going to put in the time somewhere to get to any given skill level – no shortcuts. This can be viewed as a problem or a challenge laced with rich, periodic rewards.
- The payoffs are always there. Sometimes they are small; sometimes they are large. But it is worth any time you may invest in yourself to learn/play your instrument.
I wish you all the best as you continue to grow in your music, in whatever way you can.
Keep playing,
Mark
For more information, including a wonderful video interview of Maya Shankar describing this experience, please see this article at FromTheTop.org. The video is only 5 1/2 minutes long, but it’s well worth the visit!
Related Articles:
Tags: Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Maya Shankar, News, part time musician, scientist, violin
News | Mark November 17, 2009 | 
Comments (0)
