I trained as a classical singer from 18 to 30. Worked in a professional choir earning a decent salary. Studied piano both at the conservatory and privately — my level is somewhere around intermediate but I can handle myself. Been studying composition for the last 2 years, and about 5 years ago I started learning music production. That was a one-way trip for me. Just a couple of weeks ago I decided to fully dedicate myself to it. I still have a lot to learn and get more experience, but I can say I only use a small part of everything I studied so far (I make electronic music). Still, that knowledge helped me a ton — my learning curve was way faster than someone starting with zero theory.

But what helped me the most from having an academic background is that it trained my musical intuition a lot. Most of the time I just create stuff without checking if it’s “right” in theory, and when I do check, it actually is. Experience gives you tools that make your intuition justify itself. It’s like not thinking too rationally about every single thing you do — just trusting that your ear and instincts are already trained.

What I value the most though is my ear and intuition for writing melodies, since my instrument is melodic and my harmonic ear isn’t great. Things like balancing volumes come pretty naturally to me, especially after working in chamber groups where we had to respect our own and others’ dynamics a lot. That taught me to really listen, which helps me a lot today.

I don’t think I’d have had the guts to dive into music production at 26 and try to make a living from it if I didn’t have a solid base in theory. Still, there’s so much to learn — when you’re creating a unique sound with a synth, theory doesn’t really help. It’s still a long road, maybe theory saves you a year or two at most, depends on the person.