Worth the sacrifice : a personal reflection on lessons in musicianship from monks, nuns, and Ella Enchanted

The professional musician makes many sacrifices to perfect their art. Sometimes we can best understand the choices we make through fictional stories. Other times greater understanding can come from lifestyles that have similar structure or ideals. In looking briefly at the popular children's novel Ella Enchanted, I examine what makes the life of a musician worth the sacrifices. From there I look to the lives of consecrated religious men and women for a more practical and concrete vision for musicianship. To provide a more specific illustration, my own experience and growth as a musician in college serve to illuminate the conclusions that I have drawn from integrating elements of monasticism into my music.