YPAW 17: Teo Yu Yao

You Play A What?

As a music conservatory trained musician, I sometimes find myself in a dilemma, if I were to tell you that I never once doubted my career choice, I would be lying. A career change away from music can be deemed by our colleagues in the music industry as so and so can't quite "cut it" as a musician so he /she needs to pivot to something that is unrelated. Comparing this to say an accountant who decides to go into digital marketing is probably less likely to be judged by his/her colleagues as incompetent. That being said, I do believe that competency on our respective instrument(s) is no longer a selling point like in the 1800-1900s. I explained it a little more in depth in the episode.

Yu Yao decided that after returning from London, he was not going to stay in the music industry but he began to build up his corporate experience and portfolio. Some might say that he took the easy way out, but I beg to differ. As a music graduate, I understand how under appreciated this 'nicely framed piece of paper' is when it comes to job application out of the music industry. More often than not, I think employers are more curious than genuinely thinking that you might be up for the job. However, it is not all doom and gloom, gaining this financial stability has allowed Yu Yao to participate in performances and gigs that is true to his artistic belief, something that many musicians yearn for.

Check out Yu Yao's recent performance below:

Crossing Borders | An Evening of Turkish Delight with Teo Yu Yao and Serhad Sarica

Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the podcast! You can get in touch with me through https://www.youplayawhat.com . Subscribe and share this podcast with your friends if you enjoyed the episode. Feel free to leave a rating and review on which ever platform you choose to listen to your podcast!