Today, The Platinum Mask channel would like to introduce Allie Miller for a conversation.
Hey! Please explain to the audience what you’re promoting.
I want to promote my availability to perform for events/concerts, as well as advertise my ongoing concerts/performances with the music ensembles I’m a part of.
What was the biggest obstacle in your journey and how did you overcome it?
Fortunately, I had extremely supportive parents who were able to support my violin education over the years. I also started preparing for a career in violin early enough that my path through music school seemed to flow naturally from one degree into the next without too many obstacles. The struggles and challenges I faced developing a career as a violinist mostly came from the burn-out from long days of practicing – it’s natural to want to stop and give up when progress and development continues to get harder and more challenging. There would be days I felt like my technique and skills were going absolutely nowhere, so mustering up the patience and will to keep going took years of self-discipline on my end. I also struggled with the extremely competitive nature of the music industry, which forced me to always be extremely self-critical about my violin-playing – even now, it’s still easy to constantly compare myself to others in the field and aim to be “the best”. In the moment, these struggles often made me regret the decision to choose violin as my career path. Looking back, though, overcoming these struggles helped me grow as a person and into a better musician.
Is there anything you wished you would have known earlier in your journey?
I started aiming for a career as a violinist so early in life (around 7th grade), I wish I had known that the music industry only gets more and more competitive over time, and how hard it would be to become successful. I wasn’t prepared enough for the mental, emotional, and physical tole it would have on me.
Do you have any favorite spots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?
I’m a foodie, so I love to explore the vast food scene Dallas has to offer – brunch and Tex-Mex tend to be my favorite! You can find some really fun places in Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, Trinity Grove, and Addison areas. I love going to the State Fair of Texas each year, and I frequently like to visit the Dallas and Fort Worth Zoos.
Were there any major challenges due to the covid-19 pandemic? How did you overcome them?
Due to the nature of concerts and the close proximity between audience members and musicians, most of my events were cancelled, which means I lost a lot of income during that time. The performing arts weren’t “essential”. It devastated the music industry financially and emotionally. Unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do, so I just had to rely on savings and adjust my spending habits accordingly. It was rough.
What was your upbringing like and did you discover your passion early on?
For a hobby, I started taking violin lessons when I was six years old. When I was in seventh grade, though, my private teacher sat me down and told me that she saw in me the talent and the potential to actually “make it” as a violinist, but that it was going to require years of diligent practice, patience, and persistence. To that – she was right! I had to make the hard decision at a very young age to forego the “music as a hobby” mentality and become career-minded, before I was even out of middle school! From that point forward, I began practicing 3-6 hours a day in between school, homework, and other daily life. I didn’t have much of a social life to speak of growing up, spending any time I could before and after school practicing my violin. My family and I didn’t even go on vacation that I didn’t take my violin to practice! I went through middle school, high school, college, and graduate school determined that my daily hard work was going to pay off one day, and finally, once I finished school, it did. Though I was often discouraged, lonely, and burned out, I made the regular, tough decision to keep going, and I’m so glad that I did!
Any links you want to share for the viewers?
