<p>I've loved music as long as I can remember. It's just been a part of my life. </p>
<p>I'm not exceptionally talented, just to set that down on the table first and foremost, but I think that's even more of a reason to ask.</p>
<p>I've really been wanting to get private lessons for several different things. I'm a tuba player, so naturally I want tuba lessons. I also play baritone, so I'm looking for a teacher there also. I use to play piano but took a break from it, a decision I now regret, and I'm looking into vocal lessons. My biggest problem is I come from a very financially tight family. I can't even afford the basic $20 a lesson tuba lessons. </p>
<p>Along with this issue, I can never find rides to the different orchestras in the area I'd like to participate. Even though I'm 16 I'm unable to get a license. (Long story dealing with my vision. Don't ask. Driving isn't an option for me unfortunatly.) Very few people in my school band actually participate in these so it makes it hard to get there, if not nearly impossible with parents that works early to late. </p>
<p>I also can't afford any of the music camps. I'm especially interested in BYU's camp, but even with financial aid, I still can't afford it. </p>
<p>Is there any way to get the benifits of these besides practice alone? Getting a job is also hard for me, since hardly anyone in walking/biking distance of my home hires teenagers. I really would like to get more into music but it seems that all my options are closed. </p>
<p>Are there any other options. I really think I want to be a music major, perferably to conduct. Music has just been such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine going into a different field that wouldn't give me the opputunity to really do what I'm passionate about.</p>
<p>That's a tough one, musicallylatin. Let's first consider what you appear to have rather than what you lack.</p>
<p>You have access to one or more instruments that interest you.
You have time to study and practice.
You have Internet access.
You have some ensembles at school, perhaps not as good as you would like them to be.
Most importantly, you have a love of music and a desire to improve.</p>
<p>Some of the things you can do with those resources:
-Teach yourself about music theory and music history. There is a lot of free material available that you can find through Google.
-Listen to a lot of music. Figure out what you like and what you do not like about the way various people play your instruments. There are a lots of resources on the Internet that are free for the taking if you have time to look for them.
-Look for more innovative ways to earn some money for lessons, method books, etc. You might consider making up a flyer to put in your neighbors' mailboxes to let them know you are available for babysitting, to assist with household chores and that sort of thing. If there is a school subject that you are particularly good at, perhaps you might be able to tutor someone for pay in that subject.
-Practice. While it would be best if you could have some guidance so you do not pick up and reinforce bad habits in your playing, you need to work on your instrument even if that means getting a method book and doing it all by yourself.
-Start researching some colleges online. Look at their audition requirements and see if you can come up with some sort of plan for preparing the pieces needed. If the answer at one school is that you have no chance whatever of learning those pieces in the next couple of years, look for other schools.
-Play in as many school groups as you can. If you can't get to some of the better ensembles because of transportation, you will have to make the most of the ones you can get to. Try to work your way into leadership roles within the school ensembles - librarian, section leader, president or vice president if the groups have such offices.
-Talk to the band director and any other music teachers at your school. Tell them what you have told us and see if they have any suggestions. They may be willing to give you lessons in exchange for time spent helping them sorting music, grading papers, straightening up the band room and so forth.
-Join the national association for your particular instrument or instruments. Student rates are usually quite low and you will at least get a magazine and access to a website with lots of resources that are very specific to your instrument(s).
-Talk with your parents to see if there is any support at all that they can give you. Even if that turns out to be not very much, at least you will have a clear idea of where you stand.</p>
<p>You are trying to do something that is very difficult but not quite unprecedented, so hang in there. When he was not much younger than you, Francois Rabbath had a bass and an old method book that was written in French (which he did not yet understand) but not much money. Over the next several years, he played a lot and tried to puzzle out what the book was telling him to do. When he did not quite understand the book, he experimented with the instrument to try to figure things out for himself. By his early twenties, he had gotten pretty good on bass and had the good fortune to be able to travel to Paris in hopes of meeting the man who had written the book. When he got there, he found that the author had been dead for several years, but that auditions for the the famous Paris Conservatoire were to be held in just three days. He spent those days furiously learning the pieces and was accepted at the school. He did not stay there long, because he soon found that he was not only more advanced in his playing than the other students, but the teachers as well. He had basically invented a whole new method of playing the instrument that many people have started using.</p>
<p>That was a wonderful entry BassDad! That is helpful advice for every young musician.</p>
<p>I wanted to add that my son always approached the music teachers about starting small ensembles independently. He would organize a group of musicians and play for school functions. He did all his community service hours that way--sometimes teachers would help them practice, but mostly they did it on their own, and it was another way to keep playing and improving.</p>
<p>Excellent advice so far. Just to add to BassDad's point</p>
<p>
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-Look for more innovative ways to earn some money for lessons, method books, etc.
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</p>
<p>You can even try to barter some services like housekeeping, baby-sitting, yardwork in exchange for lessons. Many music teachers can be quite flexible in coming to terms with a student who is serious and can't afford the full cost of the lesson. Some may even take a serious, promising student at a much reduced rate.</p>
<p>Look into your local/regional youth orchestras. Many provide full/partial scholarships and waive fees altogether for those that have financial burdens; some go so far as to offer lesson scholarships as well.</p>