[Voice and First-Year Students] 11. There can be no output without input.

*This content was translated by AI.

When a new student comes for a lesson, curiosity brings both excitement and tension.

Who could this friend be? What kind of music do they like? Although I have been taking lessons for a long time, I have never had the same person twice.

Therefore, the first meeting is always eagerly awaited.

On the first lesson, they ask: "What kind of music do you like?", "Do you have a favorite singer?", "What music have you been enjoying recently?", and "What music did you listen to today?"

There is a reason behind that question. As a trainer, I find many answers in the music students listen to.

However, surprisingly, I often hear this answer.

"I didn't listen to music today. I just listen to the music that's trending on TikTok." AI-based playlists are well-made these days. That in itself is not bad.

However, to truly begin a song, there must be a process of selecting and curating one's own playlist by reflecting on how one first discovered their musical preferences.

A song is an output. And that output branches out from diverse and abundant inputs. It takes time spent listening to what and being drawn to what to forge one's own sound.

Just as exploring other music categories like "Gugak" and "Classical" broadens one's spectrum for viewing music, experiencing diverse genres within popular music—such as jazz, blues, soul, punk, and rock—ultimately shapes one's own musical taste.

While some students say they like R&B, others naturally exhibit a more musical groove. In such cases, alternative directions are sometimes recommended. Such adjustments in direction are also part of a musician's journey.

When I was a college student, a story circulated among students: that Im Jae-beom, known as the "tough legendary singer," had copied and fully mastered every track from an album by his favorite artist. Regardless of its truth, the story conveyed a clear message to us: deeply listening to music you love is, in itself, practice.

The "input" referred to here is not the kind of background music that flows through a café. Rather, it is the process of building your own storage so that you can access it when needed for analysis. It is especially recommended to listen to entire albums rather than individual tracks. Artists carefully consider everything from which song to open the album with to which one to close it with. Within that flow, listening to a track in its specific context can also yield insights.

There is no one without musical taste. If you have yet to discover yours, we encourage you to diligently explore diverse genres through various channels and fully immerse yourself in the charm of music. We hope you can also add your own voice to enhance your singing. Everyone can become an artist for themselves.

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*This content was translated by AI.