Continuing our in-depth interview with Alex Cheng, we dive into the challenges and takeaways of being a conservatory student at HVS Conservatory and in Los Angeles, and the personal development and lifelong skills he learned during his time at HVSC.
What do you think is the most challenging part of being a student in a conservatory program, and how do you manage it?
The challenges that I faced personally in HVSC were very intense at times. It really brought me to my edge. It really took me so deep into my own limiting beliefs, my own negativity, and I think the most challenging part of it all is to really stay true to who you are and what you want out of your life—how you want to live your life and what is really important to you. The challenge that I found was I got swept up into specific narratives about what success means. What it means to be a successful artist, what it means to be a successful musician, what your lifestyle is supposed to look like if you want that and that is a perspective that you will get from the teachers at the conservatory, but to me I found that some of the things would resonate and some of them wouldn’t.
For example, I thought that when I first came into the conservatory, I wanted to be this mega pop star, this mega rock star, whatever it is, and the amazing thing about the conservatory is the mentors will encourage that dream if you have it, but I wasn’t clear in what I wanted and that led me to working in a way that wasn’t fully serving me a lot of the times. What I mean by that is just the the pressure that I would put on myself because I have this grand vision of who I want to be, and what I want to be, and I still have that vision, but at the conservatory being in LA, I didn’t feel like I could give myself space.
I didn't feel like I could give myself the grace and really allow myself to relax and enjoy the process a lot of times.
There was just so much heavy duty pressure that I was putting on myself and I think in managing that I’ve learned a lot about myself and just the biggest thing that I would tell myself if going back in time, I would tell myself that you know you’re not always going to know how the end product is supposed to look. You should just enjoy the ride as much as you can and don’t put so much insistence on yourself that you’re supposed to be great by this certain time or that the final showcase has to be this great.
The thing about the conservatory is it’s all just it’s just there to serve your growth and as long as you understand that it’s just there to serve your growth and not force you to be something, then that that’s a much healthier mentality to have than what I had, which was I must, I need to be this thing, this type of person. So yeah, just giving yourself space and allowing yourself to enjoy the process, and just know that it’s one step on the journey. It’s not the whole journey, it’s not everything you’re not going to make or break depending on how you do at the conservatory, it’s just one part of it.
What skills have you gained here that you think will help you in your future career, whether in music or other fields?
The skill that has helped me the most that I’ve gained at HVSC is the ability to connect with other people, and the the reason I say this is because from getting on stage week after week and making that connection with an audience, it’s constantly rewiring you to feel into what other people are feeling and how you’re affecting them.
I found that to be very powerful. When I would go out and meet people, when I wasn’t on stage, because all of these repetitions of singing for others and seeing how they’re perceiving me and seeing how the things that I say on stage, the things that I do, the way my eye contact is, the way I use my body language, the way I use my voice—all of that, I could see the way it was affecting our connection.
I remember one of my classmates named Anusha Savi, who’s a very talented artist—you should look her up—she told me that when she’s on stage she views performing as an energetic exchange between herself and the audience. When she said, that my mind was just blown because I just realized that it’s not so much about you’re on stage and you’re just like singing for these people. It goes deeper than that.
It’s when you’re in a room with people, you are the energetic leader of everybody that is watching you and so that’s a lot of power. You get to learn how to wield that power and so then when you go out and you’re networking or you’re meeting people all of those skills that you gain from being on stage and leading the room and being a performer that translates very powerfully into to your everyday interactions, so that that’s the greatest gift that HVSC has given me aside from just the music.
Click here to learn more about Alex and his experience with HVS Conservatory.
Listen to his debut single below, produced by faculty Nikki Flores.
At HVS Conservatory, you can develop the necessary tools to succeed in the music industry. Based in Los Angeles, our faculty of music industry expert and mentors help to coach aspiring artists by passing on real-world training from their personal experiences alongside necessary musical training, including courses in songwriting and performance. Check out our schedule of masterclasses and free community events, including acoustic sessions, seasonal open house events, and artist showcases.