Music is my passion and Teaching my profession – says

Sachin Nikam in conversation with Team MentorClub.in

MAY 5, 2018

Insights

1. Music as a profession doesn’t pay well initially, so it needs to be

coupled with another source of income. Therefore, I teach IT and Music.
This enables me to follow my passion (music) as well as earn income
and respect, which is every individual’s end goal.
2. I recommend that one should pursue certification courses after
completing your B.Sc. and M.Sc. since these degrees provide very
basic knowledge, which in today’s time is insufficient to get good jobs.
3. Music is an on-going process that seldom ceases. Along with teaching
music, it’s important to continue learning in order to flourish.
 4. It’s not easy to establish a name in creative arts, hence, one should
make sure they already have a day job that assures a stable income.

Profile Details

Name – Sachin Nikam

Profession – Music & ​IT​ teacher

Gender – Male

Age – 26 years

City – Mumbai

Industry – Performing Arts & Education

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Mumbai and have been residing here ever since. I completed my
schooling, graduation, and post-graduation and established a career here
itself.

What is your family background like and who would you say,
had a remarkable influence on you growing up and how?
We were a family of five; my parents, two elder siblings and me. My father
served as a government employee and my mother managed the house. The
five of us were extremely contended with the way things were. We didn’t
experience any kind of a financial quandary as such and learned how to
adjust to any kind of adverse situations.

For me, it’s always been my father who’s had an influence on me. He started
right from the bottom, striving for excellence, always. Despite all the
hindrances in his way, he emerged a victor every single time, you could say.

I think this rubbed off of on me.

Please give me a summary of your career in a chronological

order, entailing the organization names and your respective
roles/designations.

I started working at a very tender age.

I was in 9th standard when I volunteered to teach at “Raj Tutorials”. My job

was to take up orals and make sure that the students had perused everything
in their syllabus.

After a few years, when I’d completed my junior college, I started teaching
them science since that was the stream I’d opted for in college.

I think that’s when I discovered my passion for teaching, hence, I decided that
I wanted to pave a path through this road itself.
After pursuing my B.Sc. and M.Sc. from ​Patkar College​, I started working with
different schools. Initially, I was a computer teacher at “Jawahar Vidyalaya”,
after which I taught at “D.J. Khetan” and currently at “​Friends Academy​”, I
teach I.T.

As for music, somewhere around 2013, I’d signed up with a label temporarily.
We created and produced a few songs for a movie too!

However, I couldn’t fit so many hours of music into my already strenuous

schedule which is why I opted out of it and started taking
guitar/keyboard/violin classes according to my own convenience.

Which institutes, according to you, are the best for pursuing

this career?

In my opinion, apart from top colleges of India, most of the other colleges
don’t hold that much value. In these colleges, it really depends on the faculty.

Fortunately for me, even though I didn’t go to the most prestigious college, I
enjoyed my experience because of the professors.

When it comes to music education, I’d say “Swarnina” and “Academy of

Music” are astounding institutes that provide unbeaten training to beginners
as well as professionals.

What is the expenditure associated with the education/training

of this profession, approximately?
If you’re pursuing your B.Sc., you’ll probably incur an expenditure of about 1
lakh. As for your M.Sc., your expenditure won’t exceed 1.5 lakhs.

Also, since you’ll be working on ample projects throughout these five years,
you’ll require a lot of material to do justice to the course, hence, these costs
are separate.

On the other hand, if you want to pursue music, you have to determine which
course you want to select, for example, there’s a choice between ​Western​ and
Trinity. Trinity is a little more extravagant when it comes to the fee structure.
So, the expenses are all subject to an individual’s personal preferences and
hankerings.

Also, there’s no end to learning when it comes to music. In fact, I’m still
learning! It’s an on-going process, so one really cannot estimate how much
they’d spend on it.

You just go with the flow!

How does one manage to enter this field?

After completing your Masters in Science, you can secure a degree in MCA or
work towards joining other certified courses since your bachelor’s and
master’s in science comprise finite knowledge.

Next, you can apply to corporate companies like ​Infosys​, ​Wipro​, ​L&T​, etc.
Luckily for me, I explored, scrutinized and discovered a link between my
passion and profession. My raison d’être was studio recording and software
designing, which I combined and found a concoction of- Music Software!

So, what I’m trying to say is, there’s no specific “regime” to join this field. It all
depends on your creativity and ambition.

What is the range of remuneration one can expect when

starting out in music and teaching industry?

Income from Music is unpredictable. It can be as low as 1–2 lakhs per annum;
and as high as few crores per album/concert. It all depends on your talent,
number of projects you’re being offered etc.

Following is income for a teacher in coaching institute:

Starting out – 2 lakhs per annum

5 years of experience – 3–4 lakhs per annum

10 years of experience – 5–6 lakhs per annum

15 years of experience – 9–10 lakhs per annum

20+ years of experience – 10–12 lakhs per annum

The above figures depend on what and where you’re teaching, which grades
or how many grades you’re teaching, etc.

Please describe your work.

I usually teach in the morning. I also devote time to update content on our
website, check and grade exam papers, invigilate a class during
examinations, etc.

I spend about 7 hours at the institute and work from Monday to Friday
including every alternate Saturday.

After completing my shift at the institute, I take private tuitions of musical

instruments. I spend about 3 hours doing this on a daily basis and that marks
the end of my day!

I work on music software too, so that takes up a fraction of my time.

Not that I’m complaining!

In your opinion, what are some benefits that would encourage

an individual to consider this career/job?

The chief benefit I’d say is that if one is following his/her passion, then that
doesn’t feel like a job. For me, teaching music and creating music is simply a
fun activity. You may say that I slog long hours, but, frankly I have only one
‘job’ and that is teaching IT at the institute.
Secondly, music soothes my nerves, and everything flows tranquilly, without
any intervention.

Another benefit is that I interact with a lot of varied people such as fellow
teachers, students, music veterans etc. And believe me, these interactions are
both humbling and refreshing.

Can you mention a few challenges that you would want

someone to be aware of if they’re considering a career in
music or teaching?

As a teacher, I think it’s very important to gain expertise in mastering patience.

You have to empathize with a child’s learning pace, his attention span and
introduce teaching techniques that’ll enable him/her to comprehend things
easily.

You’re also expected to meet pre-determined/sudden goals on the school’s

agenda. Hence, the pressure may start building up after a certain point in
order to keep up with their expectations.

Being a teacher can be challenging.

These are just a countable number of factors that a person should be aware
of.
As for music, it’s not easy to make a mark in creative arts from the get-go.
First of all, learning is a very slow-paced process, especially when we talk
about music.

Next, things are unpredictable when it comes to this field. You may not get as
many opportunities to work on different projects however dexterous or skilled
you may be.

There may not be clearly marked designations in the field of “music”. So, it’s
always important to have a day job which guarantees a stable income. That
way you’re securing a good income along with honing your passion.

Also, it’s crucial to make and maintain contacts if you’re a part of the creative
field. You ought to attend workshops, socialize, etc, which not everyone would
like.

What kind of a person, do you think, would be content in

music?

First of all, you have to have a hankering to teach. Teaching is definitely not
easy, but if you possess patience, are open to new ideas and strive to grow,
you’d be happy doing this.

You should be able to connect with students and be empathetic since not
everyone’s pace is the same as others.

If you’re an “out of the box ideas” kind of a person and know how to introduce
new teaching techniques, you’ll thrive in this field.
The same applies to music. I’ll stress on the word “patience” while I’m talking
about it. Making a career out of music is arduous and exhausting. It can be a
slow process however dedicated you are and might not assure a very stable
source of income. So, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t rush into things,
tremble under pressure and keeps trying, you’ll be pretty content with the way
you’re doing.

Given another choice, what would you do differently as far as

your professional selections are concerned?

I don’t think I’ve ever considered changing my career selections. I think that’s
majorly because I’ve pursued my passion. I can never get bored of teaching!
And then there’s music too.

The fact that I can never cease to grow and transform as an individual with
respect to my career has made me so sure of my choices.

What advice would you offer to students or professionals who

are just starting their journey on a path similar to yours?

Master the art of patience and endurance. Try to bridge the gap between your
passion and profession like I did. It’s possible. Don’t settle for anything short
of your interests.

If you liked this article, you may also like to check out ​our conversation with
RJ Naman​ who is also a Musician.
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