Kenny G: Compartmentalize Your Time

After a brief hiatus, we’re back with another episode of the Youth Career Readiness: The One Question Podcast! Legendary musician Kenny G. joined us to to share his advice for middle and high school students on the importance of compartmentalizing their time and dedicating consistent effort to multiple interests. You may be surprised to learn that he has an accounting degree! Kenny G encouraged students to keep multiple doors open and develop diverse skills. You can become excellent in different fields with focused dedication.Michael HornToday, we’re excited to welcome musician and recording artist Kenny G. Kenny is one of the best-selling instrumental artists of all time, known for building a decades-long career in music while, get this, also earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting, of all things, early in his journey. I suspect that a lot of my fellow jazz band members from back in high school will be a bit surprised to see him popping up on our podcast today.Julie LammersKenny, a lot of middle and high school students are feeling pressure to choose one path early, either something practical or something they’re passionate about. You earned your degree in accounting while steadily building your music career. How did you balance these two pursuits? And what advice would you give students who are trying to keep multiple doors open and navigate their own path to future success?Kenny GHere’s how I like to look at it, and I still look at life like this. I compartmentalize my time. So, here I am with my saxophone. I’ve already practiced 3 hours this morning. So I take some hours and I do something consistently. So practice your saxophone for hours a day for years. Study a few hours a day for those years. And you know what? You can just get good at lots of things and you can do lots of things to a top level.Maybe only one thing to the very top level, but you can get really good at a lot of things. If you just take those hours and dedicate it to whatever it is that you want to dedicate it to consistently over time. That’s what works. So with that in mind, let me play a melody for you. [MUSIC]All right, guys, sending you all my very best.The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe