A Harmonious Interplay
Noah Alden Hardaway shares keys to balancing academics with a growing musical career
Being a doctoral student in music and maintaining a music career that includes a busy paid performance schedule around the country are not mutually exclusive.
Noah Alden Hardaway ’21, ’24, M.M., who earned his master’s in piano performance at Shenandoah and is currently studying for a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance, is a perfect example of someone who is making a name for themselves while also meeting academic demands.
During his Shenandoah studies, Hardaway has performed in Philadelphia; in Sarasota, Florida, three times; and venues throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Vermont, as well as online. After receiving a stipend to study at Pianofest in the Hamptons this past summer, he took on a role as assistant to the director of the festival on a year-round basis.
He’s also the assistant head of piano at the online startup tonebase, which produces innovative and high-quality teaching videos featuring the world’s top pianists, violinists, cellists, and classical guitarists. He’s engaged in many duties as part of his role with the company – video editing, livestreaming (both as performer and A/V specialist), copywriting, musical score annotation, content marketing, and quality control. And, just for good measure, he teaches private piano lessons one day a week at the Wakefield School in The Plains, Virginia. Sometimes he works as an accompanist for singers, as well, because conservatory policy guarantees a good wage, and occasionally substitutes at churches. “Subbing is a great way to get extra playing experience and connect with a community, even if you don’t have a full-time contract,” he said.
Hardaway added that he’s been very lucky in growing his career, and advises others looking to follow in his path to devote serious hours to the craft and “network like your life depends on it, because it does. Connections I made 10 years ago are still paying dividends. Every new opportunity or connection is a door leading to other doors, but if the door remains closed, you don’t even get the benefits of the first door. It can be exponential.”
One of those connections he made years ago was with Distinguished Artist-in-Residence; Chair of Keyboard Division; and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D. “I met him when I was 16 and played for him many times over the years; he helped make me the musician I am today and I am so fortunate to study with him full time.”
Hardaway admits that it isn’t simple to balance so much – work, academic demands, practice – and that long-term planning is essential to handling all his responsibilities. “An essential skill is knowing when (and how) to say no,” he said. “If you say yes to everything, you won’t excel at anything. I had to turn down some promising collaborations to make sure I could do well on my recent tour.”
He has also learned to spread out his tasks over the course of the day to keep his energy up. “The most difficult thing is being ready to perform full recital programs when you’re not perfectly prepared, and sometimes other commitments have to take a backseat for a few days,” he said. “But the tradeoff is worth it, and performance enriches my other work substantially.”
To learn more about Hardaway and his career, visit his website at https://www.noahhardaway.com.
