Do You Have to Lower Your Standards to Make It in Music?

Do Music Differently — Season 1, Episode 2
Guest: Lisa Eva Gold
Thursday, September 24 at 5 PM ET

Do you have to lower your standards to make it in the music industry?

Lisa Eva Gold grew up hearing some familiar warnings about pursuing music professionally: it’s hard to make money, the industry isn’t always safe, people can be crude, and everyone is trying to surpass you.

Those messages didn’t just describe the music industry. They helped create a rule about what Lisa thought she would have to accept if she wanted to be part of it.

Old Rule: To succeed in the music industry, you have to lower your standards.

But after more than 45 years of making music, teaching, composing, performing, mentoring, and working in entertainment, Lisa sees another possibility.

New Rule: The music industry is changing. There are opportunities at many levels, and you can pursue the right opportunities without lowering your standards.

Meet Lisa Eva Gold

Lisa Eva Gold is a multi-talented artist and educator from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with a background in education, including early childhood Montessori approaches and a focus on psychology.

She has played piano, violin, and guitar in a variety of performances for more than 45 years. Her creative work includes composing original music scores for film and performing songs for Carol Belcher and the New Day Singers at the FAU University Theatre.

For more than 20 years, Lisa has taught piano and music theory. Her work has taken her into schools, performing arts programs, piano studios, and foster care organizations, including Jupiter High School, Palm Beach Gardens High School, Place of Hope, Performing Arts Academy of Jupiter, Kretzer Piano Studios, Good Shepherd Episcopal School, and Zaya’s Piano Studios.

Lisa is also a member of the Music Teachers National Association.

Her passion for mentoring extends beyond traditional music lessons. Lisa has supported young people through music, English, science, history, relationship-building exercises, and mentoring. Her experience has included work with foster care organizations and individuals with special needs.

And music is only part of her creative career.

Lisa has worked as an acting consultant on film and commercial productions, a hairstylist and makeup artist for theatrical productions, and a show and radio host.

She currently hosts The Sound of Gold on K4HD, now in its second season, where her focus includes music, musicians, music venues, music teachers, and music schools.

Lisa is also known as “The Instant Composer.” She describes feeling the energy of a room and expressing it through freely playing and composing at the piano. One of her dreams is to inspire others through her piano playing while continuing to compose piano music for film.

What Happens When Someone Else’s Warning Becomes Your Rule?

Parents, teachers, friends, and other people who care about us may genuinely want to protect us when they warn us about the realities of working in music.

But what happens when a warning becomes a belief?

Lisa identified confusion, self-doubt, lost opportunities, diminished relationships, creative frustration, financial instability, comparison, and lost time among the costs of carrying this rule.

That raises an important question for anyone building a career in music:

Are there things you believe you have to tolerate, sacrifice, or accept simply because someone told you, “That’s just how the music industry works”?

Lisa’s perspective began changing when she made a commitment to stay focused.

Today, rather than seeing one narrow path into the music industry, she sees opportunities on many levels—and believes that meeting the right people can change what becomes possible.

Question the Rule

In this episode of Do Music Differently, Lisa and Heidzalyn explore how beliefs about money, competition, safety, and success can influence the way musicians approach their careers.

We’ll talk about where Lisa’s old rule came from, how it affected the way she viewed the music industry, what staying focused has meant for her, and why finding the right people matters.

Most importantly, we’ll question the assumption that pursuing music requires lowering your standards.

Because doing music differently doesn’t necessarily mean pretending the challenges of the industry don’t exist.

It can mean becoming clearer about what you will and won’t accept—and looking for the people, opportunities, and paths that allow you to keep moving forward without sacrificing what matters to you.

What standard are you unwilling to sacrifice for your music career?

Listen or Watch Do Music Differently

Do Music Differently — Season 1, Episode 2 airs Thursday, September 24 at 5 PM Eastern.

Radio listeners can listen live through W4WN Radio at w4wn.com or through the W4WN Radio App.

TV viewers can watch through W4WN, Talk 4 TV, or the Talk 4 TV YouTube channel.

Learn more about Lisa Eva Gold and The Sound of Gold at thesoundofgoldpodcast.com.

What rule are you ready to rewrite?

#StandardsNotSacrifice #RewriteTheRules #DoMusicDifferently