We’ve all seen those TikTok videos of the girlies going out to their pottery classes or their jazzercise, but as a college student that might feel impossible to do with such a heavy workload. Look no further to your answer on how to integrate your hobbies into your schedule- and maybe even pick up some new ones!
Music
Maybe you want to flex your musical muscles, but you don’t know where to start. Music lessons are time-consuming and expensive. And sometimes it feels even harder to get an instrument and carve out time to learn it on your own!
- Build it Into Your Schedule
Boyer College of Music and Dance offers a wide variety of courses that are specifically designed for non- music majors to come and explore this world.
They offer both private and regular classes in voice, piano, and guitar for non-music majors, and even have jazz-specific sections for these classes if you’re feeling jazzy.
- Free Practice
If you already have an instrument and want a private space to practice- and your neighbors can’t stand to hear you play- check out the private practice rooms in Presser Hall.
These private practice rooms can also double as a space to decompress for a bit or take a Zoom meeting, especially for commuter students. I’ve used these rooms for just a bit of downtime but have found myself just messing around on the piano and trying to start playing.
Located in the Tyler Building on the left side, Presser Hall is home to multiple private practice rooms for you to sing and play your heart out. It even comes with a piano in the room, so feel free to pick that up as well.
- Borrow an Instrument
Thanks to the great city of Philadelphia, you can borrow an instrument from the Parkway Central Library located on 1901 Vine Street in Center City.
Full disclosure, the waitlist is long to get an instrument; I was told it was a few months long when I tried to borrow an electric bass a few years ago. However, if you know that this method will be worth the wait then feel free to try.
You can browse through their Musical Instrument Collection here. They also have sheet music to borrow alongside their numerous databases of sheet music which are found on the Free Library’s website.
Dance
- Plan Out Your Steps
The Boyer College of Music and Dance also offers Dance courses that are non-specific for dance majors. Check out their course catalog to see which classes they offer like yoga, tap, and hip-hop.
I’ve never taken part in any of these courses before, but I’ve had some friends say great things about Temple’s yoga course to build in some time to de-stress into your schedule. I don’t know anyone personally who has taken any of Temple’s non-major dance courses but if this is a route you want to pursue to try out a dance class then you should.
- Team Spirit
Temple is home to several dance organizations that you can always feel free to look into. Dance teams like step dance, breakdance, tap, hip-hop, and so much more are always available on campus. Check out this article or visit the student activities page here to find out more.
Art
- Pencil It In
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture also offers art courses for non-majors that range across many different disciplines of art. Courses for ceramics, jewelry making, fiber arts, glassmaking, painting, and computer-aided design are all available for non-art majors.
I’m taking Tyler’s non-major ceramics course and loving it. It’s an 8:00 am course which does suck but this course gives me a light start to my mornings and slowly builds me up to working throughout the day.
It is a bit of a workout to push through clay, but it feels nice to do some work with my hands where most of my courses a really reading and writing heavy. Overall, this course has been a much-needed brain break for this semester.
Next semester, I plan on doing one of these courses again but this time I’ll be taking the non-major fibers course to learn all new sewing techniques. It’s nice to be exploring different arts and taking the time to let myself have fun.
- Join A Guild
Another thing that Tyler offers is a bunch of guild options to try out different art styles. Clubs like the Bookbinding Guild and the Fiber Arts Guild are just a few examples of what they offer for you to come try out and flex your creative muscles.
I’m so sad to say that I’ve never had the time in my schedule to participate in one of these art guilds, but they look so fun and inclusive on their Instagrams. I would definitely encourage a little bit of research on some of Tyler’s art guilds before diving in.
You can always try any hobby on your own and guide yourself through it, but here are some more structured ways to build a new and exciting hobby into your busy day.
Happy Hobby-ing!