The Street, Germany and the School of Professionalism

The street is a great school

The street does not teach the same as a music school. There I learned to differentiate people's tastes and to interpret in a way that could reach their hearts and souls. In Peru the public is diverse and demanding; If you want to make a living from music, you have to do the job well and understand what each person can receive. In a way, the musician also becomes a psychologist.

The street teaches other things that a classroom cannot reproduce. Rain and heat alter instruments: one learns to protect them, tune them and use them according to the temperature. He also learns that making money matters and that, precisely for this reason, work must be done with dignity.

Working in the street is not degrading. It is a difficult career: it forces you to survive, reach people, listen carefully and play well. It teaches respect for every member of the audience. When you work with dignity, you can face any kind of stage. In a theatre or in the street I do the same thing: I play professionally and respect those who listen.

The casting was not a coincidence

When I went through that casting I had not arrived by direct invitation. Still, I am completely sure that coincidences do not exist. I am a spiritual person: I believe that that moment was already given and I had to make it happen; It was written that it would happen like this.

I believe in a higher force and that things happen when you are ready. There is what we call luck, but for the person who prepares, works and makes an effort, that luck is preparation, faith and determination. I had become interested in learning and I prepared myself without knowing when the opportunity would come. I was prepared for that job and much more.

Traveling, returning, then arriving in another country and staying there are part of the path that was written for me. There are things written that have not yet been fulfilled. All that remains is to move forward and discover what life prepares us for.

Germany and professional discipline

Working in Germany with professional musicians helped me grow. They were disciplined and tried to do everything almost perfectly: notes and chords had to sound exact; we had to rehearse, prepare thoroughly and give a real performance. Before that, we might learn something, play it and assume it would improve over time. In a professional group, rehearsal and preparation are continuous.

I retain that responsibility. Even the simplest music must be well done out of respect for the audience. I don't just want to offer a show: I want to leave my spirit and my inner strength in each song and each presentation. When the job is well done, it arrives in a different way and the public respects it.

The guitar I had to learn

I had arrived as a wind-instrument player and percussionist, not as a guitarist. When the group's guitarist ran into problems, I had to take his place and play through an equalizer system. I was not prepared for that role, and it was very difficult. I rehearsed all night after work and practised every day until I mastered the instrument.

For a moment I thought it had been a failure, but it was a very productive experience: I learned more about the guitar, used new systems and gained precision. That's why I don't talk about failures, but about experiences. From them we learn what to prepare and extract something that we can use in the future.

Choose who to grow with

When I returned to Peru I understood that my musical level had grown. I shared what I learned and some musicians grew with me; others did not want to receive it. So I had to choose who I could do a more professional job with and stop working with those who preferred to stay in the same place.

That's not a bad thing: working with people who want to grow makes us more responsible and allows us to create more. Sometimes those who do not understand that decision consider you a bad person and criticize you. It's sad, and it happened to me. But I wanted to grow and move forward; Those who want to grow with you, grow, and those who don't want to, stay where they are.