Watch

The Daily Challenge of Pursuing a Career in Music

Creator:
Published:
March 6, 2024
July 23, 2018
Wondering, 'Should I pursue music as a career?' Hear this musician's story of being told to quit his dreams to having his music go viral.

In college, Ted Yoder was told to quit chasing his dream of a music career. But he pursued his passion and now has a video with over 100 million views.

Video Transcript

Ted enrolled in college to become a music teacher. But that wasn’t his passion.

Ted Yoder: My first semester in college, my music professor told me I should quit because I was just buying into the lie that everybody says you can't make a living off of music.

Now, Ted makes his living off of music.

Ted: My wife spent wedding money, wedding gift money to get me a hammered dulcimer, so that's how it started.

”To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty.” —St. Justin Martyr, Fragments, Fragment 18

Ted: You should be always progressing on your instrument. Part of the drive for me is just that constantly thing of knowing that I can get better. I'm playing totally different now than I did eight years ago, and eight years from now, I better play a lot better than I do now.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
March 6, 2024
July 23, 2018
On a related note...
Are We Correctly Remembering Our Immigrant Past?

Are We Correctly Remembering Our Immigrant Past?

Javi Zubizarreta

Restorative Stretches When You’ve Been On Your Feet All Day

Restorative Stretches When You’ve Been On Your Feet All Day

Hanna Van Elk

Family of Piñata Artists Shows Resilience

Family of Piñata Artists Shows Resilience

Grotto

Nonprofit Combats Racial Disparity in the Bail System

Nonprofit Combats Racial Disparity in the Bail System

Grotto

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Nashville

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Nashville

Andrew Mentock

3 Lessons from Two Saints Being Canonized Today

3 Lessons from Two Saints Being Canonized Today

Mike Jordan Laskey

This Baker Takes Artisan to a New Level

This Baker Takes Artisan to a New Level

Grotto

Grotto Community's Small Business Gift Guide

Grotto Community's Small Business Gift Guide

Grotto

Good & Decent EP 24: Student Loans — How Much Do You Owe?

Good & Decent EP 24: Student Loans — How Much Do You Owe?

Grotto, Joshua Long

Fall Into Fall With These 4 New Songs

Fall Into Fall With These 4 New Songs

Tanner Kalina

8 US Catholic Churches You Have to See to Believe

8 US Catholic Churches You Have to See to Believe

Maria Walley

Cafe Offers Healing For Recovering Women

Cafe Offers Healing For Recovering Women

Grotto

Making the Saints Come Alive through Modern Icons

Making the Saints Come Alive through Modern Icons

Grotto

The Millennial's Guide to Saving for Retirement

The Millennial's Guide to Saving for Retirement

George Cressy III

The Art of Flow and How to Harness It

The Art of Flow and How to Harness It

Mariah Cressy

From Online Searching to Marriage: A Story of Love

From Online Searching to Marriage: A Story of Love

Grotto

The Real Difference Between Passion and Calling

The Real Difference Between Passion and Calling

Josh Noem

The Complete Guide to Hosting a Dinner Party

The Complete Guide to Hosting a Dinner Party

Lauren Lawson

‘I Knew I Was the Only Poor Person’

‘I Knew I Was the Only Poor Person’

Grotto Shares

4 Tips for Staying Joyful in a World that Glorifies Stress

4 Tips for Staying Joyful in a World that Glorifies Stress

Molly Gettinger

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.