So in short, more experience. I know my weaknesses, and I know I need more training. Especially when it comes to the oboe, different approaches to reed making are valuable for me to incorporate. Of course grad school isn’t strictly necessary for a performer. However, it is not the simple fact of having attended that I hope to gain from grad school, but rather the improvement and experience I will attain while attending. I certainly don’t intend to sit around in schools until I’ve earned some superfluous doctorate degree–I simply need more experience.