Canadian Musician November / December 2019 | Page 56

One thing that really resonated from my conversation
with Ichkhanian is when he said he’s “completing the
picture” of his career or musicianship with his Ph.D.
Music education and practical experience are both
necessary, and he is “completing the picture” by find-
56 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
Omar Shabbar is a gigging
musician based out of Toron-
to. He’s also an onsite guitar
tech at The Root Down Studio
(www.therootdownstudio.com)
and a self-proclaimed gear head. In the rapidly
changing industry of modern guitar gear, Omar
attempts to discern innovation from distraction. 
Check out his YouTube channel, featuring dozens of
gear reviews and performance clips, at
YouTube.com/OmarGearReview.
CM: What advice would you give to someone
considering a Ph.D.?

LI: First of all, make sure it’s really what you want to
do. The workload is massive. I didn’t realize that when
I started. My advice would be to make sure you’re
prepared to dive in the deep end and make sure
you’re always in the field of study that interests you,
because there’s nothing worse than doing something
that you’re not interested in.
ing his balance between the two. Kaur leans more on
academia for her career path but uses experience to
help her become a better teacher. Walker leans more
towards experience but has used lessons to regain his
voice and confidence.
Personally, I know I need a lot of both and when
I feel imbalanced, I seek out lessons or book more
shows to fix it. As musicians, we need to find our own
balance between education and experience because
while we can focus on one, incorporating the other
will always make us better.