Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Valentina Loaiza Jaramillo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Valentina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Since I was little, I decided I wanted to be a professional musician. When I graduated from high school, I started studying music in Colombia, but that wasn’t what I really wanted. After a lot of thinking and the support of my parents, I decided to apply to different colleges outside my country, and I got accepted into Musicians Institute, which was one of my dream schools. I decided to take the risk and leave my country, family, and friends to pursue my dream of studying music in LA and becoming a professional musician.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Valentina Loaiza Jaramillo, a Colombian musician and Guitar performance graduate from Musicians Institute. My passion for music started at a young age because of my grandfather. He loves music too. I sat down with him every afternoon after school, and he played different styles of music for me while I was doing my homework. That’s how I got into Rock music and my passion for the guitar started. I took guitar lessons while I was attending high school. Before graduating, I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a Musician. I started studying music with Jazz emphasis back in Colombia, but I wasn’t happy. With the support of my parents, I decided to apply to different schools, and I got admitted into Musicians Institute. I graduated this year and started my professional life as a musician.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started my professional music journey back in Colombia. I applied to a music school and got admitted, but the emphasis there wasn’t what I wanted. The school had an emphasis on jazz music, and at that time I’d never played jazz before. My dream to study music helped me decide to study there, even if it was out of my comfort zone. In the beginning, it was difficult because everyone else there was really good at playing jazz, and some instructors seemed not to believe in me and my capacities. There was a time when I felt not good enough and almost decided to quit. I wanted to make it work because that was my dream, and I put in a lot of effort and started getting better.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After three years of studying jazz, I decided it was enough, and that I wasn’t happy. It was tiring not to feel supported by the instructors and some classmates. This affected me physically and mentally, so I decided to do the best for my health. With the advice and support of my parents, I applied to Musicians Institute and got admitted. I came to LA by myself, and it was a 360º turn in my life because I left my country, family, and friends to pursue my dream.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/valentinaloaizaj?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@valentinaloaizaj?_t=8cZrbKJu45G&_r=1