A day in the life: Miloš Sajin

Miloš moved to Barcelona in 2008, and opened the Shine School of Music in Gràcia. During the first five years he worked day and night to establish the studio, and over time, Shine has grown and become a popular choice for both locals and foreign residents. With the arrival of his first child, Miloš has now taken a slightly less active role in the school.

10.30am My days usually begin late, as I’m a night owl and work better in the evenings. This works out well though because I have students all over the world, whom I teach over Skype. When it’s 2pm in San Francisco or 7am in Melbourne, it’s already 11pm here, but that’s fine for me. Teaching classes online is a curious experience—for example, to be sitting in sunny Barcelona and see a blizzard in New York on my screen out the window of a student’s apartment is crazy. As I get home late on the days that I teach, I take it easy in the mornings, with a leisurely breakfast and family time.

12pm I make my way to the school. My wife and toddler often accompany me, before they head off to run errands or go to the park. On the walk, I begin to gather my thoughts for the day.

12.30pm I might pop into The Music Room, a workspace for musicians with practice rooms and instruments for hire that we recently opened, to check up on instrument rentals and any upcoming events, while enjoying a cup of coffee on the terrace. Often, as with any business, unexpected things pop up and I try to deal with those queries and interruptions as I go along. If I have to transport any instruments from The Music Room to the school, I take them now.

1.30pm It’s lunchtime so the school is quiet and I have a chance to attack my to-do list. Shine’s secretary is out at this time, so if anyone comes in, I greet them and answer any questions they may have. If there are any lessons, I greet teachers and students as well. The music community is great, and it’s rewarding to meet and work with creative people from all walks of life.  

2pm While catching up on emails, lesson planning or dealing with general admin, I have lunch in the office. There’s always a ton of stuff to get done around the school—arranging calendars, deciding which teachers will work best with which students, organising concerts, playing the guitar in preparation for my own advanced students, etc.—so I generally don’t have time to go out to eat.

4pm Rush hour at Shine begins. I chat with the secretary and deal with anything that needs my immediate attention as all the students arrive for their lessons. We are an eclectic mix—people arrive on skateboards, scooters, by foot and by taxi. Classrooms fill up and the school really starts pumping with music.

5.30pm The school is as busy and intense as it gets. You can feel the deep vibrations coming from a bass guitar class and hear the rhythmic rasgueo being flicked out on a flamenco guitar. I grab a coffee in the kitchen, passing the cool sounds of a jazz piano in the adjoining classroom, before I begin lessons.

6pm On days that I teach, you’ll find me in my classroom where I can watch the goings-on of the school and teach at the same time. I enjoy my lessons immensely and have a superb bunch of students. They challenge me, and the exchange of knowledge is really rewarding. Many of them have become good friends.

I generally have lessons back to back, arriving home late. On days that I don’t teach, I head home just in time for my son’s storytime/bedtime routine. After he’s asleep I unwind over dinner and a series or movie. My schedule is quite fluid and with a little notice, I can swap things around to accommodate events and concerts, family time and holidays.